{"id":3757,"date":"2019-11-20T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=3757"},"modified":"2019-11-19T15:26:36","modified_gmt":"2019-11-19T20:26:36","slug":"how-do-you-detect-if-your-computer-has-a-boot-sector-virus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/20\/how-do-you-detect-if-your-computer-has-a-boot-sector-virus\/","title":{"rendered":"“How do you detect if your computer has a boot sector virus?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Answer requested by Luis Fuentes)<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most-certain way is to boot your PC with an external, self-contained (a.k.a. “portable”) anti-malware tool, such as one contained on a flash drive or DVD. (Examples<\/a>.) These self-contained apps don’t rely on the installed operating system, and can instead examine your entire hard drive — including the boot sectors — when it’s inert. Because any malware on the drive is inactive and defenseless, it’s easier to detect and remove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Windows, you can do something very similar from within the OS, with a free Windows Defender Offline scan<\/strong><\/a>. This option reboots your PC into a special, minimal, protected version of Windows that also can examine the PC’s boot sectors for malware. When it’s done. your PC then reboots into normal operation again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permalink: https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=3757<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"[seperator]\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

COMMENT \/ QUESTION<\/strong> on THIS ITEM?<\/strong> See the<\/em> Comment box<\/strong> at bottom of this page!<\/em>

<\/em>NEW QUESTION? <\/b>Ask<\/em> here<\/a><\/font><\/u><\/b>!

(Want free notification of new content? Click<\/em> <\/strong>here<\/a><\/b>!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Answer requested by Luis Fuentes) The most-certain way is to boot your PC with an external, self-contained (a.k.a. “portable”) anti-malware tool, such as one contained on a flash drive or DVD. (Examples.) These self-contained apps don’t rely on the installed operating system, and can instead examine your entire hard drive — including the boot sectors…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-reader-asks","category-windows"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-YB","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2225,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/05\/a-reader-asks-my-old-pc-has-a-virus-is-it-safe-to-move-its-files-to-my-new-pc\/","url_meta":{"origin":3757,"position":0},"title":"A reader asks: “My old PC has a virus. Is it safe to move its files to my new PC?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-03-05","format":false,"excerpt":"No, of course it\u2019s not safe! But if you're patient, you can make it safe. Here\u2019s how: First, scan the old, infected system using an external, self-contained, bootable, DVD- or flashdrive-based anti-malware tool. (Examples; many are free.) Boot and run the old PC from the anti-malware DVD or flash drive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1917,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/05\/a-reader-asks-how-do-i-transfer-files-from-an-old-possibly-infected-laptop-to-an-external-hdd\/","url_meta":{"origin":3757,"position":1},"title":"A reader asks: “How do I safely transfer files from an old, possibly infected laptop to an external HDD?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-02-05","format":false,"excerpt":"First, scan the \"possibly infected\" system using an external, self-contained, bootable, DVD- or flashdrive-based anti-malware tool. (Examples; many are free.) Boot and run the suspect PC from the anti-malware DVD or flash drive --- not from the possibly-infected hard drive. The anti-malware tool then runs, scans, and cleans all the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2402,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/25\/how-to-solve-uefi-boot-and-startup-problems\/","url_meta":{"origin":3757,"position":2},"title":"How to solve UEFI boot and startup problems","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-03-25","format":false,"excerpt":"The column reprinted below was originally published in the December 11, 2014, Windows Secrets newsletter. Today, it supplements a new LangaList column scheduled for the March 25, 2019, AskWoody Plus Newsletter. Click on over for a look! (I\u2019m reprinting selected Windows Secrets columns here to help ensure readers can find\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AskWoody Plus"","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/W20141211-TS-UseDevice.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2060,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/11\/using-windows-powerful-recovery-environment\/","url_meta":{"origin":3757,"position":3},"title":"Using Windows\u2019 powerful ‘Recovery Environment\ufeff’","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-03-11","format":false,"excerpt":"The column below was originally published in the June 23, 2016 Windows Secrets. Today, it supplements a new column, scheduled for the March 11, 2019 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, focused on what to do if an error causes you to lose all admin privileges on your own PC. Click on over\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AskWoody Plus"","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/W20160623-BP-CommandPromptOption.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1680,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/17\/a-reader-asks-what-do-i-do-with-the-usb-drive-that-i-found-in-a-department-store-changing-room\/","url_meta":{"origin":3757,"position":4},"title":"A reader asks: “What do I do with the USB drive that I found in a department-store changing room?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-01-17","format":false,"excerpt":"You have four choices: a safe and ethically positive one; a probably-safe but ethically murky one; a maybe-kinda-sorta-safe one, also with murky ethics; and a totally unsafe one, with murky ethics. The 100% safe choice is not to keep the drive. For one thing, the person who lost the drive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":472,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/24\/a-reader-asks-how-do-i-fix-an-operating-system-not-found-message\/","url_meta":{"origin":3757,"position":5},"title":"A reader asks: How do I fix an ‘operating system not found’ message?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-09-24","format":false,"excerpt":"Q: How do I fix the \"an operating system wasn't found\" screen, with all the words are mixed up and the screen is white and twitching?\u00a0 (via Quora) A: An \"Operating System Not Found\" or \"Missing Operating System\" or similar message will occur when you boot\/start\/restart a PC, but something\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3757"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3823,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3757\/revisions\/3823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}