How to remove shortcut virus in your pen drive

How to remove shortcut virus in your pen drive

The shortcut virus is a common type of malware that infects USB drives and other external storage devices, creating shortcuts to your original files, while hiding or replacing the original files. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to remove the shortcut virus from your pen drive:

1. Show Hidden Files

Before proceeding, make sure your computer can display hidden files to ensure that you can see the original files on the pen drive.

Open File Explorer.
Go to the "View" tab (in Windows 10 and 11).
Check the box for "Hidden items" to show hidden files.
You can also change folder options by clicking Options in the "View" tab, selecting the View tab, and choosing Show hidden files, folders, and drives.

2. Use Command Prompt to Remove the Shortcut Virus

You can use the Command Prompt to remove the shortcut virus by clearing the system and hidden attributes from all files.

Steps:

Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
- Press Win + S, type cmd, and right-click on Command Prompt in the search results.
- Select Run as Administrator.
Type the Command:
- In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:
```
attrib -s -h -r /s /d X:\*.*
```
  Replace X: with the actual drive letter of your pen drive (e.g., E:, F:). This command removes the system (s), hidden (h), and read-only (r) attributes from the files on your pen drive.
Wait for the Process to Complete:
- The command will run through the files and remove the attributes that caused them to be hidden or locked.
Check the Pen Drive:
- Open File Explorer again and check your pen drive to see if your original files are now visible.

3. Delete Shortcut Files

The virus often creates shortcut files (with .lnk extension) on your pen drive. You need to remove these manually.

Identify Shortcut Files:
- Look for any files that appear as shortcuts (they have a small arrow icon).
Delete the Shortcuts:
- Right-click on these shortcut files and select Delete.

4. Scan the Pen Drive for Malware

After cleaning up the shortcut virus, run a full antivirus scan on your pen drive to make sure the virus is fully removed.

Open your antivirus software.
Select the option to scan external drives or scan USB devices.
Follow the on-screen instructions to remove any remaining threats.

5. Format the Pen Drive (If Necessary)

If the virus persists, or you're unable to recover your files, you may need to format your pen drive. Note that formatting will erase all data on the drive, so back up your important files first if possible.

Steps to Format:

Right-click on the Pen Drive in File Explorer.
Select Format.
Choose the file system (e.g., FAT32 or exFAT).
Click Start to format the pen drive.

6. Prevent Future Infections

To avoid future infections:

Always use updated antivirus software and run regular scans on your devices.
Avoid using unknown or untrusted computers to access your pen drive.
Consider disabling AutoPlay to prevent malware from automatically running when the pen drive is inserted.

By following these steps, you should be able to remove the shortcut virus from your pen drive and recover your files.