Author:
Sara Rhodes
Date Of Creation:
18 February 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
A computer virus is a program that is harmful to your computer and can cause a lot of trouble. Viruses can delete vital information, lead to unexpected errors, make your computer vulnerable to attack, slow down your system, show unpredictable messages, disable programs, and even make phone calls to increase your phone bill. They are distributed in many ways, including through USB devices - flash drives and other storage devices. Removing a virus from a computer or flash drive can be tricky, but it is possible. This article will show you how to do this.
Steps
1 Scan the flash drive with an antivirus. Scanning will help you understand if there is a virus on the disk or not. Once you find a virus, remove it, this will make all further steps unnecessary and save you from many problems. 
2 Save separate files for writing to a flash drive. Do not copy entire folders! Each folder has hidden files, and the virus can be found in any of them. Copy the files manually one by one. Do not save the .exe or .zip files, and if you need information from the archive, carefully unzip it and save the individual files. 
3 Format your flash drive. Click Start> Run, then type cmd and hit enter. In the dialog box write format (drive letter). Make sure to accurately indicate the letter that represents the flash drive. - To determine which letter represents your flash drive, open the My computer folder and locate the flash drive. It can be specified, for example, as USB jump drive (E :). In this case, E stands for flash drive. The letter may be different on your computer, it depends on the number of disks.
4 Copy the saved files back to your flash drive. After formatting, everything that was stored on the disk will be destroyed, including the virus. The files can now be put back on disk.
Tips
- Try scanning any files you copy to your computer to make sure they are clean.If your favorite image is infected, first print it before destroying it and then scan it. Later, you will thank yourself for this.
- Always scan the entire computer after this procedure, because the virus may have gone to the main drives via USB.
Warnings
- Every file you copy can be infected. If you cannot afford to lose an infected document or image, then print it and scan it from the printout.
