I lent out my external hard drive to one of my roommates and when I open the hard drive the folders now appeared as links. I researched to why this might have happen and some forums say it's malware. I ran scan with Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes and it came out clean even when they were full scan under safe mode. Now when even I hook up something external with memory (ipod, memory card, usb frlash drive) the folders appear as links.
So far when I view the hidden files I do come across a folder called "RECYCLER" and inside of it there is a file called "e621ca05.exe". I've Googled it and it does seem to be some virus. But I can' seem to get rid if it. I'll format a hard drive unplug it and re-connected and there the problems returns. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Then just copy and paste those original files to a new folder on the external. Then see if it happens again. At this point, there isn't much you can do.
Not sure why it happened. If you have scanned it and it came up clean then I suspect whoever loaned it to may have an issue with his system, but not sure.
When the page loads click on the blue combofix download link next to the BleepingComputer Mirror.
Save the file to your windows desktop. The combofix icon will look like this when it has downloaded to your desktop.
We are almost ready to start ComboFix, but before we do so, we need to take some preventative measures so that there are no conflicts with other programs when running ComboFix. At this point you should do the following:
Close all open Windows including this one.
Close or disable all running Antivirus, Antispyware, and Firewall programs as they may interfere with the proper running of ComboFix. Instructions on disabling these type of programs can be found here.
Once these two steps have been completed, double-click on the ComboFix icon found on your desktop. Please note, that once you start ComboFix you should not click anywhere on the ComboFix window as it can cause the program to stall. In fact, when ComboFix is running, do not touch your computer at all. The scan could take a while, so please be patient.
Please click on I agree on the disclaimer window.
ComboFix will now install itself on to your computer. When it is done, a blue screen will appear as shown below.
ComboFix is now preparing to run. When it has finished ComboFix will automatically attempt to create a System Restore point so that if any problems occur while using the program you can restore back to your previous configuration. When ComboFix has finished creating the restore point, it will then backup your Windows Registry as shown in the image below.
Once the Windows Registry has finished being backed up, ComboFix will attempt to detect if you have the Windows Recovery Console installed. If you already have it installed, you can skip to this section and continue reading. Otherwise you will see the following message as shown below:
At the above message box, please click on the Yes button in order for ComboFix to continue. Please follow the steps and instructions given by ComboFix in order to finish the installation of the Recovery Console.
Please click on yes in the next window to continue scanning for malware.
ComboFix will now disconnect your computer from the Internet, so do not be surprised or concerned if you receive any warnings stating that you are no longer on the Internet. When ComboFix has finished it will automatically restore your Internet connection.
ComboFix will now start scanning your computer for known infections. This procedure can take some time, so please be patient.
While the program is scanning your computer, it will change your clock format, so do not be concerned when you see this happen. When ComboFix is finished it will restore your clock settings to their previous settings. You will also see the text in the ComboFix window being updated as it goes through the various stages of its scan. An example of this can be seen below.
When ComboFix has finished running, you will see a screen stating that it is preparing the log report.
This can take a while, so please be patient. If you see your Windows desktop disappear, do not worry. This is normal and ComboFix will restore your desktop before it is finished. Eventually you will see a new screen that states the program is almost finished and telling you the programs log file, or report, will be located at C:\ComboFix.txt.
When ComboFix has finished, it will automatically close the program and change your clock back to its original format. It will then display the log file automatically for you.
Now you just click on the edit menu and click on select all, then click on the edit menu again and click on copy. Then come to the forum in your reply and right click on your mouse and click on paste.
Sorry for the late reply, been busy at work. I have good news MSE actually picked up on the issue which it classified it as a “Trojan” and removed it from my system. After moving my files from their hidden state I no longer get those shortcut folders automatically. I’ve also gone ahead and purchased a registered version of Malwarebytes for just in case. Anyways thanks for all your help.
