Remove the virus that automatically deletes files

Regarding viruses that automatically delete files

Viruses exist every day, some more harmful than others. Some can delete files, like the CIH virus. The CIH virus, also known as the Chernobyl virus, would automatically delete files and erase essential system code stored in the flash memory of certain types of computer motherboards. This page will focus on viruses that would automatically delete files.

How can I protect my files from viruses that automatically delete them?

Be careful if you can no longer open files or folders as usual! You could be dealing with a virus! Many users report that when they attempt to access their files, a virus deletes them, and they urgently seek effective virus file recovery solutions. Let's look at an example.

"Virus! Please help me out. Whenever I try to open any file on my USB drive, like movies, videos, images, or documents, they all appear as shortcuts. Double-clicking these shortcuts doesn't open the files; it only lets me delete them. What should I do? How can I remove this virus that automatically deletes my files?"

How to Recover Files from a Virus That Deleted Them

Computer and laptop viruses are really annoying and dangerous. They slow down your system, delete all your important files. Worse still, they encrypt your files, making them almost impossible to recover.

In case a virus deletes files when you try to open them, you can rely on two effective methods: restoring infected files via cmd or trying a third-party file recovery software.

Data Recovery Wizard is a qualified virus file recovery tool designed to restore data that has been deleted or hidden by viruses from various storage devices, including computer hard drives, external USB flash drives, SD cards, USB sticks, and more.

Step 1: Select the virus-infected drive to be scanned

Run an antivirus file recovery software on your Windows PC. Select the disk that was affected by the virus to scan for lost or hidden files. Please note:

• If the infected disk is hidden or deleted due to a virus, it is recommended to install the software on a different volume or external USB drive to avoid overwriting data. • If the infected device is an external hard drive, USB flash drive, or memory card, it does not matter if the software is installed on a local drive of the computer.

Select the location to scan

Step 2: Check all the scan results

The program will immediately start scanning your virus-infected hard drive to find your deleted or hidden files. To quickly locate the needed items, you can use the Filter or Type grouping options to display only images, videos, documents, emails, etc.

Step 3: Preview and recover the deleted/hidden files

Once the scan is complete, you can preview the files found. Select the ones you need and click the “Recover” button. You should save the recovered files to a different secure location on your computer or storage device instead of where they were originally lost.

How to Remove a Virus That Deletes Files When your computer is infected with a virus that automatically deletes files, you need to act fast. These viruses, often called "file wipers," search for and delete specific types of files like documents, images, and videos. They typically spread through emails, malicious websites, or unsafe downloads. To get rid of the virus, you'll need to run an antivirus scan, repair any infected files, and restore lost data from a backup. ## Identifying the Virus 1. **Watch out for unusual behavior on your computer.** File wiper viruses will delete your files, which might be how you notice there's a problem. Here are some signs of virus activity: - You can't find files you previously saved. - Folders are empty, even though you remember them being full. - Your computer runs slower than usual or displays error messages frequently. 2. **Check the system logs.** If you're unsure if a virus is deleting files, view the system logs. Click the Start button, type "Event Viewer," then press Enter. Click "Windows Logs," then choose "Application." Scroll through the list and look for entries labeled "Error" or "Warning." These might indicate which files were deleted. 3. **Use Command Prompt to check recently deleted files.** Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box. Type `cmd`, then press Enter. In the Command Prompt window, type `dir /a /o-d /t:w`, then press Enter. This will display the most recently modified files, with recently deleted ones appearing first. - This method only shows file names, not who deleted them. 4. **Run a full system scan with antivirus software.** If you suspect a virus infection, run a full system scan with your antivirus software. If you don't have one, download Microsoft Security Essentials for free from Microsoft's official website. After installing, open the program, click "Scan Options," then select "Full Scan." Click "Scan Now" to begin scanning your computer. - A full scan may take several hours to complete. - If the antivirus software detects a virus, follow its prompts. It might quarantine the virus, or ask you to choose whether to remove it. ## Removing the Virus 1. **Restart your computer in Safe Mode.** If the virus is running, your antivirus software might not be able to fully remove it. Booting your computer in Safe Mode prevents the virus from running, allowing your antivirus to delete it. Hold down Shift as you click the Start button and select the Power icon, then click "Restart." After your computer restarts, choose "Troubleshoot," then "Advanced options." Click "Startup Settings," then "Restart." When your computer restarts again, press F4 to enter Safe Mode. - If you're using Windows 8 or 10, click the Power icon, hold Shift while clicking "Restart." On the "Choose an option" screen, click "Troubleshoot," then "Advanced options." Click "Startup Settings," then "Restart." On the "Startup Settings" screen, press F4 to enter Safe Mode. 2. **Run a full system scan with your antivirus software.** In Safe Mode, open your antivirus software and perform a full system scan. If the antivirus detects a virus, follow its prompts. It might isolate the virus, or let you decide whether to delete it. - If you don't have antivirus software, download Microsoft Security Essentials for free from Microsoft's official website. After installation, open the program, click "Scan Options," then select "Full Scan." Click "Scan Now" to start scanning. 3. **Run System Restore.** If the antivirus can't remove the virus, try restoring your computer to a point before the virus was on your system. Click the Start button, type "Create a restore point," then press Enter. Click "System Restore," then "Next." Choose a restore point, click "Scan for affected programs," then "Next." Confirm your selection and click "Finish." Your computer will restart and revert to the chosen time. - System Restore will remove the virus but won't restore files it deleted. 4. **Try using the antivirus's emergency disk.** If the virus still remains, use the antivirus's emergency disk to remove it. Most antivirus software has this feature. If you don't have antivirus, download Avast!'s emergency disk from their official website. Find the link on the Avast! site and download the ISO file. Use burning software to burn the ISO file to a CD or DVD, then boot your computer from the disc. - You can also download a USB emergency disk. Insert a USB drive into your computer, then download a portable media emergency disk creation tool. Follow the tool's instructions to copy the emergency disk to the USB drive. - When using the emergency disk, don't connect your computer to the internet. 5. **Consider reinstalling the operating system.** As a last resort, if all else fails, you might need to reinstall the operating system. Before doing so, back up all important files. In Windows 8 or 10, click the Start button, type "Create a recovery drive," then press Enter. Insert a USB drive, then follow the on-screen instructions to create a recovery drive. In Windows 7, click the Start button, type "Backup and Restore," then press Enter. Click "Create a system image," then follow the on-screen instructions. - After backing up your files, insert the installation disc and restart your computer. From the BIOS menu, select to boot from the CD, then follow the on-screen instructions to install the operating system. ## Recovering Files 1. **Check the Recycle Bin.** Infected files may be moved to the Recycle Bin, so check there. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, and see if your missing files are there. If they are, right-click a file, then select "Restore." 2. **Use the file recovery tool of your antivirus software.** Some antivirus software includes a file recovery feature to retrieve files deleted by a virus. Open your antivirus software and see if it has this feature. If not, you may need to purchase another software with file recovery capabilities, such as Recuva. 3. **Restore files from a backup.** If you regularly back up your computer, you can recover deleted files. Click the Start button, type "Backup and Restore," then press Enter. Click "Restore my files" or "Restore all users' files," then follow the on-screen instructions. - If you're using Windows 8 or 10, click the Start button, type "Backup," then press Enter. Click "Restore using previous backups," then follow the on-screen instructions. 4. **Contact a data recovery service.** If you don't have backups or the backup doesn't include the lost files, contact a professional data recovery service. They might be able to recover the files deleted by the virus, but it usually comes at a high cost. ## Tips - Some file wiper viruses pretend to be antivirus software and delete your files. Don't click on any unverified antivirus programs, as it could make matters worse. - Some file wiper viruses can delete system files, preventing your computer from starting normally. If you can't enter Safe Mode, you may need to reinstall the operating system. ## Warnings - Avoid visiting unknown websites, clicking suspicious links, or downloading unverified software. These actions can lead to a virus infection.

After making sure your files are well protected and restored, it's advisable to get a powerful antivirus solution like TotalAV to keep all malware at bay and ensure the secure and smooth operation of your device.

Alternatively, you can use Command Prompt to delete the virus on any drive on Windows 10, 8.1, 8, or 7.

Please follow the detailed guide to remove the virus that deletes all files

For example, I want to delete the autorun.inf virus from my USB flash drive D:

1. Right-click the "Start" button and select "Command Prompt (Admin)". If prompted, log in with an administrator account and password. 2. Type: `D:` and press Enter. (**Replace 'D:' with the letter of the drive where the virus file is located.**) 3. Type: `attrib` and press Enter. 4. Type: `attrib -r -a -s -h *.*` and press Enter. 5. Type: `del autorun.inf` and press Enter.

For those not comfortable with the command prompt, the risk of damage is real. For safety and ease of use, we strongly recommend you try the automated command-line tool CleanGenius. This handy utility helps you check and fix file system errors, enable or disable write protection, and update your system with a single click, instead of having to remember complex commands.

Just follow the simple steps below to use this one-click repair tool to show hidden files.

Step 1: Download the free CleanGenius tool.

Step 2: Launch CleanGenius, and then select “Optimize” from the left pane. Next, click on “File Visibility” from the right.

Step 3: Select your hard drive and click “Execute.”

Step 4: When you're done, click this link to view the hidden files.

Frequently Asked Questions about File Deletion Virus

1. Is Autorun a virus?

Autorun.in is a virus that usually spreads through external devices, such as USB drives. Once an infected USB disk enters your system, this virus can compromise your computer, execute its own files, corrupt important documents, and replicate itself in a way that makes it difficult to remove.

2. Can a virus delete all your files?

Viruses can be very nasty, deleting your important files (photos, audio, videos, documents, etc.), making data inaccessible (or hiding it), turning your files into shortcuts, and even damaging your system. But don't panic, because there are many ways to remove the viruses that delete files. If a virus has deleted your files, you may still be able to recover them with a virus recovery program.

< strong > 3. How can I recover files corrupted by a virus?

If you've encountered a virus that automatically deletes files, you can use a virus recovery software tool to restore deleted files in 3 steps.

Step 1: Run the tool Data Recovery Wizard. Select the disk partition where virus has deleted files. Click on “Scan” button to start.

Step 2: Once the scan is over, you can preview the files before restoring them.

Step 3: Select the files you want to recover.

4. How do I remove ransomware that encrypts my files?

A ransomware virus has been set to delete files. To stop it, you need to cleanse the network of the malware before the infected system reaches its trigger date and begins deleting 11 categories of files.

How do I remove a virus that automatically deletes itself?

To remove a virus that automatically deletes files, you can use the following CMD command. Afterwards, run an antivirus software to thoroughly eliminate the virus.

Step 1. Right-click the Start button and select “Command Prompt (Admin).”

Step 2: Type D: and press Enter. (Replace D: with the letter of the drive where the virus file is located.)

3. Type attrib, and press Enter.

4. Type attrib -r -a -s -h *.* and press Enter.

5. Type del autorun.inf and press Enter.

6. Is isolation better than deletion?

Removing viruses is crucial for the safety of your computer and data. You can utilize the CMD (Command Prompt) and antivirus software to thoroughly eliminate viruses.