Computer Issues

[Pack hunter]

Hey guys i wasn't sure where to post this or even much less who to ask but i figure you guys are good enough for answers lol...anywho i resently had a virus on my computer and i had gotten rid of it and now i can't seem to be able to access a hard-drive on my system, I've checked it time and time again and it says that it has stuff on it I just can't seem to access it....

You guys have any ideas whats going on?

[ventrue]

Maybe the virus is not as dead as you think?

My general suggestion when I hear the words "I found a virus": Back up your data, reinstall your whole OS and check your data for malware before copying it back. Even if you manage to actually remove a piece of malware, you never know what it may already have done to your system.

[higdog827]

WAIT. Before you do what ventrue said (which is good, but a little drastic as a first step), try this: now by the sound of it, that virus you got hid all your files. It makes it so the files dont show up to view, but theyre still there.
HERE are the instructions for unhiding files on Windows 7, and HERE are the instructions for XP. It extremely simple, itll take two minutes at the most, and im almost certain thats what happened. Hope this helps!

[Pack hunter]

WAIT. Before you do what ventrue said (which is good, but a little drastic as a first step), try this: now by the sound of it, that virus you got hid all your files. It makes it so the files dont show up to view, but theyre still there.
HERE are the instructions for unhiding files on Windows 7, and HERE are the instructions for XP. It extremely simple, itll take two minutes at the most, and im almost certain thats what happened. Hope this helps!

THANK YOU DOG that helped me out alot i had alota art on that drive that i didn't want to lose

[higdog827]

THANK YOU DOG that helped me out alot i had alota art on that drive that i didn't want to lose

No problem at all, Im always happy to help. I know quite a few people who have had this same problem, so I recognized it the second you said that the files didnt show up but were still there. Glad I could lend a hand.

[ventrue]

This basically proves my whole point. You have no idea what else the virus has done to your computer, this may just be the tip of the iceberg.

[higdog827]

This basically proves my whole point. You have no idea what else the virus has done to your computer, this may just be the tip of the iceberg.

I think he actually did get rid of it, it just hid the files while it was on his system. Even though he got rid of the virus itself, the files were still hidden. If this is your typical "hide all your files" virus, he wont be having any more problems. However, you raise a good point ventrue. Pack hunter, Id suggest you run a couple scans to make sure everything is gone. If you already have an anti-virus/anti-malware program, run a full scan with it. If you dont have one, download malwarebytes. Its a completely free program that works great and if there is anything left on your computer, this should pick it up.

[ImaGonnaGetYou]

This basically proves my whole point. You have no idea what else the virus has done to your computer, this may just be the tip of the iceberg.

I don't know where you got the idea that viruses are extremely complex killing machines, but they almost never have more functions than you can count with the fingers on one hand. Maybe if OP was tricked into downloading and giving permission to a rootkit or RAT, there would be reason to worry about future problems, but files being hidden is nothing more than the flip of a switch.

[ventrue]

Maybe if OP was tricked into downloading and giving permission

How do you know he wasn't?

[higdog827]

How do you know he wasn't?

Very true, we really dont have much information on the situation. All we know for sure is that the virus hid his files, he got them un-hidden, and hasnt had any problems since. At this point, I think he's pretty much fine. Theres really no need to worry unless some other symptoms arise.