External HDD question

I've tried just about everything carderne has suggested and I've found the only solution to be a format. But hey, if it'll work here without a format try it :)
 
@bwana
Viruses? My PC seems to agree!

@supersunbird
You say "even if it has no files on it". Have you enabled viewing of system files? (just underneath viewing extensions)

They make them system files, so that virus scanners are less likely to scan them, users are less likely to see them, and even if they do see them, will be less willing to delete them...
 
@supersunbird
You say "even if it has no files on it". Have you enabled viewing of system files? (just underneath viewing extensions)

Yes, I pretty much just said:

I dont how it does it, but you can delete all the files on the drive (including hidden and hidden OS), but it still gives you a program list instead just opening.

:p
 
Ok. Then you need to restart. If you have an autorun.inf file on a drive, it loads it somewhere, and even if you delete it, it does what the autorun.inf says. You've got to delete it, and then restart.
 
/Resurrects thread

I just had a bit of a brainwave:

The external harddrives are NTFS, so if one creates an empty autorun.inf and removes all permissions then nothing should be able to overwrite it. I doubt that the viruses are clever enough to first grant itself write access in the permissions. It won't prevent an infection, but it should prevent and autorun of infected files. Thoughts?
 
Agree with you HavocXphere, however, it looks to me like the autorun file is the problem. When you load pic's and stuff to display the HDD or folders in explorer, windows creates the autorun file. When you delete the pic, autorun will give you the finger. That's why it the OS is allowing access via the run menu. I suggest you delete the autorun file, that should solve it. Alternatively, look what's written in the autorun file, it might be pointing to an app that was on the drive and no longer is.
 
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