Virus Erases Hard Drive

[mpeet611]

Over the weekend my brother in law asked me if i could reinstall windows 7 on his sister's laptop because she accidently downloaded a virus into it. I booted the recovery partition & got this error message "An Error has occured. Error: F3-F100-0010 Click OK to shut down your PC." When i googled the error i found out it was being caused by the virus so i ran the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool & it removed 53 infections then it asked to restart the computer. When the computer restarted windows did not load, instead i got the message "No Bootable Devices - Insert boot disk and press any key" I restarted the laptop again & tried loading the recovery partition by holding the zero key at startup & the same thing happened. The owner of the laptop doesn't have any cd's for it & i don't have a windows 7 cd either. Even if i did have a install dvd the information on the product key & serial tag have faded away as seen in the attached photos. I'll also attach an image of what the monitor displays instead of loading windows.

Known Specs.
Toshiba Satellite E-205
Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit
Serial Number available upon request.

P.S. I was able to make the serial number readable by shining a flashlight on it at a 30 degree angle. Tried it on product key, no luck unfortunately.

 

[Mark1956]

I sent you a PM, but if you wish to continue please follow these instructions and post the logs.


NOTE: Unless otherwise advised please use a clean working PC to download and copy FRST to a Flash Drive.
Use these links to download the correct version for your operating system and save it to the Flash Drive.
For x32 (x86) bit systems download Farbar Recovery Scan Tool 32-Bit
For x64 bit systems download Farbar Recovery Scan Tool 64-Bit

NOTE: For Windows 7 systems only: If you cannot get Option 1 to work you can make a Recovery disc to use for Option 2.
Just do this: Click on Start > Control Panel and select Backup and Restore. In the left hand pane select Create a System Recovery disc and follow the prompts. This can be done on any Windows 7 PC but it must have the same bit rate as the infected PC, i.e. 64 or 32bit.

Plug the flashdrive into the infected PC.

Enter System Recovery Options by using Option 1 or Option 2
STEP 1
Option 1
To enter the System Recovery Options from the Advanced Boot Options:

• Restart the computer.
• As soon as the BIOS is loaded begin tapping the F8 key until the Advanced Boot Options menu appears.
• Use the arrow keys to select Repair your computer and hit the Enter key. If Repair your computer is not in the menu you will need to follow Option 2 below.
• Select US as the keyboard language settings, and then click Next. If you know your keyboard is for another language then select that from the list.
• The system will scan for installed operating systems. Select the operating system you want to repair, and then click Next.
• Select your user account and click Next. If there is only one user account this will go straight to the System Recovery Options.
• Now go to the instructions for STEP 2.

Option 2
To enter the System Recovery Options by using a Windows installation or Recovery disc:

• Insert the Installation or Recovery disc.
• Restart your computer.
• If prompted, press any key to start Windows from the installation disc. If your computer is not configured to start from a CD or DVD, check your BIOS settings.
• Click Repair your computer. NOTE: This Option will be skipped if using a Recovery disc.
• Select US as the keyboard language settings, and then click Next. If you know your keyboard is for another language then select that from the list.
• The system will scan for installed operating systems. Select the operating system you want to repair, and then click Next.
• Select your user account and click Next. If there is only one user account this will go straight to the System Recovery Options.
• Now go to the instructions for STEP 2.

NOTE: If you are unable to complete either Option 1 or 2 then stop and let me know. This tool will only run correctly if you are able to get to the System Recovery Options menu.

STEP 2
On the System Recovery Options menu you will get the following options:

Startup Repair
System Restore
Windows Complete PC Restore
Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool
Command Prompt

• Select Command Prompt
• In the command window type in notepad and press Enter.
• The Notepad opens. Click on File and select Open.
• Select Computer and find your flash drive below Devices with Removable Storage make a note of the drive letter and close Notepad.
• In the command window type e:\frst.exe (for x64 bit version type e:\frst64) and press Enter
  Note: Replace letter e with the drive letter of your flash drive.
  NOTE: if you receive an error message "the system cannot find the drive specified" go back into Notepad and check the drive letter for the Flash Drive, also note the letter can change on subsequent runs.
• The tool will start to run.
• When the tool opens click Yes to disclaimer. (This may not appear on all systems).
• Press the Scan button. The progress bar may freeze for a while which is normal, leave it undisturbed and it will complete the scan.
• It will make a log (FRST.txt) on the flash drive. Put the Flash drive back in a working PC, open Windows Explorer and then click on the Flash Drive. Double click on FRST.txt then Copy & Paste the log into your next reply. Please DO NOT send the log as an attachment.

 

[mpeet611]

I read your PM & decided to get a recovery disc from toshiba so i called them & they told me i can get a recovery disc for about $10 since the warranty is expired. Also because the warranty is expired i would have to purchase a new product key from microsoft which they said could get expensive. Before purchasing anything i spoke with the owner & she told me to install linux instead since she has access to another windows computer for any windows only programs she may need. She also told me that all of the personal files on the laptop are old & no longer needed. You also said in your PM that the master boot record may have been damaged. Could that affect my ability to install linux?

 

[Mark1956]

That sounds like a good decision.

The MBR will have no effect on the installation of Linux, not used Linux myself, but I would suspect there is an option during the installation to format the entire drive, if not you could download and burn a copy of Gparted to wipe the drive before you start.

Follow this:

Download Gparted from here and follow these instructions.

Keep hitting enter during boot up to choose the default settings, you only need to enter anything when it asks for your language preference.

It will reach a screen where it will show the contents of your hard drive.

Follow this Tutorial


To format a drive:

Right click on the partition and select Format from the menu, then select NTFS from the next menu.
Then click on Apply on the top bar. Confirm the format and allow it to run until complete, then click on Close.
Double click on the Exit button (top left) then select Shutdown or Reboot from the menu and click OK (you will hear a load beep).
The CD draw will open, remove the disc and close the draw. Hit the Enter key and the system will close down or reboot (depending on your previous selection).

 

[mpeet611]

Good Idea . I'll format the hard drive with Gparted before installing linux.

 

[mpeet611]

I just booted gpatred & the partitions labeled system & hddrecovery were intact but the windows partition was damaged so i formatted it to ntfs like you said. Next step, install linux.

 

[mpeet611]

Just wanted to let you know i was able to install linux without a problem. The setup did have the option to erase all data on the hard drive before installation so i let it thinking it wouldn't hurt anything. Now that the laptop is virus free & working again i want to thank you for all your help. I really appreciate it.

 

[Mark1956]

You're most welcome.