Shortcut virus is a popular computer virus nowadays. It got its nickname from its habit of creating fake shortcuts on infected computers or USB drives, even though it doesn’t have an official name. Removing shortcut virus is quite unique, as this virus is quite mischievous. Why mischievous? Because shortcut virus hides all files contained in the hard drive or USB drive and substitutes them with fake shortcuts. USB drive owners usually panic and assume their files have been deleted, leading them to format their USB drives immediately. In actuality, the files are only hidden, and we can easily retrieve them. Before discussing how to deal with this virus, let’s first identify its symptoms.
Symptoms of Shortcut Virus
Shortcut virus only attacks computers or laptops operating on Windows XP. We typically get this virus from USB drives plugged into public computers such as printing booths, photocopy services shops, and many others. The following are symptoms we can identify:
– Shortcut virus will create a parent file named database.mdb in MyDocuments folder, and autorun.inf file in every drive and folder on your computer.
– It will also create a thumb.db file (not thumbs.db) and make microsoft.ink files and other .ink extension files in every folder and drive.
– Shortcut virus will set up a process named wscript.exe running on your PC. You can check this process through the Task Manager.
All of these symptoms only occur on Windows XP operating systems. Shortcut virus only infects USB drives for Windows 7 and Windows 8, not infecting any drive or folders in the computer.
Prevention Steps for Shortcut Virus
To avoid being infected with shortcut virus, we can take the following measures:
– Prioritize scanning USB drives and external drives using updated antivirus.
– Stop autoplay appearing by holding Shift while inserting USB drives.
– Delete unnecessary shortcut files in USB drives and external drives.
– Avoid using unknown public computers with USB capability.
How to Remove Shortcut Virus
We can remove shortcut virus in two ways: automatically and manually. The automatic method is by using antivirus software. Ensure the antivirus used is one of the best current antivirus software. Avast is recommended. The manual method involves following the following steps:
– Delete autorun.inf file, thumb.db file, and other .ink extensions file.
– Use the command prompt by typing the attrib-s-h-r-s/d/s/l*.*
– Show hidden files and folders through Folder Options to retrieve hidden files.
In summary, shortcut virus infects Windows XP operating systems on computers and USB drives. To avoid being infected, we must prioritize scanning our external drives and abstain from using unknown USB-enabled public computers. To remove shortcut virus, we can use antivirus software, like Avast, or remove it manually. It’s essential to ensure your antivirus software is updated regularly to maintain computer protection.
