The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    How to Format my Pendrive affected with virus?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by DhruvC, Jun 29, 2009.

  1. DhruvC

    DhruvC Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    84
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    My pendrive has been affected by some kind virus [wscript.exe] as it was used on some other PC.

    How do I format the same as Formatting with the right click option has'nt helped?

    Pls Assist. :)
     
    DhruvC, Jun 29, 2009
    #1
  2. zephyrus17

    zephyrus17 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    646
    Messages:
    1,576
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Well, you could boot into safemode and trying it?

    Have you tried to clean it with a virus scanner first?
     
    zephyrus17, Jun 29, 2009
    #2
  3. paper_wastage

    paper_wastage Beat this 7x7x7 Cube

    Reputations:
    486
    Messages:
    2,596
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    56
    load up ubuntu live CD and format it :D...

    it's good to keep a ubuntu live cd handy for all sorts of things(this, corrupt windows OS, testing faulty hardware...)
     
    paper_wastage, Jun 29, 2009
    #3
  4. ViciousXUSMC

    ViciousXUSMC Master Viking NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    11,461
    Messages:
    16,824
    Likes Received:
    76
    Trophy Points:
    466
    Id just try the HP USB Format tool.

    If that doesnt work fdisk it from the command prompt.
     
    ViciousXUSMC, Jun 29, 2009
    #4
  5. DhruvC

    DhruvC Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    84
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15

    I have been getting requests from wscript.exe on inserting my thumbdrive.

    There were two new folders created; I deleted them & formatted the drive.

    I used this drive with my XP Pro Desktop with Comodo Firewall; had blocked the requests from wscript.
    Now even though I dint get these requests, but wscript is runnning as 3 processes under Task Manager of the system.

    I inserted the thumbdrive in my Vista Laptop & 'Run wscript.exe' is still coming as Autoplay option.
     
    DhruvC, Jun 30, 2009
    #5
  6. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,779
    Messages:
    7,957
    Likes Received:
    87
    Trophy Points:
    216
    are you sure it's a virus?
     
    moral hazard, Jun 30, 2009
    #6
  7. NiteWalker

    NiteWalker Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    164
    Messages:
    524
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    From a random google search:

    "What is wscript.exe?

    wscript.exe is a process relating to Microsoft Windows operating system which allows additional functions to scripting. This program is a non-essential system process, but should not be terminated unless suspected to be causing problems. "
     
    NiteWalker, Jun 30, 2009
    #7
  8. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,779
    Messages:
    7,957
    Likes Received:
    87
    Trophy Points:
    216
    that's what I was thinking.
    some pendrives just come with that sort of stuff on them, it's not a virus.

    But if it was a virus your antivirus software should have picked it up.
     
    moral hazard, Jun 30, 2009
    #8
  9. DhruvC

    DhruvC Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    84
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    That's wot, Avast alerted me for the same.

    Refer this article: http://www.auditmypc.com/process/wscript.asp

    Anyhow, I formatted the drive from command prompt.
     
    DhruvC, Jul 1, 2009
    #9
  10. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,779
    Messages:
    7,957
    Likes Received:
    87
    Trophy Points:
    216
    personally I'v never heard of a virus on a pendrive unless the pendrive had an OS installed on it.
     
    moral hazard, Jul 1, 2009
    #10
  11. DhruvC

    DhruvC Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    84
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    One of my colleagues had used my pendrive on his PC.
    Since he returned it, I was getting requests from wscript.exe on inserting my thumbdrive which were being blocked by Comodo.

    Could be that his PC was infected which got transferred to the pendrive.
     
    DhruvC, Jul 1, 2009
    #11
  12. trieudoahong

    trieudoahong Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    19
    Messages:
    283
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    why don't you kill these processes, clean yor PC and format again?
     
    trieudoahong, Jul 1, 2009
    #12
  13. pacmandelight

    pacmandelight Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    260
    Messages:
    909
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I would second booting a Linux LiveCD (such as Ubuntu) and then format the pen drive. Windows versions before Windows 7 have problems with Autorun running viruses off of flash drives on mount due to poor default security settings.
     
    pacmandelight, Jul 2, 2009
    #13