getting a Boot-sector virus out of my system HELP!

[wcummings]

Hey guys, I was just told by Dell support that I have a boot-sector virus on my computer. I have tried various anti virus programs, but Norton Anti Virus and Macafee both haven't done the trick. Please help me get it out! Thanks!

 

[StuckMojo]

hmm..i dont have experience with this, but norton or mcafee should do it. check their site for instructions.

 

[Locutus of Board]

I was just told by Dell support

ACK!!!!

You will have to elaborate further on that. What virus is it?

How did they prove it was a virus and not just boot sector file/disk corruption?

 

[wcummings]

What they did
I went into MS-DOS prompt and typed mem/c

and the number that came up for total memoory was lower than it should be, so supposedly I have a boot sector virus. Will this hurt my computer? Or will it just slow it down untiL I get rid of it?

 

[SaturnX]

Hrmm... if I'm not mistaken, doing a low-level format will clear out a boot sector virus, though that is if you really want to do that...

--Mark

PS:
Though, if Norton and mcafee don't pick anything up and they are both updated, I doubt you have a virus, and making the claim that your mem is too low doesn't mean that you have a virus, any TSRs will lower the memory resulting in the situaion that you have.

 

[Motorheader]

Boot from a floppy that is the same as your current OS. Make sure that it is write protected. From the A:\ prompt type:

fdisk /mbr

This will give you a clean mbr and you won't have to do a re-format if that is what DELL was referring to.