A virus I have won’t let me system reset or restore on Windows 10

alex589

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Nov 18, 2017
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I installed some malware while trying to download a torrent and when I tried using system restore it didn’t work. After that I tried booting into safe mode and resetting the pc to factory settings but somehow the virus still blocks that even in safe mode. Any suggestions?
 
Solution


The odd thing is, as soon as the problem is fixed people go right back to torrents. THen we get them coming back here because a repack doesn't work or, more than usual because they have another piece of malicious software :pfff:. Such a vicious cycle.

First off make sure your version of 10 is linked to your M$ account. If it's a cracked version you don't want them to see my proposed fix won't work...


The odd thing is, as soon as the problem is fixed people go right back to torrents. THen we get them coming back here because a repack doesn't work or, more than usual because they have another piece of malicious software :pfff:. Such a vicious cycle.

First off make sure your version of 10 is linked to your M$ account. If it's a cracked version you don't want them to see my proposed fix won't work. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/20530/windows-10-reactivating-after-hardware-change I know there isn't a hardware change. You can use that if your version of 10 isn't linked to your M$ account.

To add your Microsoft account and link it to the digital license:

Select the Start button, select Settings > Update & security > Activation > and then select Add an account. You must be signed in as an administrator to add your Microsoft account.
Enter your Microsoft account and password, and then select Sign in. You’ll also need to enter the password for your local account if the Microsoft account you entered isn’t a connected account.
After you add your Microsoft account, you’ll see Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account on the Activation page.
Note
If you've already added your Microsoft account to your device, you'll see Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account on the Activation page.


After that's done head over here https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 with a 16GB or larger USB drive. Download the tool and then use that to create a bootable drive. Reboot and enter BIOS(spam delete at power-on) so you can change the first boot device to the USB drive. Please remove all other drives except for the boot drive prior to entering your BIOS. F10 to save and exit. After you boot with the USB drive you can perform a clean install which will vanquish the malware.
 
Solution
You'll possibly have to get onto another computer and create a bootable Windows 10 USB stick.

You can download the MS Download Tool, create the bootable USB with it, then use it to get into the windows 10 setup where you can also run the Windows 10 Recovery Environment.

From here, you'll be able to try and get into safe mode/restore/repair etc.

Failing all that. Just run Windows setup again follow through to the install drive selection and completely remove all the partitions on your drive, and recreate them then install Windows 10. You'll lose all data on the drive though it's probably better safe than sorry when Malware/Viruses are involved.
 


Unlikely but possible https://www.pcworld.com/article/3185777/windows/how-to-install-windows-on-an-external-drive.html. You can try your SSD first...

Before we start, let’s get the bad news out of the way: Windows will refuse to install on an external drive if it knows that’s what you’re doing.

What about a DVD? Windows media creation tool may not allow you to use an external drive. It may only offer USB and DVD as possible solutions.