How to format an infected drive with complete backup?

TheSet

Commendable
Sep 29, 2016
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0
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Hi. I want to help a friend whose Windows is a mess with virus and stuff.

However, he's got many important things in his drive - so many he'd probably forget about a little something if he tried to list them to me.

Also another problem is: he's lost his DVD, so I can't use it to reinstall the SO.

His is a Windows 10 system, but I'd like to know the procedure for Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 7 as well, if possible. (For future problems that may arise.)

I've searched and found many different advices such as using an Ubuntu Live CD to backup, but I'm having trouble pulling together the pieces to create a "what I'm going to do" order.

Can anyone give me a comprehensible "step-by-step" (though not necessarily detailed steps) "how to" on this, please? :)
 
Solution
Windows is a mess with virus and stuff.

2 options:
1. Try to 'fix' it. DEpending on the level of virus infection, this may or may not be possible.
or
2. Accept the pain and loss, and wipe the drive.

"many important things" means he has those important things backed up somewhere, right? If not, take this as an expensive lesson.
Windows is a mess with virus and stuff.

2 options:
1. Try to 'fix' it. DEpending on the level of virus infection, this may or may not be possible.
or
2. Accept the pain and loss, and wipe the drive.

"many important things" means he has those important things backed up somewhere, right? If not, take this as an expensive lesson.
 
Solution


+1 on that. depending on how serious the computer is infected you may end up infecting it again with the backup.

if its able to get into windows you should install and run malwarebytes. that should get rid of most if not all the malware/viruses