How to Remove Viruses from Flash Drive

Learn shortcut virus. Shortcut creation viruses come in two forms. Type 1 is a virus that replaces folder and file icons on your computer with shortcut icons—the icon with an arrow in the lower left corner, and with the word “shortcut” in the name, and/or extension “shortcuts.exe”. Type 2 is a virus that affects USB or pen drives (portable hard drives). This type of virus will put all files in the USB into a hidden folder and create a shortcut.exe file of the pen drive. When you open these files, you will activate viruses and they will spread to your computer. ^[1]

Remove shortcut virus with anti-virus software. If the USB is infected with a shortcut virus, you can remove the malicious error with anti-virus software. Select Start > My Computer. Right-click the removable drive and select “Scan for Viruses”. Follow the onscreen instructions to remove shortcut virus.

• If you are using Windows RT 8.1 or later, your computer will be equipped with Windows Defender. You can use this program to scan for viruses. Start Windows Defender and select Settings > Advanced. Check the “Scan removable drives” dialog box. Each time a comprehensive scan is performed, the USB will be checked for viruses. ^[2]
• If your computer is not equipped with anti-virus software, download a reputable anti-malware program.
• You should only download and install an anti-malware program. ^[3]

Remove shortcut virus with command prompt (command prompt). You can remove a virus from a flash drive using a command prompt window. To open a command prompt window, click on “Start” and type “cmd”. Click on “cmd” or “Command Prompt Window” in the list of results and select “Run as Administrator”. In the command prompt window:

• Type the letter USB and press ↵ Enter . To identify the letter that corresponds to the USB drive, open “My Computer” and locate the letter written next to the removable drive.
• Type del *.lnk and press ↵ Enter .
• Type attrib -s -r -h *.* /sd/l/ and press ↵ Enter .
• Open flash drive. All messages will return to normal state.

File backup. After removing the virus, you can format the drive. Reformatting the USB will erase all data stored on the drive, helping you to clean and remove viruses on the device. Before reformatting, back up all files on the USB. Scan the entire directory on the pen drive and delete strange folders and files. Transfer all files from USB to folder on computer. ^[4]

Reformat the drive. Click on “Start” and type “cmd” in the search bar. Start “Command Prompt Window”. Type the letter corresponding to the drive and press ↵ Enter . Type format /q /x [FIT IN DISK DRIVE]: and press ↵ Enter . ^[5] Transfer all files back to USB. ^[6]