backup program

http://www.microsoft.com/security/po...in32%2FSmall.R

When you did the clean install, was your system connected to the internet? The first thing you should do is install all service packs (and hotfixes if available) and install antivirus/antispyware BEFORE connecting to the network.

Worm_small.hyn is transmitted through flash drives, so you better check that your drives aren't infected.

At this point, you probably want to start a thread in Viruses/Trojans/Spyware, since this is no longer a backup question.

Thanks for the info, I must have typed it wrong when I entered it on google because nothing came up. I just wanted to be sure it was a virus... because from what I understand, it can happen that some files are tagged as malicious even if they're not. I wasn't sure if Paragon's file format was one of those... and it wasn't, but all's good now.

One last minor question, I noticed that my hard drives don't give close to the correct sizes in when you view its properties . Say my data drive of 80gb, it says 34gb used 38gb available = 72 gb total. Does that mean the missing 8gb is corrupted? I know drives won't be give exact capacity, but off by 8gb? Then when I manually select all files in the data drive, including hidden files, it just totals 26gb and not 34gb? It's not a problem, I just want to understand why.

Thanks very much, MidKnyte.

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Say my data drive of 80gb, it says 34gb used 38gb available = 72 gb total. Does that mean the missing 8gb is corrupted?

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I don't like reinventing the wheel...
Why is my drive displaying a slightly less than expected capacity?

Oh, ok... off by gb is normal... does that also explain the 26gb and 34gb data disparity? one's showing binary, the other decimal capacity?

I'm assuming you read and understand the article about binary vs decimal.

Your pagefile allocation takes up space. If you enable things like hibernation, that takes up space. System restore and recycle bin take up space. These are variable sized parameters, so Windows maybe counting the max size against the available space. I don't think you should be that concerned.

I didn't consider that, the data drive having its own system files, recycle bin, etc even if it's not the system/OS drive... I treated it like I would a flash drive, viewable files is just about what's in the drive. I'm not concerned about the disparity in the data drive... just curious why it's that big (almost as big as what's in my c drive).

Thanks, Midknyte.

Please help me before I fling my PC out the window.

Everything was fine until yesterday when I used my client's flash drive to copy her files. I scanned it, no viruses so I went ahead. I turned off the PC because I had to leave, when I returned, my PC has gone crazy with on-going processes. Obviously a #$#^%$ virus problem. When Windows XP has already loaded, every operation was so slow, if processing at all. I checked the Task Manager and saw from the Process tab that it was 100% active/used. I hadn't even opened a single program and XP just started.

My solutions:
1. I wanted to do System Restore but couldn't even open the folder/program because the computer was so busy with junk processes! When I re-booted, same result. Re-booted again and this time loading stopped at a black screen with small gray bars at the bottom. It froze there, proceeding no more.

2. I tried booting via Safe Mode. Once it successfully loaded, but the computer was still 100% so I couldn't open System Restore. I don't understand how the virus was able to execute in safe mode?
However after my next attempt reload via Safe Mode, it froze during the part where it lists all the files it needs to load... froze at isapnp.sys

3. I ran XP Repair CD. Didn't fix the problem. Still froze at the gray bars or froze at isapnp.sys. So THEN I had to find a solution to that... I did what this instructed: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315311/en-us. But not only did it not work, now my PC won't proceed to boot if the XP CD's not inserted, meaning it erased something in the C drive. Without the CD, it says "boot failure, insert system disc" when before, C drive could at least attempt (and fail) to boot. Now it won't at all.

So right now, I don't think that can be fixed anymore? Not unless I'm not doing it right. Then I remembered page 2 of this thread and got out my recovery flash drive and portable HDD. I need help how to use them. Sorry really, but I don't really understand these things... and I can't remember how I did this a year ago with your help as in page 2 of this thread:(

I've slight problem-- I reformatted my PC, installed and un-installed Paragon and Acronis before that I don't remember anymore which is actually still in my PC, ergo, which of these two I can use? And exactly (step by step) how do I use them?

The flash drive I think was made with Paragon. It's labelled "Recovery Media" and has 246MB worth of data in it.

4. I tried to use this by activating USB drive as bootable in the BIOS... but when I boot and the flash is plugged in, I still get this "boot failure, insert system disc"... so it means it doesn't recognize the content in the flash drive?

5. In the portable HDD, there's a folder that's labeled "arc_240909045120701" with 7.5gb worth of data. I think I used Acronis to make this? Can I use this? If yes, how when Windows won't load at all?

6. Also, how did this virus get there? My usb ports are set not to auto launch. I did open Word, powerpoint and PSD files from the falsh drive, could that be how it got transferred, not as an auto exe program but as a tag along in one of the files?

Thanks VERY MUCH for any speedy advice. Apologies for the length.

Sorry, I forgot to add:

Midknyte mentioned to do this, but in the HDD arc folder, there's no file there with the extension ".tib" However there are: .pbf and .pfm -- yikes, maybe this isn't an Acronis file/folder... I can't remember! Argh.

If the system is infected, you need to take care of that BEFORE you try a repair install. That should be taken up in the Intensive Care section.

You should disconnect the Internet connection if the system is that bad. There is a lot of malware that phones home.

That means you didn't create the boot drive properly. There should have been an option to burn a recovery CD instead. You seem to be mixing and matching Acronis and Paragon. They don't work like that. It's one or the other.

arc_ folders are from a Paragon backup. .tib is from Acronis.

There is no way for us to know how your system got infected. You would have had to install antivirus/antispyware to protect it. It doesn't really matter how it got infected now.

Midknyte!! I'm so relieved you're online. I just want to use one now, not both... I just wasn't sure which I used to make the backup a year ago.
So that means the Recovery media flash and the arc folder data in the HDD are partner Paragon files, right? How frustrating that my copy on the flash is a fluke. Does this mean they're both totally useless now?

"If the system is infected, you need to take care of that BEFORE you try a repair install. That should be taken up in the Intensive Care section."
Does this apply when I use Paragon or just the XP repair kit?

Do you even know what version of Paragon backup you used? You could just download the current free version and try making a recovery disc with that.

Intensive Care Unit - Already have an infection? We'll help you cure it. Removal of all types of malware, including HijackThis logs

It pretty much speaks for itself.

Broni and the crew can help you there. I'm going to sleep. Yes, I do actually sleep.

Yup, I already posted it there. Re recovery disk, ok, i thought the data in that is specific to the computer it was made for. Thanks a lot and good night!

I made a new recovery flash disk by downloading Paragon on a different computer. I set up the BIOS boot priority in this order: usb, HD1, HD2, cards. So after restarting the computer, it should look for the flash drive first, right... but it still results to verifying DMI Pool data... then "disk boot failure, insert system disk and press enter" I'm not asking for a solution to the whole PC problem as I re-posted this in the ICU forum, but I just want to know in this thread if I'm implementing the Paragon flash drive correctly, despite it not working?

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i thought the data in that is specific to the computer it was made for. Thanks a lot and good night!

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The DATA is specific to the computer, but the boot disc is not.

I meant for you to burn the recovery disc to CD, not create another usb boot drive. USB booting can be finicky.

YES! The CD is working and shows my arc file. Before I proceed to restore, do I have to clean the virus infection first? You mentioned something about this in post 54 and I also read elsewhere that system restores don't necessarily remove viruses. Thanks!