I have here a flash drive and it is infected by virus. I just want to know how to reformat it properly, and if reformatting would help
For it to be use again?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Hi E_millara,
Hi there, E_millara!
I saw your situation regarding on how to reformat a Flash Drive. You have an interest on how doing it properly.
So, here are the steps on how to reformat your flash drive properly and orderly:
1. Go to start button and find My Computer (if you had a shortcut, click it).
2. Plug the Flash Drive into the USB Port (for better performance, plug the device to USB Port 2.0).
3. Wait for a few seconds and your flash drive will be seen on My Computer folder (Sometimes, the Autoplay of the computer appears)
4. Focus your pointer on the Flash Drive. Right Click on the mouse button, and the right click options will appear. Look for the word “FORMAT” on the right click options, and a dialog box will appear, then click “START”.
It’s essential to erase all of the data on an infected flash drive in order to cleanse everything on it, but not all of the malware can be erased automatically on the flash drive. You need to get an antivirus software in order to protect your personal computer from the virus from your flash drive, but it’s better to get a specified USB Antivirus Software.
I know a USB antivirus software that has a USB antivirus, flash drive antivirus, USB protection, flash drive protection and at the same time, it has antivirus and antispyware. Here’s the link for more information:
Since you want to format your USB flash drive, cleaning it first with an antivirus is not needed because formatting it will also remove the virus. But you have to disable or turn off the autorun functionality in Microsoft Windows to avoid auto-starting anything from the USB flash drive and preventing the infection from reaching your local hard drive.
Autorun viruses are very common to USB flash drives and because autorun is enabled by default in Microsoft Windows, this type of virus infects computers easily. And because your USB flash drive is infected, you have to disable autorun on your computer to contain the infection. To disable autorun in Microsoft Windows, go to How to Disable the Autorun Functionality in Windows.
Once autorun is disabled, insert your USB flash drive on the USB port then start Windows Explorer or double-click “My Computer”. Right-click your USB flash drive and select “Format”. Accept the defaults. You can also enter a new volume name for your USB flash drive. When you are ready, click “Start” to begin formatting your drive. When formatting is finished, click “Close” and that’s it.
You may now safely remove your USB flash drive by clicking the “Safely remove” green arrow icon on the system tray.
