Autorun.inf - Virus which turns everything in your portable drive to shortcut folders

This is the type of virus that usually infects external hard disks, usb flash drives, etc.

The usual effect of the virus is that, once infected, the drive shows shortcuts of any and all files or folders that you had in the drive and not the actual file or folder.

Furthermore you cannot open any of these shortcuts as they usually lead to a display message that says that this shortcut links to an executable file (random name .exe) which cannot be opened and asks whether you want to delete the file.

I have tried and tested cleaning up this virus using AVG (free edition) and it WORKS! However, this happens only if you have not played with the files in the drive in anyway. Or if you have tried any other antivirus (NOD32 in my case) and it detected the virus files and YOU quarantined/removed them, yet still the effect persists.

If you have tried all your remedies, not deleted any of the files on the drive or the shortcuts and have NOT formatted that drive then this solution will clean up the virus for sure!

*Check whether the files are not in hidden mode. Go to folder options and make hidden and system files VISIBLE
* Click on “Start” –>Run–>type cmd and click on OK.
* Check your external Drive letter in My Computer
* Here I assume your external drive as G:
* Enter this command.
* attrib -h -r -s /s /d g:*.*

* Original folders will be displayed
* Delete the unnecessary shortcuts.

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Let me explain further what this command line executes.

attrib - allows you to see the read/write attributes of a file/folder/etc. Also allows you to set certain attributes

-h - Hidden file attributes

-r - Read only file attributes

-s - System file attributes

/s - Processes files in all directories in the specified path

/d - Processes folders as well

g: - Assumed that the external drive you have connected is drive G (You will have to replace this letter with the drive name the drive that the external hard disk/flash disk/usb/etc you want to clean is named as)

*.* - Performs the function on EVERY file/folder/extension in the drive

Hope this has helped!