Coupling a Linux Boot Disk with Antivirus Software to Treat Windows' Maladies

Linux Support
1

Howdy,

  I have a junk desktop laying around that's been running Windows XP (dunno which SP it has) and it's positively infested with viruses.  It's lousy with them.  Of course, the guy who gave it to me would dearly love to save whatever data's on it, and destroy any and all viruses.  Luckily, I have the original windows install disk, but without resorting to drastic measures just yet,  and having no backups on file, I would like to try and delete the virus.

 Now, someone in a yahoo chat-room suggested installing Xubuntu to a disk. . . and that's as far as I got with them before I got distracted with other things.  Having done a little digging, further proof that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and that the world is full of dangerous amateurs such as myself, I got the hair-brained notion this person intended on using Xubuntu, and perhaps in conjunction with some antiviral software (in this case, I selected SUPERAntiSpyware for starters) to rid the computer of any Internet-born bacterium.  

 So I tried installing the program on my *working* desktop, just as a "proof of concept" if you will, and this is the error that crops up when I try to install SAS:

Archive: /tmp/SUPERAntiSpyware.exe
[/tmp/SUPERAntiSpyware.exe]
End-of-central-directory signature not found. Either this file is not
a zipfile, or it constitutes one disk of a multi-part archive. In the
latter case the central directory and zipfile comment will be found on
the last disk(s) of this archive.
zipinfo: cannot find zipfile directory in one of /tmp/SUPERAntiSpyware.exe or
/tmp/SUPERAntiSpyware.exe.zip, and cannot find /tmp/SUPERAntiSpyware.exe.ZIP, period.

 Can anyone direct me further?  It would be greatly appreciated.
2

Well, I just tested it running in WINE 1.2, and it installed and (appeared to) worked fine.

That said, I have no idea how well it would scan an attached Windows drive.

I downloaded it from here:

And just installed it through WINE 1.2

Personally I’d just boot to Windows to safe mode, and install/run Malwarebytes, TDSSkiller, and Combofix, and if necessary fix permissions with Dial-a-fix (dial-a-fix is for XP only)… then boot back to normal mode, and install and run Avira.

That will clear nearly all Windows malware/Viruses.

3

Well, I did boot to safe mode. . . I’ve run SAS and malwarebytes several times, and even did a boot-scan with avast! in it and . . . nothing. Whatever it is just keeps coming back and bringing a couple buddies along with it. But you mention TDSSkiller and Combofix. . . .And then run avira–? Hm. This might require a little more research.

4

PM sent with more Windows virus/malware removal instructions… this IS a Linux forum after all :wink:

5

HAH! Indeed you’re right—but it promised to be relevant, in the start! It just — slowly decayed into — this travesty of an operating system monstrosity we call —Micro$oft. . . .

EDIT: I couldn’t even get the disk I made with combofix to load on the computer, so, sadly, I gave up the ghost and just reformatted the drive. I just wasn’t getting anywhere with it. Thanks for the help though; I’ll keep those other fixes you sent in mind for another time.

6

Mind if I have a copy of these very “useful” remove instructions kind sir?
Might be a nice fix something I have ongoing atm. :wink: