should i format external harddrive

[hawes]

my external harddrive has just media files in it movies, music, pic's and documents. My question is if i copied and pasted my media files to my internal harddrive just to reformat my external harddrive and then put my media files back on my external harddrive would that do anything in deleting any unknown malware, viruses on my external harddrive?

[noknojon]

Hi -

You should be able to specify a certain drive to be checked with your A/Virus , or most other security programs -

[hawes]

i have already done that and it didnt find anything but just to be safe would doing what i mentioned do anything if there is an unknown virus, malware in the external harddrive

[yardbird]

I have a Maxtor 200GB USB external hard-drive. When I plug it in to a usb on my tower. It shows up as an extra icon. Check out the picture - As in the above post When I rt. mouse click on it. I can scan with Malwarebytes, Or my AV, --- better to scan with your security while its on an external drive - than put it all on the Main HD.... if there an infection/virus... it should flag. Make sure your Malwarebytes & AV program is up-to-date! post back if we can do anything else for you regards...

[noknojon]

You can always import sections of the External bit by bit and Right click scan with Malwarebytes or your A/virus -

This may seem a slower way but , if you are concerned then do it sections at a time and chech each section -

Or do a full scan as per yardbirds idea above -

Hope this helps -

[hawes]

thank you but i already have scanned the drive and it show's nothing is infected. But just to be safe would doing what i said on my first post do anything to clear out any infected malware viruses?

[yardbird]

Well what do you have for Security software? Most put it in Quarantine. Some AV's can be set by the user to "remove if found" (media files in it movies, music, pic's) are a high risk for infections. If you want to copy & paste into a HD folder & you say its clean! Then do it... remember, I can't promise a music file, or pic. won't get corrupted, misplaced. Anything can happen. But you should be ok with your top post, Since you scanned them and there Clean!

[hawes]

yes but you dont know if they are clean for sure just because a couple of scanners didnt find anything

[yardbird]

I don't know, you do. See posts 2 and 3. You said: "i have already done that and it didnt find anything" you also said: "but just to be safe would doing what i mentioned do anything if there is an unknown virus" Theres no such guarantee as 100% safe. You ran the scans. You say they clean. Now its up to you. I can list some on-line scanners? If theres an infection? You can get it cleaned up here! Free!

EDIT: Ever read the License Agreement of any program out there. You either accept the agreement. Or you Don't. post back if we can do anything else for you.. regards....

[Daniel1044]

It seems to me that all that would happen is you will import any un-known problems (viri, trojans) to your internal disk and then back to the external disk and corrupting both disks in the mean time. You might also corrupt your files in the moving. Why do you think there is a problem?

[Haider]

Hello hawes:

In this whole process The Most Critical question is whether your system is Completely Clean? Doing so from an already infected system will defeat the sole intention!

[noknojon]

It seems to me that all that would happen is you will import any un-known problems (viri, trojans) to your internal disk and then back to the external disk and corrupting both disks in the mean time. You might also corrupt your files in the moving.

If there is any idea in your mind that any of the external drive may have an infection in it , then you are better to reformat it fully -

You should delete anything on it if you are concerned at all -

Thank You -