How to Remove Shortcut Virus in PC and Flash Drive

How to Remove Shortcut Virus Ultimate Guide

How to remove shortcut virus? I receive so many complaints about this shortcut virus. How it affects every precious file that we value the most. If your file is infected by it, it will be hidden and inaccessible until at some point that it becomes corrupted and unusable. Not good, right?

In response to that, I created this ultimate guide on how to remove shortcut virus and other important things that you need to know about this virus. To make you aware about it and be able to protect your devices against it. So let’s start with its types…

Types

Shortcut virus has two variations; the most common is Flash drive Shortcut virus, then the File and Folder Shortcut virus.

File and Folder Shortcut Virus

This shortcut virus replicates your files and folders, hide and replace it with shortcuts.exe. This is a combination of Trojan and Worm. The bad thing about this shortcut virus, it will leave you no options but to click it in order to open your files and folders. Then after executing it, the virus starts to duplicate itself and install malicious software that monitors your computing habit and worst, steal your important data and credit card information.

Flash Drive Shortcut Virus

This is purely Trojan; it consolidates every file in your portable devices and put it into one hidden folder. Then, it creates a Flash Disk shortcut.exe. Like the file and a folder shortcut virus, it will give you no choices but to click it to see your files. Once executed, it installs malicious applications that spy your computing routine and most probably steal your financial records if not detected.

First Aide

Unfortunately, not all antivirus can detect shortcut virus. So, the best thing you can do, is to make-it-a-habit not to open your portable devices or hard drive via autorun or from “my computer”. Here’s the complete Shortcut virus First Aide to do lists;

• Do not open your Flash Drive via autorun and from My Computer.

• Open your Flash Drive and Hard Disk by right-clicking it, then click explore or type  its drive letter in the windows address bar to prevent any script from running.

• Follow the instruction here how to unhide Files hidden by the virus, to see the real files which are hidden by shortcut virus and to avoid executing it.

The above steps are designed to prevent shortcut virus from infecting your computer. It will also help you distinguish the real file from the virus-made files. As what I have said earlier, even prominent antivirus failed to catch shortcut virus. Nonetheless, I will be sharing you 3 methods to remove it, follow the guide below;

How to remove shortcut virus using shortcut virus remover tools – Method 1?

Download these two tools, namely: Trojorm Removal Tool and Shortcut virus fixfolder, click here.

Now, after downloading the shortcut virus remover tools above, extract it using winrar or any other file decompressor. Then run the “Trojorm Removal tool” first, make sure that you run it inside your flash drive, wait until the scan is complete and press enter. Next, copy the Shortcut Virus fix folder, paste it inside your flash drive or external drive. Then, open it via right-click, choose “open with” and select “notepad”. Look for the H:, change it according to your Flash Drive’s letter (ex. E:, F:, G: and so on).

 

When you are done editing, save it. Now double click the vbs file or open it via right-click, choose “Windows Based Script Host”. . .after running the script, shortcut virus must be gone and your files are now visible.

How to remove Shortcut virus using command prompt/CMD? – Method 2

You should  proceed this method if the first one doesn’t work. This involves a “command prompt”. Now click “start”, “run”, “type cmd” “type the drive letter of your flash drive or external hardisk and a colon after it “eg F:” Once done type this attribute “attrib f:*.* /d /s -h -r -s”. You should see your files now and Shortcut Virus must be removed.

Please take note the f: after the attrib, change it with your flash disk drive letter; if your flash drive, drive letter is e: then change it with e:.