You can make your usb drive or stick as it is being popularly called to be free from virus.What most self executing viruses do is to create dubious instructions into auto.inf file which the autorun.exe file executes and it spreads all over ur system.So all you need to do is to create a two empty folders with the file names autorun.inf and auto.exe andsave them in your flash drive or any Pdas you use. By doing this,you have effectively blocked the creation of any files bearing such names to ever be allowed on your flash drive.Why you might ask?

The answer is simply, no two files with the same file name can stay on a system in the same drive.That is why when you are copying a file into a drive which has a file with the same name,it will ask you whether yu want to replace it or not.Even on phone u cannot save two contacts with same name.So you are protected to 60 per cent of the viruses in the world.


You are the chief security officer of your computer protection scheme
http://cybernetiks..com

i quite agree with u. infact i never thot of this. its a very simple idea and easy to experiment. i am sure i will do just that. but i have an arguement to make and also need u to clarify. since these are automatically generated commands that comes either as autorun.inf or autorun.ini and if i already have a file named as such in my drive, i think it can still come in and stay and rename itself as autorun.inf2 or whatever.
so what do u think and has it been working for u.

Nice question der. But a virus does not auto-rename. Seen?

nice job guys, i gbadun you.

u r kinda so brainny i just got the clue more greez to ya elbow broda. it kindad simple but of great importance with this i v been able to get other clues.
10ks broda onces again

@Poster
You've done simple but great job, that will help me and lots!

Tried it yet?

To stay free from all "autorun" viruses, do not OPEN a drive by double clicking or opening from the autoplay option. Always OPEN ALL DRIVES USING THE WINDOWS EXPLORER.
What i mean is this, once u double click on a drive to open, the virsu gets executed, hence the name "autorun". To avoid this, right-click on the drive and click "Explore". no "autorun" application can be triggered when a drive is explored.

@zerolimit & dualcore,thanks 4 d useful tips.una make sense no be small.
@zycozy,why not post what u have in mind so dat we all may benefit.

there's this LG flash that comes with anivirus program.

once your flash is infected and you connect it to your system, if you have a good antivirus or spyware program it immediately detects the malware without you doing anything. otherwise problems start eg difficulty ejecting the the flash safely.

really cool idea, but i thenk it can still be beat!
all the person writing the virus needs to do is to change the copy command to one with a forced overwrite (and suppress any notification!)that'll take less than 10secs and u're back to square one,

p.s. if u have an antivirus that checks names of files not contents then u're files'll be deleted by the program sef!

download AVG. dnt borrow anybody ur flash. scan before each use and update regularly

@skip
There's no way ur friend will not borrow ur flash in naija here. AVG is good but needs constant updating.

@all
@poster's & Dual Core's ideas are brilliant. it may reduce the risk of infection by half

Nothing is impossible = im possible when it come to internet or computer virus, i can save a contact with the same name on my phone nokia 6708

neat. . . . . . . . seems logical enough!

Nice one mate!

This your information is great but one thing i would like you to explain to me is, i saved the folders just as you have said into my flash that already has virus, i expected it to inform me that the name already exist but it accepted them instead. Does it mean that the virus has a different name or what.
siezemm

@ duecore and siezemm

good job,
duecore wats up,
how things am back to n/land now
expect my new thread.
i need you kool reply one more .

awesome posts dualcore and siezemm, i'm feeling you guys to the max.

sorry, forgot to say thanks to zerolimit. nice post man

@ Dual Core. Have you experienced this new virus/worm that attacks folders by hiding the original folders and creating .exe files and disguising them as folders so you can easily double-click the apps thinking they are the folders.
HELP ME!!!

't

sojioguns:

@ Dual Core. Have you experienced this new virus/worm that attacks folders by hiding the original folders and creating .exe files and disguising them as folders so you can easily double-click the apps thinking they are the folders.
HELP ME!!!

I am familiar with this one, common case with users in my net cafe. Getting the stuff back isn't too difficult. First enable "show hidden files" then copy all the hidden files you are looking for (not the fake .exe ones) i have been unable to unhide or change the read only state of folders, only of the individual files inside the folders

paste them to a new location, preferably not on the stick, then select all and change the properties away from "hidden" - NOTE for some reason you are unable to change the attribute of the files on the stick to be unhidden, and the read only state will reset itself.

Then once all your files are out (confirm they are) i would suggest you format your drive and then make those two files (autorun.inf and auto.exe) and also change the folder properties to make them both read only. if you do not, a virus can simply over write the the folders with a malicious one.

You can skip all of this if you have access to an ubuntu box, which ignores the malicious script that forces read only and hidden.

Hope that makes sense

I know very well that you can save a name twice on your phone but also note that you can only save them at two different locations and not in same direct folder or direct dedicated storage to bear same being in there together. This is to say that you can not save two files of same name and properties on the same place.

@Poster, thanks for the clue. As for me, I have not installed a single anti-virus software on my system for the past one year and I don't use flash drive on it. If I need to transfer a large file, I use either wireless, Ethernet or CD-ROM drive. It works!! 90% of the new generation viruses are spread via the use of flash drives.