boot sector virus

i asked this before, but never gotten the answer.

I don't know how i got the virus.

but it started when i bought a harddrive and tried to install rh7 on it. i did it like 10 times. then it started freezing up in the end (sometimes). i tried to install windows 98, but every time it would tell me "boot sector virus".

how do i get rid of that boot sector virus? i don't have any information on the harddrive. i just want to install linux again.

if you could help

thank you

How did you get a boot sector virus? I always thought they all were dead today. You used to get them via infected boot diskettes or ones that you left in the disk drive by accident... But since noone gives away diskettes today anymore...

Nevertheless, you can remove it by:
- running "fdisk /mbr" from a DOS or Windows boot disk
- installing LILO in the mbr
- using any virus scanner

But I guess (and hope) it is a false alarm!

Ahhh, wait... Do you have "boot sector virus protection" enabled in your BIOS? This prevents you from writing to the MBR completely! (and thus also from installing any OS, but since today´s viruses would never use the BIOS to write to the MBR - One of the worst and most useless inventions in BIOS history ever... )

i've no idea how i got it.

but it started happening when i reinstalled rh7 about 10 times.

i dont' want windows anymore though =)

is there a link on how to install lilo in mbr. cause i've no idea what that means or how to do it.

also how would i use the virus scanner. i've nothing on theharddrive. are there like cd-rom ones?

Sorry, mate, forget about the first half of my post. I should have removed it. Start from where I said "aaahhh!"..

lilo is the LInux LOader. Since Red Hat 7.2, it's been replaced by GRUB (Grand Unified Boot loader), which is supposed to be the prefered loader. I don't know the pro's & con's between the two, but GRUB works well for me. I'm sure that there are many out there with a much stronger opinion.

As for a link to lilo, I don't know of one off-hand, but you will probably find a HOW-TO on it in the documentation section of www.linux.org ; eg, "Managing Multiple Operating Systems HOWTO". Google should yield lots of hits on LILO (remember to mention Linux to filter out the Disney hits).

I know that you don't want Windows, but if you do have Windows and Linux on a multi-boot system, then you want to install Windows first and then Linux. The reason is because Windows knows nothing about Linux, but Linux knows about Windows. The Linux install will/should detect that Windows is installed in one of the partitions and set up GRUB to allow you to boot up in it if you want. And if you want to change which OS to boot up into automatically, then you can edit the /etc/grub.conf file.

And if you ever want or need to remove Linux (don't worry, I'll wash my mouth out with soap), then remember the command that M.Hirsch gave you: fdisk /mbr . That will restore the book sector to the Windows standard.

i still dont' get how to get rid of the boot sector virus.

IIRC:
- windows has no built-in virus scanner
- redhat has none either (at least not during installation)
- but your BIOS has (somewhat).

Q: did you check the BIOS setting i told you?

i've no idea how to do that. all i know is that bios is some kind of built-in software. but how to use it no idea

Ok, reboot your PC. When it is doing the memory test, press "DEL". (sometimes it is F1 or ALT-F1, it will tell you on this screen somewhere.).

You get into the "CMOS Setup" - The setup for the very basic settings of your PC. The BIOS is the first "program" your PC executes when switched on. Here you can configure some settings (for most of them, windows or linux will override them after booting )

Go to "Advanced BIOS setup" or similar. Search for "Virus Protection" or "Boot sector protection". Switch it off (usually by pressing PGUP/PGDN). If it was "on", this was your problem

i can't try it right now i asked in advance in case i'd have to do some research.

thanks a lot for helping =)

ah how does it go "who doesn't take risks doesn't drink champagne" or something like that.

if i don't reply to any other posts. dont' find it rude. i just broke my computer.

fingers crossed

lol turns out it was ON.

thanks a million

Did you install LILO onto your hard drive? Cause that IS the virus! LILO overwrites the firmware (ROM) of your hard disk so that it can mess up your entire system if you try to remove it with an anti-virus program. That was a security measurment that the creator of Linux (Linyos Torovoltos, Russian Hacker) used to make sure that at the time, before the Cold War ended, that is wasn't leaked... But it did. Now, it's an open source code which nobody knows how it was made... Until now.

man why you gotta bring up my noob posts. well the more noob than now =D j/k

you prolly didnt see the date on that post. i dont remember how i fixed it. but i've rh 9 now. and it's nice. i use windows only for games and porn.

thanks anyway =)