Bump!

And let me re-formulate the details, now that I have a better understanding of the problem:

I was recently attacked by the notorious autorun.inf virus which replaced all my folders and subfolders in my D: drive with a .exe file that looked like a folder, obviously, a manifestation of the virus. As a response, I restored my system to a point before the attack, only to find that the replaced folders have disappeared. Eset has no longer detected any viruses, but I can't see my folders anymore. Yet, I do know they are still there because when I type the exact location of specific folders in the address bar, I was able to find the files. I tried to change the "view" settings under "folder options" in the control panel by showing all hidden folders, and still nothing became visible. I then tried to uncheck the "hide operating system files", which finally showed these folders, however they were transparent and my other programs couldn't detect the folders even when trying to access them through the "browse" features. Additionally, the folders "RECYCLER" and "System Volume Information" keep popping up in many places, even after deleting them using the "unlocker". What should I do?

 

Hello g_nehls,

Since you've used System Restore, the log you posted is no longer accurate. Kindly run a new scan with dds.scr and post a fresh dds.txt so we may begin.

 

Last night I was able to solve the problem, at the expense of losing a lot of files. I simply cleared out my entire D: drive which contained these invisible folders. Then, using TuneUp Utilities, I tried to save some of the important deleted files using the undelete feature. Now everything works fine. What is interesting to note is that when I browsed through the files I have deleted, I saw that autorun.inf was among them, including the folder names with a .exe extension. Of course, I didn't even dare to restore them.
Thanks!

 

Thank you for letting me know.

I inserted a friend's USB in my computer and double clicked to open a folder with an unsuspicious name, only to find out that all of the folders were .exe files. Suddenly all the folders I double clicked in my hard drives simply generated the same window I had open already without opening the folder I wanted to get into.

Malware authors have been exploiting the autorun/autoplay feature for quite some time now. Flash_Disinfector will disable the autorun/autoplay feature on all drives. Many security apps disable it as well, and even Microsoft recommends disabling it.

Disabling autorun/autoplay does not prevent you from accessing those media sources. They are still available by opening My Computer and accessing the source drive (cd, dvd, usb flash or external harddrive). Pictures on a camera can still be accessed/transfered through My Pictures and selecting Get Pictures from a Scanner or Camera. Media can also be accessed via the program you intend to use it with, such as music cds accessed via Media Player, blank cds via your burning program, image handling software provided with the camera, etc. I do recommend you leave the feature disabled and get into the habit of accessing those media devices manually.

Read here for more information.


To help prevent this sort of infection in the future, download Flash_Disinfector.exe and save it to your desktop.

Locate all usb/removable drives you have so they are handy.

Double-click Flash_Disinfector.exe to run it and follow any prompts that may appear.

• The utility may ask you to insert your flash drive and/or other removable drives including your mobile phone. Please do so and allow the utility to clean up those drives as well.
• Wait until it has finished scanning and then exit the program.
• Reboot your computer when done.