# Will reformatting my hard drive deter a hacker?



## Starlapureheart (Nov 29, 2008)

Please help somebody...

I have been hacked over the last year and I finally took the risky step of reformatting the entire hard drive and installing norton antivirus...

I did this using the product recovery disk

It all went like a dream, it's fine...

My questions are these?

1) Will he know what I have done, that I have combatted him?
2) Will he still be able to view data even after I have taken these steps?

Please get back to me, anyone who has a clue since I don't 

Many many thanks...

SP x x x


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Hi

When you say 'hacked' what do you mean by that? Formatting and re-installing will have the effect of wiping everything that was previously on your drive. So any bad files or programmes will be gone.


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## Starlapureheart (Nov 29, 2008)

I don't have a clue how it happened but I was hacked previously...things that I had looked up on the internet would be posted about, he would come on to the internet simulataneously with me and appear in the same tiny obscure internet chatroom whenever I logged on.
Too much to be coincidence!
Then one day when I installed that huge windows update ( Number Three I think, forgotten the name ) I was informed that a remote server was attempting to connect to my computer and access SVC hosts
Kaspersky detected several intrusion attempts and a backdoor trojan...then it totally crashed along with all my other security programmes

I'm even paranoid now that this is being read!

If the bad programmes and files are gone, will he actually have no idea that I reformatted at all...?

Thanks Glaswegian... You are my comfort blanket...!


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

You're welcome.

If you've reformatted then whatever was placed on your system will be gone. He may or may not know that - it's difficult to say. Sometimes these files try to phone home and are successful and sometimes they are not.

Make sure you scan regularly, using a variety of scanners, both installed and online. See here for other suggestions

http://www.techsupportforum.com/f174/pc-safety-and-security-what-do-i-need-115548.html


Edit: hope I was clear - he will not really know what has happened to your system - make sure he doesn't get another chance!


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## Starlapureheart (Nov 29, 2008)

*breathes a sigh of relief* - still a touch paranoid though so I've been scanning daily...the norton antivirus was a surprise - it had expired, then when I reformatted it gave me a 90 day trial again...

Thanks Glaswegian...x


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## Starlapureheart (Nov 29, 2008)

ray: another thing is...my modem kept disconnecting before and now it never disconnects - I hope it is all okay now

SP


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## alpenadiver (Jul 31, 2007)

Just remember that Norton will expire in 90 days, then you will need to either purchase a yearly subscription to norton, or use the many free Anti-Virus, Firewalls, and spyware tools out there.

Also if you are behind a NAT router this will help with your internet security, by enabling Stateful Packet Inspection on the router.

Also be mindful of what you download from the internet, if it isn't from a reputable site then make sure to scan it before installing.


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Starlapureheart said:


> ray: another thing is...my modem kept disconnecting before and now it never disconnects - I hope it is all okay now
> 
> SP


 Again, it's very difficult to say what the cause would be - it is possible that whatever was on your system was causing the disconnect. Now, with a fresh install, all is well and running correctly.


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## Starlapureheart (Nov 29, 2008)

Yeah it was when I was loading the Windows Security Update Pack Number Three that I got a real fright, when it warned me that a remote server had connected to my computer and SVC hosts.
What is happening now, is first time, the modem takes ages to connect and fails, second time it fails and it always connects third time.
I have tried installing online scanners but they never seem to work - could it be something to do with the active x controls?

Yeah I know I'm an ignoramus compared to most people on this forum!

Thanks again for all your help...

I just hope that there is no chance that he can see this since I want to post about what's happened so I can make sense of it all and god knows I don't want him reading it...it was like having my diary read first time around, pretty traumatic...

This forum is so obscure it was unbelievable...

The only worry I have now is that the server disconnects from time to time and so does the modem. 

Would wiping the hard drive and installing antivirus get rid of a backdoor trojan? It appeared when I was installing a PC world disc! Some linux programme and Kaspersky couldn't eliminate it. There were also several attacks from a spoofed IP address...

Just got more than a touch of paranoia...it has been alleviated somewhat though by reading all your replies - many thanks x SP


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Wiping the hard drive removes everything. It sounds a bit like one of the programmes being installed was being flagged by your AV. This can sometimes happen and it's a good idea to disable your AV when installing a new programme - as long as you are sure the programme is from a reputable source.

What firewall are you using? You may need to configure it correctly.


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## mcorton (Apr 16, 2009)

Often connections detected by a firewall are just your ISP checking for an IP address. Some are legitimate hack attempts by programs. It's normal to be a bit paranoid about hackers. I was hacked on my Flickr.com account a couple years ago and someone was posting bad comments using my name. A friend discovered this and told me. I reported it to Flickr.com (Yahoo owned) and they confirmed I had been hacked. They recommending changing all my passwords to a long hard to guess password. 

If you believe you were hacked, I suggest doing the same. Use a password that uses letters numbers and characters example: ft67oi&1#br900w!!) It's a pain in the rear but some only want to be pains the rear. However if you have a GOOD anti-virus program, a good firewall, A malware protection program with real time protection and use good sense, you should feel safe. Good luck and I hope I helped you.


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## Starlapureheart (Nov 29, 2008)

Thank you so much everyone...

You have all helped me to feel much better...still feel uncomfortable surfing and posting but getting there in baby steps x x x


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