A story about Windows ransomware, Linux, and system integrity
A story about Windows ransomware, Linux, and system integrity
Act 1: The detailed account. I placed a ransomware virus on my main Windows drive. All my data became unreadable and unusable, which was entirely my responsibility. This situation felt like a lesson for the Windows platform and its exceptional adaptability. In this passage, I portray myself as someone familiar with Windows, OSX, and Linux by carefully omitting parts that expose my real identity: an outdated user who would compromise his own system. Disclosure: I assure you, I don’t live in my mother’s basement. I’m using the “I lost everything” line lightly because, as most forum members do, I regularly back up, move awkwardly, and avoid attracting attention with statements like: “I love Star Wars” or “I backup often.” Act 2: The concerns Here’s what I’m facing (see attached image): Will my Fedora boot remain intact after installing Windows on a new SATA2 drive? Should I remove the infected partition, rebuild it, format it with NTFS, and then install Windows 7? Will this wipe out references to my existing boot partition? Do you know how to repair the MBR for a Fedora 28 system if it’s been overwritten? Act 3: Your turn
Creating a partition manually and adding windows will install everything, even files usually kept for MSR. If your current bootloader is set to use the windows bootloader on that drive and you've configured it that way, problems should be avoided. Based on your setup, you're likely using an older system or one with CSM enabled, which may cause master boot record issues. In such cases, you can use any Linux boot media to rebuild your boot menu and load the BCD for the Windows installation.
When reinstalling Windows and Linux together, follow these steps: Choose custom installation settings for Windows, remove only the NTFS partitions and pick the unallocated space they created. Avoid deleting partitions marked UNKNOWN—Windows will replace the boot sector and you’ll lose the chance to boot into Fedora unless you did so intentionally. Start from a Linux Live CD or USB using the provided utility to restore your Grub Bootloader.
It's a classic Core Duo from around 2007 with no UEFI support. Yes, it's an older setup. Appreciate the tip about Tabs—it's a more traditional system. Thanks for the guidance on using a Fedora 28 live DVD.
CD repair attempt unsuccessful. I have started downloading the System Rescue CD.