Starting from a compromised disk
Starting from a compromised disk
Hello fellow forum members, I recently took out an old hard drive from a laptop that wouldn’t start. Since it’s an older machine and the users back then weren’t very tech-savvy, I’m fairly certain it’s infected with a virus. To avoid risking my PC, I’m looking for another way to access the data. My first idea was to disconnect all storage devices and boot from the drive itself. In theory, this should remove any danger of spreading the infection to my current system—CPU, RAM, motherboard, GPU. But I’m not entirely sure and want to be certain before connecting it. My worry is that the virus could potentially reach my SSD and storage drives once they’re back online. Before doing this, I did some research, but I couldn’t find a reliable solution that works for everyone. If anyone has experienced this or knows the outcome, please share! Thank you for your help with this question.
I recommend using a Linux live USB and starting Linux, then extract the file you require.
I use it often and haven’t encountered any virus problems. For typical bloatware and malware, just double-clicking the .exe should prevent it from launching. Unless it’s built to run automatically from a USB (very rare), just unplug the device if anything unusual occurs.
Disconnect it from the network to avoid impacting nearby devices. Turn off all other external drives to safeguard them. Updating the firmware or dealing with an infection is relatively minor, especially on older systems, meaning these threats are unlikely to succeed on newer hardware.
How old is the drive and what OS is it running? What are your current system specs? If this is a windows 7 drive and you have a Ryzen system, you can't run the OS on your PC. Similar deal with a 12th gen Intel CPU, the USB drivers won't be available off the bat and you'll need a PS/2 port to use the system if the motherboard even allows it to boot.