Boot Sector Virus

Boot Sector Virus - One of the most dreaded form of computer viruses are what is commonally known as a boot sector virus or a boot virus. Rather than populating the normal part of your disk, these viruses populate a very important part of your disk called the boot sector (hence the name) and boot sector virus removal can prove to be a real headache.

The boot sector is a very important part of the disk that stores the information your computer needs to start up. The problem here is while you can browse and scan the rest of your hardrive you cannot browse or scan the MBR (master boot record) which resides in this sector.

This makes boot sector viruses one of the most difficult types of viruses to find and remove and, these types of viruses can also be the most destructive.

How To Avoid A Boot Sector Virus

To all intents and purposes your system could appear clean and typically what tends to happen is when you re-boot your Pc the virus is one of the first things that is loaded into system computer memory from where it then runs and creates the damage it was programmed to do.

Some people would say that the best way to prevent catching a boot sector virus in the first place is to switch operating systems away from Microsoft Windows. Personally I find this sort of advice quite alarmist.

Whilst it could be argued that Windows is the only system which is commonly infected by viruses, changing and learning an entire new operating system is a very long winded and painful way to go, and equally some of your exisitng programs may not run on a different operating system so you may need to re-invest some of your hard earned cash into new software programs.

Installing and correctly configuring reliable antivirus software protection (and then making sure you keep it up to date) is the most effective way of avoiding unwanted viruses.

Create A Boot Disk

a cleverly designed boot sector virus can convince your computer that there is no virus at all when it loads so if you suspect you have a boot sector virus The best way to remove this type of virus is to make a backup “clean” disk or boot disk.

This disk loads your computer operating system when you insert it in the drive so it is not loading from the boot sector which has already been contaminated by a virus, thereby allowing your operating system to load virus free enabling you to clean it.

If you are unsure how to do this then seek advice and help from your local computer repair professional.

Boot Sector Virus Removal Help

If you have found yourself with a boot virus and are unable to remove it then contact your local computer repair expert by selecting your region below.