Wednesday, January 7, 2009

autorun.inf

autorun.inf Manual Detection

Below are manual removal instructions for autorun.inf so you can remove the unwanted file from your PC. Always be sure to back up your PC before you modify anything.

Step 1: Use Windows File Search Tool to Find autorun.inf Path

  1. Go to Start > Search > All Files or Folders.
  2. In the "All or part of the the file name" section, type in "autorun.inf" file name(s).
  3. To get better results, select "Look in: Local Hard Drives" or "Look in: My Computer" and then click "Search" button.
  4. When Windows finishes your search, hover over the "In Folder" of "autorun.inf", highlight the file and copy/paste the path into the address bar. Save the file's path on your clipboard because you'll need the file path to delete autorun.inf in the following manual removal steps.

Step 2: Detect and Delete Other autorun.inf Files

  1. To open the Windows Command Prompt, go to Start > Run > cmd and then press the "OK" button.
  2. Type in "dir /A name_of_the_folder" (for example, C:\Spyware-folder), which will display the folder's content even the hidden files.
  3. To change directory, type in "cd name_of_the_folder".
  4. Once you have the file you're looking for type in del "name_of_the_file".
  5. To delete a file in folder, type in "del name_of_the_file".
  6. To delete the entire folder, type in "rmdir /S name_of_the_folder".
  7. Select the "autorun.inf" process and click on the "End Process" button to kill it.

autorun.inf Anti-Spyware Recommendation

Certain file extensions come from parasite applications. If you decide to remove unknown file extensions manually, you might do irreversible harm to your PC. We highly recommend you use a good spyware cleaner/remover to automatically track autorun.inf as well as other spyware, adware, trojans, and virus threats in your PC.

More File Extension Resources

What's a .inf?

The file name autorun.inf is a .inf file extension.

.inf extensions indicate the file may be an information or setup file for various programs. Be aware that this type of file may be infected.

What's a File Extension?

A file extension is the last characters after the period in the name of a file and identifies the type of data found in the file. For example, to look for images on a computer, one would search for .gif and .jpg files.

What are the symptoms of a malicious .inf?

  • Allows parasites associated with the file to operate invisibly in the background.
  • May record your credit cards, bank passwords and other personal information.
  • Parasites operate on your PC while malicious file is present on the system.

How can I tell if a .inf file extension is legitimate?

There are legitimate file extensions that are not malicious. File extensions are components of your operating system or software. Therefore, you should check the file before removing it from your computer. In case you are not sure about the legitimacy of .inf file extension, run a scan with an anti-spyware program or ask an expert to examine the file to make sure you won't delete a legitimate file. But remember that the file which is installed without your knowledge is not a legitimate one. Removing files can be risky, because spyware often exploits legitimate files and if such files are not removed properly can seriously damage your system.

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