With all the malware I’ve been cleaning lately I’ve noticed a rise in windows file corruption. There’s no way to tell if the problem is from the infection or from the cleanup. Probably a little of both but I’d rather blame the infection.
To clean up the file system I do 2 things:
- A hard disk scan: go to My Computer – right click on the C:\ drive and select Properties. In the properties sheet choose the Tools tab. In the Error Checking section click Check Now. In the window that pops up check both selections. You will get a warning that says something like “the check can’t be performed now, do you want to schedule for the next time you reboot” click yes and restart your computer.
- sfc -scannow This command checks all the files in your Windows installation and makes sure they are the same files that were installed originally and that they have not become corrupted. To run click on the Start button and select Run. In the text box type “sfc -scannow” (without the quotation marks) and click ok. If the scan needs to rebuild or recopy a file you’ll need a copy of the Windows cd that is the same version that you have installed.
So, I’m confused. Should I add these two to the stuff I do to clean up friends and family PC’s or not? I’m 50 and I’m getting too old for this. I can’t wait until they’ve all switched to iPhones or LG Vue’s. I don’t “do” Mobile support. Did I mention I’m 50 now? Not a Generation M’er. (grin)