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Hello,
I run linux and got my hard drive repaired by gateway warrenty because it broke. A new one arrived some time later with windows8 on it, and I figured that I'd better hang on to it because it might come in handy as there are windows apps that will not run under linux.
Well, I was helping a friend to fix her computer and I broke out the old windows install and it kept giving me the strangest problem. I could not as the admin access C but I could access some of the files under it and my account (you read that right).
I found out, eventually, that it contained three viruses and over 1000 PUAs.
Now, I've never had a problem like this before, and I'm not quite certain what to do, I mean I know that I should write them, but what to say, I want the system fixed/replaced, but I also understand that keeping windows free of viruses and the like is difficult. Chances are, that I'll have to turn in my drive and then I'll get another infetced copy back. I'm also assumming that this is not purposeful, something could be rotten in denmark.
Well. I'd break out my external usb hard drive connector and either try to clean it with ClamAV or boot a live cd and clean it installed in a laptop or desktop. If not wanting to send it back.
Piece of mind though is dding mbr and whole drive and trashing the windows 8 install. It is not my drive. So up to you.
No telling what rootkit or other nasties may be on the mbr. So either send it back with a letter of viruses found or lose windows or cross fingers with clamav or some other live virus cd iso like http://www.eset.com/int/support/sysrescue/.
One of the things that you absolutely haveto buy, IMHO, is a "retail, non-OEM" version of whatever Windows operating system you intend to run ... on DVD-ROM.
When you buy a new computer, wipe the sucker clean ... low-level format the drive ... and install from the DVD.
When you buy a new drive, no matter what is on it, wipe the sucker clean. Low-level format the drive.
I'd half assume that since the drive was taken out of the system by you, the warranty may no longer be valid.
The other half might assume that since the drive was "operated" by you, the manufacturer will say that they gave you zero viruses and whatever is on there is the result of your actions.
If they agree that this is a warranty, they'd simply replace the drive. I'm unsure that they'd consider what they might view as you getting viruses on the drive as a warranty issue.
If you truly have a warranty and/or purchase of this system, you can ask for a system restore DVD, which they may require that you purchase because they'll say that the recovery and restore information is included within their hard drives on the systems.
You want a completely clean drive, clean it using dd, fdisk, and mkfs; under Linux.
You want the copy of Windows which you purchased, that last option of purchasing a recover/restore DVD is the best option.
I think that you should definitely (and, without delay ...) inform the vendor that the drive arrived in this condition. They might not have been aware of it, and they will undoubtedly want to pursue the matter.
I've already nuked the drive, its dead! I compressed the windowz install, tar.xz and later decompressed it, only to discover that it was infected.
I don't think that this is a warrenty issue, I think that this is an atrocious example of very bad security practises and managment. Let's face it, how did the computer become infected if I never, and I mean the phisically impossible type of never, installed anything, touched the internet, or transfered any files to the host?
Gateway should be held accountable, no matter what I did to the drive after removing windowz from it. If it is not then guess what poor user will be next to recieve an infected drive? Even considering that they may deserve to be taught a lesson about why not to use windowz, its still cruel; and that's ultimaty what this post is about, finding a good process to convincing Gateway to better secure thier systems and thier users.
I'll start with an email, and if that works or not I'll post back to you and I'll move from there.
Of course, you may want to place the swapfile and hibernate file else where because they will compress very well by themseleves because they are mostely zeros (think about it, use strings(1)). You will also need to save the partition data:
Code:
parted /dev/sdb p > windows08-partinfo.txt
and the boot loader and any other partitions containing info (but you can figure the rest it out). OR, the best method, which create several very big files:
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