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Will any virus survive a disk wipe?

Anonymous
2021-05-14T03:03:36+00:00

so I have a seller refurbished hdd. The disk might contain viruses in it. Is it safe to boot it up together with another hard drive on the same computer? And is it necessary to DBAN(Darik's Boot and Nuke) the new hdd to make sure no virus survives? Is there any chance when I connect the new hdd to my pc which has another hard drive installed, the old hard drive will sustain any damage in its files?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-05-14T03:32:52+00:00

    "The disk might contain viruses in it."

    -Yes, theoretically.  You could scan this drive with your AV before doing adding data or doing any other tasks on the new drive.

    DBAN is more about keeping others from accessing your old data when you sell an HDD\SSD (bits of which can be left after reformatting).

    If you do a full (vs quick) reformat of the drive it should wipe out any potential Virus.

    However, some virus inhabit the boot sector (if the drive was used for Windows previously). In this instance deleting the

    virus may be a bit more  tricky.

    I don't recall the methods, but you should be able to find a few tutorials with a www search.

    .

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-05-15T07:54:34+00:00

    Yeah! It's probably clean.

    I expect by 'seller refurbished' he means he did a couple of full reformats, or maybe used something

    like DBAN to make sure it's clean and none of the original data was recoverable.

    .

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-05-15T04:03:20+00:00

    I ran an antivirus program(TotalAV) on it and it seems to be virus free.

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-05-14T07:01:52+00:00

    Um what do you mean by "as scrub it"

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-05-14T03:42:33+00:00

    Hi HelpMeAhhhh, I am Rob, an Independent Advisor not affiliated with Microsoft and a 15 time and dual award Microsoft MVP specializing in Windows troubleshooting and Bluescreen analysis. Please remember as independents we are not responsible for the development of Windows or the computer hardware and drivers. If you will work with me I will be here to help until the issue is resolved.

    Yes, there is malware that can survive the usual formatting process such as some RootKits.

    Hook it up as a second or later drive then as scrub it.

    Here to help,

    Rob

    Standard Disclaimer: Those may be non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

    Please let us know the results and if you need further assistance. Feedback definitely helps us help all.

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