Articles

Does formatting removes viruses from the computer?

by Techchef Data Recovery Techchef Data Recovery

Viruses are malicious software or applications that are developed with the intent of causing harm to your system by degrading its performance or data. Ever since the evolution of internet services, viruses have been wreaking havoc globally. There are thousands of offline and online computer viruses but most of the viruses tend to enter your system via the internet. They may get attached to a program such as a spreadsheet program, or an email system and spread steadily to your computer.

Similarly, there are various ways viruses can cripple in your system some of these include:

  • Infected Web pages that users load.
  • Infected programs that appear legitimate but may infect our systems such as games, screen savers, utilities, etc.
  • Spam.
  • Self-propagating via the Internet infecting Web servers.
  • DVDs, CDs, floppies, hard drives, USB drives, SSD cards and other media.

Well, if you think viruses just cause data destruction then you are likely to be not aware of their destruction. Apart from data loss, they can also copy critical data from your system and transfer it to another system. Thus, there are chances your data getting into the wrong hands for misuse.

However, when it comes to protecting systems against viruses and other malicious programs many people rely on using antivirus programs, malware remover, or a thorough scanning process. Sometimes, even antivirus programs fail to deliver results. This could happen either due to outdated antivirus software files or unseen malicious files that your software isn’t aware of. Now that you know how viruses are disastrous for your system, let’s get into the main topic- “Does formatting removes viruses from the computer?”

To find an answer to this first you need to understand the formatting process and its implications on a computer system.

What is meant by formatting the computer?

Formatting your computer involves erasing old file systems on a hard drive and replacing them with new file systems thereby restoring your computer to its fresh state. By default, the system files are stored on C: // drive, except you, willingly install it on other drives. 

What happens to viruses with computer formatting?

As discussed above, computer formatting replaces c: // drive and the Windows operating system’s files. That means with formatting virus files present in c: // drive gets destroyed. But what about the malicious files on other hard drive partitions? If your system hard drive has single partition then formatting is the best way to get rid of computer viruses. But if you have multiple partitions, in such cases you might have to undertake any of the approach mentioned below:

1. Formatting all drives:

This is not a safe bet though, as it could lead to the deletion of all backup files, photos, apps, on the drives. However, if you have a backup of files then you can go for this approach.

2. Antivirus Program:

If you are not sure whether all drive partitions are affected or not, then you should rely on trustworthy antivirus software for comprehensive scanning.

Finally, formatting does not necessarily protect your computer against all virus threats. There is still a risk of viruses infecting your computer again. So, when you are not sure, it is better to seek professional assistance.


Sponsor Ads


About Techchef Data Recovery Junior   Techchef Data Recovery

0 connections, 0 recommendations, 7 honor points.
Joined APSense since, February 17th, 2020, From Delhi, India.

Created on Sep 22nd 2020 06:06. Viewed 341 times.

Comments

No comment, be the first to comment.
Please sign in before you comment.