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[Execute/Dumbo.exe]

Now, I've had my old computer for a while now and it's had its fair share of bumps now, but for about 10 minutes now, it's been going on a deleting frenzy, deleting index entries from everywhere form gunpoint (the game) to something named CRWL in block capitals, Im writing this from my iPad but now I'm quite worried and right now it's deleting files I had no clue existed anywhere in my tv like ghaundineutral and ramhkpeaceful, I think they are from civilisation 4 but Jesus the amount Of data that's just being deleted is massive, with sound bytes of being successful to catapults.

The name of the computer is a HP pavilion elite HP series and it's been basically fine until now, what the hell is happening?
Edit: oh wait, it's finished and I can't start up steam, chrome, the technic launcher because it's missing GDI32.dll, perfect.

[Ogdibus]

If you have windows 7, it might be "Hidden files virus".

That's based on doing some searches, though. I haven't ever had the virus or the problem that you describe. I wasn't getting much by searching with the word "delete".  It turns up a lot of stuff about getting rid of viruses, or recovering lost files.

[Execute/Dumbo.exe]

Yhea, it was a bit vague, but that was all I could find out, apparently the deleting was caused by the computer checking a mythbusters DVD, as at the end it said 'disk check completed' or something like that.

Oh hey! Something new! Now in task manager it has like fifty 'make cab.exe' processes, interspersed with things like btwdins and stuff.

I'm, I'm just going to go to the computer shop.
Fake edit: the funny thing is, all the make cab things aren't using any CPU, at all, with only two variations in memory usage, 84 to 88 kb.

[Sensei]

Download malwarebytes (from a separate computer, use a flash drive) and run that sucker.

[lordcooper]

Download malwarebytes (from a separate computer, use a flash drive) and run that sucker.

This is the correct solution to 97% of all PC issues.

[cerapa]

Fake edit: the funny thing is, all the make cab things aren't using any CPU, at all, with only two variations in memory usage, 84 to 88 kb.

They might just be around to restart the main process if you manage to manually turn it off with the task manager.

Also, if a virus is deleting shit from your computer, usually the best idea is to turn the computer off before it deletes everything.

[Remuthra]

Wipe your hard drive and reinstall your OS.

When worst comes to worst, the best solution is to nuke everything. Wipes out 99.99% of all viruses.

[wierd]

Nuke from orbit can be very vexing though, especially if you have a lot of data to back up first.

Also, some more enterprising viruses inject themselves into the "factory stock recovery partition", and into the recovery restore image. This makes eradication much more troublesome for the average user, who's only windows license is the one that came with the system, and for whom rescue discs were not provided.

(Been there, done that, performing my "friends and family discounted repair service" duties.)

[Remuthra]

That's the point when you raise your hands to the sky, yell "I'm out!" and switch to Linux.

[Moogie]

Hmm, computer deleting things it shouldn't be deleting... I wonder when it will stop? Let's watch and find out!

Seriously though, you didn't have to let it finish.

Others have suggested it's a virus, but I've seen some old, badly put-together uninstallers do this. One typo in the instructions and it'll start deleting everything in the parent of the root directory, instead of just the root dir itself. Any software author who allows that kind of bug to occur should be shot and fed to the wolves.

[Mlamlah]

Hmm, computer deleting things it shouldn't be deleting... I wonder when it will stop? Let's watch and find out!

Seriously though, you didn't have to let it finish.

Others have suggested it's a virus, but I've seen some old, badly put-together uninstallers do this. One typo in the instructions and it'll start deleting everything in the parent of the root directory, instead of just the root dir itself. Any software author who allows that kind of bug to occur should be shot and fed to the wolves.

I expect better imaginary murder from a player of dwarf fortress.

[Thief^]

Others have suggested it's a virus, but I've seen some old, badly put-together uninstallers do this. One typo in the instructions and it'll start deleting everything in the parent of the root directory, instead of just the root dir itself. Any software author who allows that kind of bug to occur should be shot and fed to the wolves.

Reminds me of the EVE Online boot.ini scandal. Apparently the patcher they used defaults finding files to the root of the drive, followed by the current working directory, not the other way around. So "Delete Boot.ini" deleted "\Boot.ini" not ".\Boot.ini" and made some PCs unbootable as a result. Yay!

[miauw62]

Deleting index entries sort of sounds like a CHKDSK \f, to be honest.

[Sergius]

Step 1: Shut down that mother******* computer. Each second it is on and running the infected Operating System the more files it will delete.

Step 2: Get a bootable CD/DVD with linux or some other OS and Boot from it (should stop the virus since you're not loading the OS in the hard disk) -- hint: don't use the infected computer to download/burn said CD

Step 3: Copy all the VALUABLE (as in: personal) data. Photos, that Slapjack/Adventure Time slashfic you're working on, work documents, etc. NO PROGRAMS/GAMES (unless you're working on some awesome mod for some game, then sure save what you can). Use some (clean) removable media such as USB pendrives maybe.

Step 4: Format the disk/reinstall your OS. If the virus has already deleted a lot of random files that are needed for the functioning of your machine, trying to clean the virus is pointless because you'll end up with a crippled system anyway.

Step 5: Install an anti-virus. I use Microsoft Security Essentials because it's reasonably good and it usually SHUTS UP about my computer being in danger of getting raped every 5 minutes. Tho in your case it probably wouldn't be just scaremongering, so use whichever you think will keep you out of trouble.


If you can't do the above yourself, seek help from "professionals" (ha ha...). Try to have them follow these steps