Does going back to Factory Settings delete viruses?

Hypothetical question here?
If you have a virus or trojan on your computer; will the process of taking your PC back to 'Factory Settings' delete said issues or do they remain in the memory?
G

 

I can't guarantee it G but that is what i believe.

If i do a system re-install i first use "kill disk" to make sure.

 

I'd vote for - Yes. After all it's very categoric, about *Restoring to factory* Just a warning for losing data/updates etc... I'd love to see a response on the same query if posted to the manufacturer.. keep us posted..

Cheers...

 

Going back to factory settings would probably mess with lots of programs causing need for updating and possibly reinstalling in some cases.

 

It depends on how you restore the settings. Generally speaking, when you restore factory settings, this means that the hard drive will be completely erased and the PC will be as it was the day you bought it. Anything added to the PC since day one will be gone. However, if the hard drive is not de-partitioned and re-partitioned, there's a chance that a virus can hide on the boot sector. Also, there are some (very, very, VERY rare) viruses that can reside in the RAM and can survive a reboot. They can do this because when the PC restarts, it loses power for a very short time, maybe not at all in some cases, and if there is still power left in the system, things in RAM can stay viable. Powering the PC off completely for a minute or two should solve this problem. However, I have seen some PCs that hold power even with the power cord removed for over 90 seconds. The capacitors on the motherboard and in the power supply act as little batteries and take a little time to discharge. Holding in the power button with the power cord removed will discharge the capacitors more quickly.

 

I have not got this problem, but I was thinking of buying a 2nd hand pc for my wife and the seller said that it was virus free because they had restored to factory settings.
Thanks to your answers, I feel it may well be worth the chance.

All replies thanked

G

 

If I were the one getting the machine, first priority would be to install AV and antispyware and run my own scans.
My choices would be Avira AntiVir, ComodoFirewall, WinPatrol, SuperAntiSpyware, SpywareGuard, SpywareBlaster, and MalwareBytes. All are free and combine into a pretty tough package.

 

Do your own restore to factory G, plus make some restore discs before you ever hook up to 'net, could save you some grief down the road. Got that one from dlb in another thread.

 

DIY system restore sounds about right. I wouldn't trust anyone else's word.


G