Hey everyone! I need some advice because I'm not very tech-savvy and I want to make sure I'm protecting my online security. A while back, I think I downloaded a corrupted file related to my Sims game, which messed up my Windows 11 laptop and locked my external D drive. My antivirus quarantined the file, and I couldn't access the drive due to an administrator lock. After some time, the D drive disappeared from my computer completely, and I recently did a complete factory reset, erasing everything on my laptop.
Now, the external drive still isn't showing up, and I'm worried about some OneDrive files I had on my computer that might still exist on my other devices. I haven't removed the external drive from my laptop, and I've been running antivirus scans (Microsoft Defender and others) that say everything is fine. But I'm still a bit paranoid. Could any possible malware still be hiding in my system, or has it transferred elsewhere? I've been using my computer for work after the reset, but I'm starting to wonder if I should stop. Any advice on what else I should do or if I should be concerned? Thanks so much!
1 Answer
When it comes to malware, a factory reset doesn’t always guarantee a clean slate, especially if it’s targeting your external drive. If the drive isn't being recognized anymore, it might be a good idea to format it to ensure any potential malware is gone. Your OneDrive files are safe; you can always log in online to retrieve anything you need from there.
Thanks for the response! I didn’t need anything from the external drive, so I’m fine with formatting it. But if it’s not showing anymore, is there a chance it could still be impacting my computer in some way? My antivirus is saying I'm clean, but I still worry about those OneDrive files.