Hey everyone! I was recently hacked when someone pretended to be my friend and tricked me into downloading a game called "Lost Souls." After that, I formatted my PC, but I still found some of my old files like images and folders. I'm worried that the virus might still be hanging around. Could it still be on my system?
4 Answers
If you truly formatted the entire drive, then everything should be gone. But if you only performed a factory reset or a simple reinstall of Windows, that could leave some files behind. Those methods often keep user data intact, so make sure you did a complete format.
It's possible that some remnants of malware can linger if you didn’t wipe the drive completely. If you still have any files from before, those could be infected. Always scan any backup files before copying them back to ensure you're not reintroducing the virus.
Most likely, if you're seeing old files, you didn't format the drive correctly. For a true clean slate, it's important to delete all partitions and start fresh. Also, keep in mind, if you synced with OneDrive, any infected files backed up could come back once you log in.
Were you using a USB to do the format? If you just reset the PC through Windows settings, it's likely that some files are still there. A clean installation using a USB is the best way to fully wipe the drive and reduce the risk of getting the virus back.
I didn't use a USB; I just formatted it normally. I even noticed that the desktop image reset to default, so it seems I did a proper format.
I formatted it properly, but I still have old images and folders. Could it be because I logged into an email account I used on the PC before?