Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Virus alert: Windows - Drive Not Ready

One of my users kept repeatedly getting the message "Windows - Drive Not Ready. Exception Processing Message c00000a3 Parameters 75b6bf7c 4 75b6bf7c 75b6bf7c".

I read a number of posts on the Internet which indicated people were disabling their floppy drive. Gut feeling told me it was most likely a virus. It took quite some time but I remove the virus manually and the anti-virus then removed the related files.

In the past I have seen people replace keyboards because they felt the keyboard was not working when in fact the computer was infected with a virus. Yes your hardware may be failing and so it may have been a hardware failure, but also don't rule out malware if you find you are having unexpected hardware issues. We've also seen weird behaviour on a computer which looked like a virus infect (text in a merged Word document being spaced weird) but in fact this turned out to be a failing hard disk. So it cuts both ways.
Since I saw many posts relating to this issue not mentioning a possible virus infection I felt this post might help others.
- Kelvin

6 comments:

  1. How'd you remove the virus ? Cuz i have the same problem, but i can't click anything, i can't right-click, and there is no start button. And also, my task manager is disabled.


    Thanx before.

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  2. Hi xstealx,

    It was some time ago, but at a guess I think I started the computer in safe mode and used Trend Micro to fix the problem.

    Your situation seems far worse though, as only the "drive not ready" error message was the only visible sign of a potential virus infection.

    I hope that helps.

    - Kelvin

    PS. This is not meant to be an endorsement of Trend Micro. I also fix quite a few computers so I don't really recall.

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  3. yes I m getting the same message.
    but except it, everything seems to be fine.
    so do you think a virus scan can rescue me.

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  4. A virus scan may help. It may also depend on the virus software. I stick with commercial software for my clients.

    You could try downloading a trial version of the anti-virus software if it is available and see how that goes.

    The only evidence I saw of the virus was the floppy drive not working which appears to be the case for yourself as well.

    It may always be a floppy drive issue, so don't rule out a hardware problem.

    Good luck.

    - Kelvin

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  5. Hi i too have the same problem.. can update of anti virus save me... I'm terribly affected by its problem...

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  6. Hi AJITH,

    An update of your anti-virus software may help. It is worth giving it a shot.

    If by an update you mean changing your anti-virus, I've found installing a new anti-virus in some cases creates a worse situation. Updating your existing anti-virus if it isn't blocked by the malware is worth trying.

    Keep in mind many of the viruses now can be very tough to get rid of. Most people turn to friends and neighbours for advice and I find that isn't a good approach as most have insufficient knowledge. If you know of a reputable computer support person give them a go. Only use someone who has been referred to you based on a friend or a family member's experience.

    I hope that helps.

    Kelvin

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