How to Remove Shortcut Virus from Pen Drive Permanently

Malware of type Shortcut virus infects your Pen Drive, PC, Hard Disk, SD cards and other mobile phones. After infection of your device, the virus changes your files into shortcuts with the same folder icon appearances. It creates a shortcut with the same name and hides the original files. It can make your files inaccessible and invisible.

This virus usually spreads by plugging your Pen Drive into a virus-infected computer or mobile device. Once infected, your files may be displayed as shortcuts, and the content will be hidden. Below, I will show you how to remove the shortcut virus from your Pen Drive and ensure it will not return.

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How to Remove Shortcut Virus from Pen Drive

Remove Shortcut Virus using Command Prompt (CMD)

Follow these steps to use CMD to remove the virus:

Press the Windows Key + X
Select Command Prompt (Admin).
Go to the Pen Drive:
Type your Pen drive’s address (F: or G:) and hit Enter.
Type the command del *.lnk (without quotes) and hit Enter.
Type the following command in CMD:bashCopy codeattrib -s -r -h *.* /s /d /l
Press Enter.

Allow the process to finish.

Remove Shortcut Virus from Your Computer

If your PC is infected with the shortcut virus.

End Malicious Processes

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc
Open Task Manager.
Go to the Processes tab
Look for processes like Wscript.exe or any suspicious process.
Right-click the malicious process and select End Task.

Clean the Registry

Press Windows Key + R
Type regedit.
Press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Go to the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run
Look for a suspicious registry key like odwcamszas.exe.
Right-click and select Delete.
Restart your PC to save the changes.

Run CCleaner and Malwarebytes

Here’s how to use CCleaner and Malwarebytes to remove shortcut viruses from PC. Install Malwarebytes and CCleaner from their official websites.

Run Malwarebytes

Open the Malwarebytes app.
Perform a Full Scan of your system.
If Malwarebytes finds any malicious files, it will automatically remove them.

3. Use CCleaner to Clean Your System

Open CCleaner app
Select Custom Clean.
Go to the Windows tab and checkmark the default options.
Click Analyze.
Once the analysis is complete, ensure the files to be deleted are correct.
Click Run Cleaner.
Go to the Registry tab in CCleaner.
Select the checkboxes for fixing issues.
Click Scan for Issues.
Now, click Fix Selected Issues.
Choose Yes to back up changes to the registry.
Once the issues are fixed, restart your PC.

Use RKill to Remove Malware Processes

RKill is a tool that can help terminate known malware processes and allow your antivirus software to remove the remaining infection.

Download RKill from the official website.
Install and run RKill.
A log file indicates which processes were terminated.
Restart your computer to ensure that any residual threats are fully removed.

Never plug your pen drive into suspicious or virus infected devices. Now, let’s jump to the steps that will help you remove the shortcut virus permanently and restore your data.