Virus! My files turned into shortcuts (Solved)

Lots of people are having the same problem with a damn virus. It spreads via USB memory sticks or external hard drives, and “converts” all the files into shortcuts.  Fortunately the real files are still there, but you are unable to see them. We will fix the problem in four simple steps.
PS: Don’t worry if my pictures are in Spanish. I’m gonna explain all the steps in English, and the process is much simpler than it looks.

Step One

Windows has the bad habit of hiding certain files and their extensions. This may help novice users to avoid confusing them, but presents serious drawbacks. You may, for example, run a dangerous program called  “photo.jpg.exe” because you only saw the “photo.jpg” portion of the name.
For that reason, and also to help fighting this memory stick infection, you need to make all files visible. The following steps apply for Windows XP, Vista and 7.

1. Click on Start
2. Click on Control Panel
3. Pick Folder Options
4. >Click on “View” tab
5. Clear the following check boxes:
6. Clear the check box “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)”
7. Clear the check box “Hide extensions for known file types”

Click Accept to apply the changes

Step Two

We need to make sure that your computer is clean from the infection.
If a healthy USB memory remains clean after plugging it in, this means your computer is clean and you can jump directly to step three.
If a healthy USB stick gets corrupted after being used on your computer, that a sign that the virus is running on your system and your antivirus is not doing it’s job. Use the update function  your Antivirus. If the antivirus still fails to catch the infection even after the update, you definitely need to use another product.
Some users are reporting that their current Antivirus brand was unable to detect and eliminate the infection. I like the products from Avira, Kaspersky and Dr.WEB. The first one offers a Free version, the others offer 30 day trials. But please STOP: Before start uninstalling and installing things, follow this whole guide in order to test if your current Antivirus get rid of the infection. Also to avoid incompatibilities and system problems Do NOT install more than one (1) antivirus program on a single computer.
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August 2014 Update

Some users are reporting that no matter what antivirus they used, the virus kept running. For those still having issues:

• Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del)
• Go to the Processes tab
• Look for WSCRIPT.EXE that is currently running.

But wait! Before ending the process, right click on the virus name and pick “Open  File Location”. After the Windows Explorer tab pops up, you can end the process.

Let’s go to our new Explorer Window. When you try to delete the virus executable file, an error will occur.

Don’t panic, this is normal. As strange as it sounds, we need to take ownership of the file. Right click on the file and select “Properties”

Now on the dialog box that appears:

• Pick “Security” and then “Advanced”
• On the new dialogue box, pick “Owner”
• In the example screenshot you will see that the virus changed the Current Owner to “TrustedInstaller”. So, from the list called “Change Owner to:” pick your Administrator name and click OK.

Now  that you own the virus, let’s go back to the beginning

• Again, Right click on the virus file
• Pick “Properties”
• and again “Security”.
• But this time, on the dialog that pops-up click on “Edit”

A new (almost identical) window will pop up.

• Click on “SYSTEM” and deny “Read & Execute” and “Read”.
• Repeat the same operation with all the elements of “Group and user Names”

You will not be able to delete the file, but don’t worry. The computer will not be able to run this virus executable file.
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Step Three

If step one and two went great, you should be able to see your files again. Unfortunately they are still marked as “hidden” (hence the ghostly look of the icons). We are going to fix that in a moment, but first we are going to delete these crappy shortcuts that were created by the virus and have nothing to do with your real files.
Proceed to delete the shortcuts, the Autorun.inf, any .vbs or .exe file, in fact delete everything you don’t recognize as yours.!
Needless to say, be careful, do not delete your legit files.

Step Four (Last one!)

To permanently change the properties of your files and return their appareance back to normal we need to open the Command Prompt.On Windows Vista and 7:

• Click on Start
• Type cmd in the first box you see
• Press ENTER

On Windows XP:

• Click on Start
• Click on Run
• Type cmd
• Press ENTER

On the black Window that appears -technically called the Command prompt- write the commands shown on the picture. Don’t forget to replace the letter X with the letter of your infected drive.
For example, if your affected drive letter is F then the command should be attrib -h -r -s /s /d F:\*.*
After writing the command hit enter and wait a few seconds while the changes are made.

Done!

Go back to the file explorer and see if the file attributes are back to normal.

Now that your issue is solved, why you don’t relax for a while checking the other sections of this site?

ASUU strike ends soon, says Minister

THE ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is likely to be called off after Tuesday’s meeting between the union and the Federal Government.

  Minister of Education, Prof. Ruquyyatu Rufai, expressed the hope in an interview with newsmen shortly after her presentation at the workshop on mid-year implementation report of the four-year educational strategic plan yesterday in Abuja.
 The minister stated that government has been doing its best to address the challenges, noting that negotiations have been ongoing since the strike started.
  “You know we have been talking. I have been telling you what we have been talking, but quote me correctly because last time I addressed the press, I said we were talking. We are going to continue meeting with ASUU tomorrow and we hope that tomorrow’s meeting will go a long way in resolving the crisis,” she said.

Anaconda Snake Swallowed A Female Youth Corper

I don’t believe the pics but i still have to share with you all, according to one of our readers on Facebook sent to Us.



He sent in this pic with the caption “Help! I couldn’t save her because i’m scared”.

He has refused to tell us the location of this scene either but the reports he gave to us is that;

“She was a lady I admired a lot since she arrived our village forher NYSC and i always peep whenever she’s taking her bath”.

On this tragic day, I’ve planned to record the shower scene so as to use it to have my way by threatening her that i’ll show it to all the villagers and also post it on social networks, she bent down to pick up her sponge and that was the last thing i witness before I ran for my life.

I didn’t know how to call the village hunters to her rescue because of the bad Intentions i had in mind.

8 Arrested For Killing Elephant In Ogun State

Eight persons include the alleged shooter of an elephant in a forest reserve popularly called elephants forest in a border area between J1 and J3 in Ijebu-Igbo, Ijebu North local government area of Ogun State have been arrested.



The State commissioner for Forestry, Ayo Olubori who disclosed this to newsmen in Abeokuta on Sunday, said he had to pass a night in the jungle after a-three hour journey withing the forest before the suspects were arrested, describing the act as a very serious crime.

Olubori said the elephant was killed at the wee hours of Thursday by a man (name withheld) after the suspect encroached the forest exclusively reserved for elephants in the state and was later joined by some villagers in dismembering it.

According to Olubori the killer of the elephant and some villagers who joined him in dismembering the elephants after he killed it have been taken to a police station in Ijebu-Igbo for further interrogation.

” The suspected killer of the wild animal was arrested on the spot at 1:00am . The animal is an endangered species, we have them limited, if care is not taken they may go into extinction. We don’t want to be sanctioned by Wild lives activists, United Nations Prohibition, among others.

” We will charge the suspects to court hopefully by Monday. Preliminary report indicated that, the man was sent by some prominent people in the society to get them the elephants tusks which cost N25 million each, he has confessed to the crime and he is on tape”, the commissioner said.

ASUU Strike: NANS consulting, to come out with position on Friday

ASUU Strike: NANS consulting, to come out with position on Friday

Lagos – The National Association of Nigerian Students, (NANS) will come out with its position on the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Friday, its president, Mr Yinka Gbadebo, said on Wednesday.

Gbadebo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the body was still consulting on the issue.

He said that for now, they were appealing to all parties involved in the strike to find ways of reaching a compromise as students were always affected during strikes.

On the implication of the ASUU strike coming when the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) was also protesting, he said that it was not good for students to be at home for long.

“The government should at least do something for the unions because they play an important role and in the interest of the nation’s academic future, there should be a compromise.

“We are appealing to both unions to look into the plight of the students because the staying at home of the students could do damage to their future, “ he said.

According to him, though the demands of the two unions would improve their productivity and welfare, they should also consider the students.

Gbadebo said that there should be give-and-take from both the government and the unions in resolving the problems.

NAN recalls that ASUU had directed its members to embark on an indefinite strike nationwide since Monday.

The action followed the inability of the Federal Government to implement some of the issues contained in a 2009 agreement it had with the union.

ASUU also said the government had reneged on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it entered into with the union in December 2011.

ASUP has also been on strike since April– over several issues. (NAN)

NLC cautions FG over ASUU strike

As the ongoing nationwide strike by Academic Staff  Union of Universities, ASUU, enters the third day, Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) has warned of the impact of the strike on students and the educational sector in the country.

It called on government to not only end the strike immediately by implementing the agreements it entered into with ASUU, but also declare a state of emergency in education.

NLC said in a statement, yesterday, that while the strike was completely avoidable, but made inevitable by Federal government’s insensitivity and penchant for reneging on agreements, Congress found it completely unacceptable that government refused to implement agreements it willingly entered into.

The statement by NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, argued that the issues articulated by ASUU were not self-serving but tenable, valid and germane to the sustenance of a qualitatively viable education system.

According to the statement “in a nutshell, these issues include, the lingering crisis at the Rivers State University of Technology, RSUST; the continued violation of the rights of the re-engaged 49 academics at the University of Ilorin; the non-release of the White Paper on Special Visitation to the University of Abuja; the parlous state of the economy and government’s disregard for its agreements.”