How to Recover Files from Virus Infected USB Drive for Beginners

Introduction

USB drives are widely used for transferring and storing files. Its small size and portability allow you to transfer or store files on various devices anytime. However, it is precisely this convenience that also makes USB drives highly vulnerable to virus infections. Once infected, you may find your data missing, hidden, or corrupted, leaving you worried about permanent data loss.

The good news is that with the right methods, you can both recover files from virus-infected USB drives and restore the drive to normal. This guide will walk you through practical solutions step by step.

What Happens When a USB Drive is Infected by Virus?

You may be confused about why a virus infection can lead to data loss. Understanding the impact of a virus infection on your USB drive can help you take the right recovery and remediation measures. When a USB drive is infected by a virus, several things can happen depending on the type of malware and how it operates:

📌Files Get Hidden or Replaced

Many USB viruses don’t actually delete your files — instead, they change the file attributes to hidden files, so you can’t see them in File Explorer. Sometimes, the virus creates shortcuts with the same names as your files. When you click these shortcuts, the virus spreads instead of opening your real files.

📌Files Are Corrupted or Deleted

Some malware goes further and corrupts your documents, photos, or videos, making them inaccessible. In worse cases, it may delete them completely or overwrite them with malicious code.

📌Virus Spreads to Other Devices

An infected USB drive can act as a carrier. As soon as you plug it into another computer, the virus can copy itself to that system, infecting more files and drives.

📌Unauthorized Programs or Scripts Run Automatically

Certain USB viruses use autorun.inf files to execute malicious code automatically when the drive is connected. This can install unwanted software or give attackers access to your system.

📌Data Theft or Privacy Risks

Some modern USB malware is designed to steal sensitive information (like documents, login credentials, or saved files) and send them to attackers without your knowledge.

Therefore, after discovering that your USB drive is infected by a virus, do not connect the infected USB drive or hard drive to any healthy computer. Otherwise, it will cause cross-infection and spread the problem further.

How to Recover Files from Virus Infected USB Drive

Recovering files from a virus-infected USB drive should be handled with care. There are certain precautions to take before and after data recovery to prevent virus spread. Here, two methods will be introduced to recover files from the USB drive: the ATTRIB command and professional data recovery software.

Precautions Before Starting Data Recovery

Before attempting file recovery, it is crucial to prevent the virus from spreading further and prepare for data recovery. 

1. Safely Eject the USB Drive

Once you suspect your USB drive is infected with a virus, immediately eject it safely from your computer.

2. Prepare a Secure "Operating Environment"

Insert the USB drive into a virtual machine or an unimportant old computer. Never operate it directly on your daily main computer.

3. Remove Virus from the USB Drive

In the created "secure environment," use Windows Defender or another reliable antivirus software to remove the virus from the USB drive. Sometimes, after the virus is removed, the files on the USB drive can be accessed.

Recover Hidden Files Using the ATTRIB Command

Some viruses hide files by altering their attributes. These files are not actual deleted. You can use the ATTRIB command to recover hidden files in the USB drive by modifying the file attributes and restore access to them.

Step 1. Type "Command Prompt" in the Start menu and open it.

Step 2. Enter the following command "attrib -h -r -s /s /d E:\*.*" and hit "Enter" key. Replace the drive letter "E" with your actual drive letter.

Wait for the process to complete and check if the hidden files reappear in your USB drive.

Recover Lost Files with Professional Recovery Tool— MyRecover

If you confirm that some files were actually deleted by the virus, the ATTRIB command won’t be useful. When this happens, the professional data recovery tool like MyRecover can still help you get back the lost data from the USB drive.

MyRecover offers a clean, intuitive interface where you can recover your files with just a few clicks, perfect for beginners and professionals alike. It is built to handle the tough cases, such as recovering files from RAW partitions, crashed systems (only available for paid versions), or heavily formatted or corrupted disks.

 MyRecover

Easy & Powerful Hard Drive Data Recovery Software

• Support 1,000+ file types, including documents, images, videos, emails, and more.
• Dual scan modes: Quick Scan for speed, Deep Scan for thorough recovery.
• Support NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, ReFS in Windows 11/10/8/7 & Windows Server.
• Compatible with all storage devices: USB drives, HDDs, SSDs, SD cards, etc.

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Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

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Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from a secure channel. Connect the USB drive to your computer.

Step 2. Launch it and select the infected drive to scan, then click "Scan".

Step 3. Choose the files you wish to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".

Step 4. Select a safe location (not the infected USB drive) to save the recovered files. You’d better prepare an empty drive to store these recovered files. They may still carry viruses, so this prevents them from infecting other healthy files.

When the process is completed, the message indicating successful recovery will pop up. You can check the recovered files by clicking on the destination folder path or the "Browse" button.

Post-Recovery Safety Measures

Before copying the recovered files to your daily-use computer, scan them a second time with antivirus software to ensure all threats have been eliminated.

How to Fix Virus-Infected USB Drive

Once you’ve confirmed the files are safe, it’s time to clean and repair the virus-infected USB drive. Two effective methods are provided here to remove the virus.

Use Windows Defender or Other Antivirus Software to Remove Virus

Windows Defender or other antivirus software can help you scan and eliminate the virus from your USB drive. This step will help you completely eliminate all threats on the drive, making the USB drive usable again. Here takes Windows Defender as an example:

Step 1. Connect the USB drive to your computer.

Step 2. Open File Explorer and locate the USB drive.

Step 3. Right click on the drive and choose "Scan with Windows Defender" from the context menu. This will automatically perform a quick scan on the entire drive.

Step 4 (optional). If needed, after the quick scan finishes, you can choose "Full scan" to perform a comprehensive scan for the whole system.

Step 5. Quarantine or remove all detected threats.

Format the USB Drive to Wipe All Viruses

If the virus persists or the drive remains unstable, formatting the USB drive will be the last resort. It will completely erase the malware and all files and refresh the file system. Therefore, before using this method, first recover data on the USB drive using MyRecover.

Step 1. Connect the USB drive to your computer.

Step 2. Right click on the USB drive in Disk Management and choose "Format" from the context menu.

Step 3. Choose a file system based on your needs, tick the "Quick Format" option, and click "Start" to begin the process.

The End

Dealing with a virus-infected USB drive can be stressful, but by first recovering your data and then fixing the drive, you can avoid permanent loss. The ATTRIB command is handy for unhiding files, while MyRecover provides a reliable way to recover files from virus-infected USB drives when deletion or corruption has occurred.

Additionally, MyRecover also offers the Professional edition to meet more advanced requirements of users. It allows unlimited data recovery quota and file content preview function. It even supports data recovery from crashed systems, making it a powerful safeguard against future data loss.