The external may be infected, it depends on the virus, some will infect them and some won't.
Download Dr. Web CureIT, this is an on demand Virus checker, it does not replace your normal AntiVirus software, you just run it when you need to check the computer.
Best to download this on another computer and copy to a memory stick.
Then copy to the infected PC and run it.
Another thing that will slow XP down are temp files, I have seen PCs with many 1000's of them. These are located in the
C:\windows\temp directory.
Just delete all files in the temp directory.
You will also find temp files in the user profiles under Documents and settings:
Documents and Settings/username/Local Settings/Temp folder
: Delete all files in the
Temp folder
.
· Some files may be locked and can’t be deleted.
These folders are hidden and you will need to un-hide them first to be able to delete them:
Open
Windows Explorer
· Tools/ Folder Options/ View
· Tick
Show hidden files and Folders
· Un-Tick
Hide Protected Operating System Files
Once most have been eliminated (Some will not allow deletion, don't worry about them) you should then Defrag the C: drive.
Always Remove temp/ junk files before defragging.
I do 2 or 3 PC's/Laptops a week, and it can make a huge difference to the speed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by leon
Just one more question if I may, if my computer is infected with some worm of sorts, is the connected external hard drive also infected ??.

Leon
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