Can xp recovery partition get virus?

[DK1000]

My sister has a newer Compaq with XP HE. The PC has a "Recovery Partition"
(D drive) instead of XP or recovery CD's. Her kids virused it up real bad,
and I used the F10 option to recover. After recovery, there were still some
old programs in there, plus some viruses. Can the Recovery Partition have
gotten infected also? Is there a way to do a clean re-install on the PC that
has no CD's? Thanks much.

 

[PA Bear]

Short answer: "Flush" System Restore of all Restore Points after having
removed viruses/Trojans/hijackware. See
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001111912274039.

Using a Restore Point from a time when the machine was infected will
reinfect the machine.

 

[DK1000]

Thanks PA Bear,

but I'm not using System Restore, but the actual Recovery that's "supposed"
to make the PC like it came "from the factory". I would think that would
supercede any System Restore settings.

 

[Malke]

Thanks PA Bear,

but I'm not using System Restore, but the actual Recovery that's
"supposed" to make the PC like it came "from the factory". I would
think that would supercede any System Restore settings.

No. Your sister did not do the full destructive factory restore. Compaqs
and HPs have a choice - you have to go to the Advanced settings in
their restore program (F10) to do the full factory restore.

Malke

 

[PA Bear]

OIC. See Malke's reply.

Thanks PA Bear,

but I'm not using System Restore, but the actual Recovery that's
"supposed" to make the PC like it came "from the factory". I would think
that would supercede any System Restore settings.

 

[DK1000]

Thanks, I'll try the F10 advanced settings today, I didn't notice that
option last time, but I was there half awake at 2am trying to do it, maybe
that had something to do with it.

 

[Plato]

My sister has a newer Compaq with XP HE. The PC has a "Recovery Partition"
(D drive) instead of XP or recovery CD's. Her kids virused it up real bad,
and I used the F10 option to recover. After recovery, there were still some
old programs in there, plus some viruses. Can the Recovery Partition have
gotten infected also? Is there a way to do a clean re-install on the PC that
has no CD's? Thanks much.

Yes, any partition can get virus infected.