io.sys and msdos.sys

[yaugin]

I have two hard drives in my system, and the C: drive is not the drive
where Windows is installed. However, Windows constantly places io.sys
and msdos.sys on the C: drive. If I delete them, Windows automatically
re-creates them. Worse, it seems as though Windows actually overwrites
the filesystem area where those files are placed -- some of my other
files suddenly became 0 file size.

 

[Jim]

I have two hard drives in my system, and the C: drive is not the drive
where Windows is installed. However, Windows constantly places io.sys
and msdos.sys on the C: drive. If I delete them, Windows automatically
re-creates them. Worse, it seems as though Windows actually overwrites
the filesystem area where those files are placed -- some of my other
files suddenly became 0 file size.

Those two files are legacies from the distant past. Leave them alone.
Jim

 

[Ronaldo]

As you can read in the links, those files are boot sector files from the 9x
Operative Systems (Win95-98-ME), and they should not be there, they are most
likely trojans disguising as 9x boot files. Run an anti-Trojan to get rid
of them or format the C:\ drive.



A-Squared Free does a good job.

http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IO.SYS



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSDOS.SYS

 

[Bill in Co.]

Those two files are legacies from the distant past. Leave them alone.
Jim

Exactly. They are there for legacy compatibility reasons. Leave them
there.

 

[Ronaldo]

If you delete boot sector files they should stay deleted... files that keep
coming back are to be suspected of and deleted by any means. Should the
IO.sys and MSDOS.sys files be necesary, by all means replace them with
authentic files.


Check this
http://www.file.net/process/io.sys.html

Information and help with the io.sys file
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000872.htm



----------------------------------------

 

[Bill in Co.]

Nonsense.
Once again, those two files are SUPPOSED to be there, and they are ZERO
bytes in file size. He doesn't need to replace them (if they were like
that). End of story.

If you delete boot sector files they should stay deleted... files that
keep
coming back are to be suspected of and deleted by any means.

Nonsense (as a generalization).

 

[John John (MVP)]

Those 0 KB files are automatically created when Windows XP is installed.
The files are present for compatibility purposes with legacy applications.

John

 

[DrTeeth]

files that keep
coming back are to be suspected of and deleted by any means

Rubbish generalisation! Many windows files and folders won't stay
deleted, even though fixing certain issues requires their deletion.
Good job they are recreated on reboot. Examples: recycle bin, prefetch
folder, Temporary Internet Files and more.
--

Cheers,

DrT

** Stress - the condition brought about by having to
** resist the temptation to beat the living daylights
** out of someone who richly deserves it.

 

[Jason]

They go as far back as before DOS 3. I don't recall seeing then on my XP
installations. As they are 0kb then there is no content in them. I wouldn't
bother trying to delete them.