Need some advice regarding external hdd

Hi there

I was helped by this fantastic forum to remove some nasties from my laptop. I have a whole bunch of stuff backed up on an external hdd and need to do a new backup, but I am scared to plug in the the hdd as I don't want to accidentially re-infect my computers. Is this likely? Am I being overcautious? How can I check the hdd without plugging it in?

Thanks so much
NotVeryTechie

Hi there

Wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this, please.

All the best
NotVeryTechie

Which Operating System are you using ?

I run Vista home edition on a Toshiba laptop. I have installed Winpatrol.

OK, you need to be able to attach your hard drive without it automatically opening, that way you can scan it with your anti-virus first to make sure it's safe before opening any files.

So the first thing is to disable autoplay.

• Click Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Autoplay
• When the Autoplay window opens ....
  
  • Uncheck Use Autoplay for all media and devices
  • Click Save
• Exit out of Control Panel.

Next ....

• Connect your external drive.
• Click Start > Computer
• When the Computer window opens ....
  
  • Right click on your external drive and select the option to scan with your anti-virus (most anti-virus programs will add this option to your right click menu)

Hope this helps you, any questions just ask.

Thank you so much, I will follow those steps.

All the best

You're welcome.

Keep safe.