Member Avatar for Tjmahone

Hi all, my uncle handed me his laptop and asked me to clean a virus. I used Kaspersky AV Boot to clean out the virus, and I was able to restore internet connectivity once that was done. I tried to run a virus scan and it kept getting stuck in the Kaspersky Labs virus definitions folders, so I uninstalled it and put Avast on instead. I kept freezing on the same folder (though a scan of JUST that folder came up virus free) and then manually removed the kaspersky folders in DOS. Finally, it let me get past the 10%-18% mark after I did that, but keeps getting stuck around the 80% - 87% mark.

Also, in the in-between times I've tried to run a full CHKDSK scan, once it get to stage 4 of 5 (verifying files?) it gets to the 13th file (of 17,000) and freezes, I have to shut down. A regular CHKDSK (only does 3 steps) always finishes and comes up clean.

I have two more courses of action I'm taking after this one: run a virus scan in safe mode, and then using UBCD to try to get a better diagnosis. Anyone else out there think they know what the problem is and can help further?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by edgaaa

Dani AI

Generated

Given the symptoms described by (AV scans consistently stalling and CHKDSK hanging during a late verification stage), follow a short, prioritized diagnostic plan. This expands on ’s hardware suspicion and ’s suggestion to run CHKDSK offline, and focuses on safe data-first steps, proven checks, and next actions.

  1. Preserve data first. Copy irreplaceable files to an external disk or image the drive before running destructive or long-running tests. If the drive is noisy or very slow, image it immediately.

  2. Run non‑Windows tests from UBCD or a bootable rescue environment:

    • SMART / surface checks (use the drive manufacturer’s utility or a UBCD tool). If SMART shows reallocated or pending sectors, treat the drive as failing and clone it.
    • Memtest86 to rule out RAM faults (runs from bootable USB).

  3. Offline CHKDSK and system checks (run from Windows Recovery Environment / install media — not from a logged-in session). Example:

    chkdsk C: /f /r
sfc /scannow   (run later from an elevated prompt if Windows boots)

    Let chkdsk finish fully. If it hangs again at the same point, stop and move to drive manufacturer surface tests — don’t repeatedly force chkdsk on a failing disk.

  4. Clean-mapping and malware cleanup:

    • Bootable AV rescue disk (clean environment) to remove active hooks.
    • Avoid manual deletion of AV program files; use the vendor’s removal tool or scan offline because leftover drivers/services can interfere with both AV and chkdsk.
    • Use a tool like Autoruns (from a working Windows install) to spot leftover drivers/services if Windows can boot.

  5. If diagnostics show many bad sectors or failing SMART attributes: clone the disk (image to a new drive), then replace it and restore Windows. If diagnostics are clean but problems persist, consider a repair install or a full OS reinstall.

Summary: backup first, run offline SMART/surface and memtest, run chkdsk /r from WinRE, use a bootable AV scan, and replace the drive if SMART/surface tests report problems.

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Member Avatar for blackbelt27

this could just as much be a software problem as it is a hardware problem, how old is the computer?

Member Avatar for edgaaa

I recommend you to run CHKDSK in dos mode if you didn't perform this action..

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