Boot bug

[tome]

before I had started to use Porteus my Windows 7 was infected and every exe file was modified, maybe similar virus can modify also files with common dat extension. But I am not sure, you must do some test. Antiviruses in my case didn't help.

[odys03]

I reproduced the issue more than 4 times. If the usbstick(pendrive) with the Porteus is inserted in windows, then save.dat file gets corrupted.

[Ed_P]

Ok, this is getting weird.

What version of Porteus are you using?

What format is the USB drive?

What version(s) of windows are you inserting into?

In Porteus what is the output of a LS /MNT/SDB/ command?

In Windows what does the output of a DIR x: command show, where x is the drive letter Windows assigns to your USB drive.

[tome]

1. Change: changes=/mnt/sdb/porteussave.dat to changes=porteussave.dat

2. If above doesn't help:
Run Porteus fresh mode and
change porteussave.dat name to porteussave.dat.xzm, and changes=porteussave.dat to changes=porteussave.dat.xzm (you can try also any extension or without extension - porteussave)

3. if it doesn't help:
reformat your pendrive - use Porteus to do it (because you could move viruses), install Porteus and try on another healthy Windows system.

4. if it doesn't help:
Probably I can't help you.

[odys03]

Ok, this is getting weird.

What version of Porteus are you using?

What format is the USB drive?

What version(s) of windows are you inserting into?

In Porteus what is the output of a LS /MNT/SDB/ command?

In Windows what does the output of a DIR x: command show, where x is the drive letter Windows assigns to your USB drive.

a. Porteus 3.01
b. NTFS format
c. Windows 7
d. I don't know how to use the above commands, and i dont want to destroy again the last installation.

By the way I installed Porteus in an old desktop pc (I mean in the harddisk) and it works smooth. After than more than 20 cycles of restarts everything is ok with the save.dat file updated with all the changes i make on the system.

[beny]

hi maybe the ntfs make this weird issue,you can use ext file system for your system because the guest system are supported via porteus and software like gparted or clams antivirus or what you want run very well,so if you can, use fat32 is a bad filesystem but better of ntfs.imho

[brokenman]

Most important question hasn't yet been asked. What is the antivirus you are using in windows?

So how to find out definitively if windows is corrupting your porteussave.dat file?

Create a fresh save file from within porteus. Then open a terminal and check the md5sum number for the file: md5sum /mnt/sdb1/porteussave.dat
Write the alpha/numeric string down (even just the first and last four letters/numbers).

Now boot into windows and plug in your USB and transfer a file. Now boot back into Porteus from the USB and recheck the md5sum. If it is different then windows corrupted your file. Next step would be to boot into windows to check the quarantine for any recent activity and confirm your thoughts. Then boot into windows safe mode and remove the antivirus (because it sucks) and install malwarebytes. Turn off your system restore points. Remove all temporary files and do a disk cleanup. Do a full scan in malwarebytes. Install a decent AV and do a preboot scan in that moving everything it finds to quarantine. Update windows. Turn your system restore back on (or leave it off) and then try the above procedure again.

[Ed_P]

In Porteus what is the output of a LS /MNT/SDB/ command?

In Windows what does the output of a DIR x: command show, where x is the drive letter Windows assigns to your USB drive.

a. Porteus 3.01
b. NTFS format
c. Windows 7
d. I don't know how to use the above commands, and i dont want to destroy again the last installation.

OK, do not fear, the commands are read only.

LS /MNT/SDB/
LS /MNT/

This is done in Porteus Terminal mode. Open a terminal window, input the command and press Enter. Repeat. Once executed highlight the text in the terminal window, copy it, and post it here.

DIR x:

This is done in a Command Prompt window. In the Windows menu dbl click on the Command Prompt option, input the command and press Enter. Once executed highlight the text in the terminal window, copy it, and post it here.

=update=

BTW I have never had a problem using Microsoft's Security Essentials AV in Windows XP or Windows 7. Or it's new name in Windows 8, Windows Defender.

[odys03]

As I dont have much time to do all the proccedures, I have to say I use Microsoft Security Essentials. I scan my laptop with the eset antivirus and i found one threat called smileIM, and i have clean my system.

Let me tell my thoughts about using Porteus. It is fast, I can't use Porteus to read pages with Firefox, as the letter fonts used in my native language are diferent and never the webpages look like on the windows (most of the times the pages look very diferent and strange).
As I work partime to repair laptops and desktops, I will use the gparted from Porteus to format the systems (till now i used ubuntu live usbsticks and cd) but Porteus is very fast.

Thanks to all this amazing team for all the advices, I learn about Malwarebytes from here I will use it to clean systems. When I will have free time I will experiment more.

Many thanks.

[francois]

@odys03:
Why don't you try google chrome? It will work with your installation, download and put it in /porteus/modules and activate it with a double click:
http://dl.porteus.org/i486/current/modules/

Linux or porteus offers free a lot of packages that you have to pay for? It is just a question of familiarizing yourself with the system. We are there to help you.

It is just that your are familiar with windows. If you would have come from porteus, I am sure that windows would have seem strange. I confess that as I never touch to my wife's mac, I really get frustrated when it is time to change some settings.

[odys03]

I work partime to repair laptops, all the people learn and want windows. Everyday pass from my hands 2-3 laptops. Last year just 2 users decided to use ubuntu οn their systems and this year (2014) 1 user only. Two days ago I made an istallation of Porteus on one very old desktop. A lady told me she likes it as it boots fast and she has internet, that is the only thing she needs.

[francois]

Interesting story.

I was thinking about recuperating old computers and installing linux for the community. I did not got there yet.

We should think of a linux distribution for kid at school, with the necessary serious package, but also with games that help to learn maths, science, english, ... . And some other games too.