Eject! Eject! Eject!
Sorry...I don't know how to fix your problem but it sounds bad. I have read that Sasser is a beast.
yes you can install on the second one- but before I did that I would boot from a CD-ROM and see if you can fix it before doing something that drastic
start the operating system with network support and go to www.avast.com - they have a free anti-virus
Yeah, but you can't make the partition larger than the total amount of used filespace currently on the drive. For example, if you have 10 gigs of data on a 80 gig hard drive, you cannot make the second partition larger than 70 gigs.
That's for pros. If you have to ask don't even think about partitioning an active primary.
2. If I do the install on the secondary, will my apps on the primary work, so maybe I can get rid of the worm I think I have?
Not without reinstalling them.
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Download this into a folder: Sysclean.com
Then this, to the same folder: Virus Definitions
Go to the folder and unzip the virus definitions you downloaded.
Reboot the computer in safe mode and run Sysclean.com
This is a free virus removal tool that Trend Micro makes for Network Administrators. It won't install anything on your drive, it just scans and repairs.
If your second hard drive has windows installed, I'd use that one alone to go online and find a fix for Sasser or make sure that you have all virus updates. I'd then scan that drive and make sure everything is clean. Next, I'd make your original drive the slave to the clean one and then scan all files. If problems are found and fixed, I'd then make the original drive the master again and try rebooting. It's a pain, but I've rescued several drives which others have given up on by using this method without any loss of data other than the infected files.
This is tricky, and involves the Windows Registry (which stores valuable information on Windows settings, and related programs installed on the machine). Windows requires most DLL's to be installed in a specific place (usually x:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM or x:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 [x = the drive letter of the hard drive windows is installed on, assuming Windows is on C:, then substitute x: for c:].
But it is possible to run Windows in one partition and installed applications in another. Most often, savvy and advanced users use a second or third partition for the Windows swap file (virtual memory), because the swap file will grow and shrink depending on the number of applications you run at any given time. The swap file is used by Windows when the total amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) is exceeded.
You probably already did this, but also Google search for "how to remove sasser worm" which will bring up several links to specific instructions on how to remove this worm.
Can you reboot into Safe Mode? Press F8 repeatedly during the early boot sequence, two or three times a second, and it should come up with a archaic looking text menu offering such choices as Safe Mode. I haven't looked, but the removal instructions seem to assume you can boot the system, and perhaps if you can't boot to a normal Windows, booting to Safe Mode would be sufficient for the cleanup.
I would have thought you could reinstall Windows on the C drive without erasing it. But I am not sure of this, and always get confused on these sorts of points.
Yes, you can modify your disk partitions, if you have a tool such as Partition Magic, or my preferred Partition Manager (downloadable from 7tools.com). I always keep a bootable CD with Partition Manager on hand, just for such fun and games.
I would imagine that reinstalling on the secondary would confuse some apps, if they have drive specific settings in the Windows Registry. Simpler apps will work just fine.
Download and follow the instructions, then run Windows update and keep it updated.
Go to google, punch in your worm and you will find removal instuctions and maybe even a small program that will do it for you. :-)