Using a Linux Live CD to scan a possible infected Windows pc

[TwilightLink]

Hello

 

I have an old hdd that it was used (as a storage drive) in a windows pc that it may have been infected (I'm not sure, the pc was behaving weird, with random processes using 100% cpu for no reason). There are some files in that drive that i want to recover so I was wondering if i can use in that pc a Linux live CD (I have a mint 19.03 one) to scan it with some AV (not sure which one to use, ClamAV?), is it a good idea? Or should I directly extract the files and scan it in my pc?

 

Thanks for the answers!

PS: this is like my third post with virus and safety related stuff, sorry to be such a bother 

[ShortRouter]

great idea, you can safely extract needed files with a linux live cd onto another drive. then you can nuke the infected drive.

[bmx6454]

sophos, or eset nod32, its only a trial version, but if you only need it once, its fine.

[TwilightLink]

Thanks for both answers!

 

19 minutes ago, ShortRouter said:

great idea, you can safely extract needed files with a linux live cd onto another drive. then you can nuke the infected drive.

So, if i just put the files in a pendrive it won't get infected (the pendrive I mean)? They are mostly music and photos

 

20 minutes ago, bmx6454 said:

sophos, or eset nod32, its only a trial version, but if you only need it once, its fine.

Which is better? I've never heard of Sophos

 

[ShortRouter]

8 minutes ago, TwilightLink said:

So, if i just put the files in a pendrive it won't get infected (the pendrive I mean)? They are mostly music and photos

exactly.

[bmx6454]

https://support.eset.com/en/kb2708-download-and-install-eset-nod32-antivirus-4-business-edition-for-linux-desktop-on-a-workstation

 

that's a basic how to, only thing is I've never ran it live. so not 100% sure that you can get it to work on live, I've only done installation for use, above my knowledge unfortunately. and not sure on sophos, never used it, but it is an antivirus that is rated pretty well for linux. the one you suggested, clamav would also likely work fine

[TwilightLink]

48 minutes ago, bmx6454 said:

https://support.eset.com/en/kb2708-download-and-install-eset-nod32-antivirus-4-business-edition-for-linux-desktop-on-a-workstation

 

that's a basic how to, only thing is I've never ran it live. so not 100% sure that you can get it to work on live, I've only done installation for use, above my knowledge unfortunately. and not sure on sophos, never used it, but it is an antivirus that is rated pretty well for linux. the one you suggested, clamav would also likely work fine

I guess i will try nod32, always heard good things about it, if it doesn't work in live I'll try another one or just install linux directly on that pc

 

53 minutes ago, ShortRouter said:

exactly.

Will try it as a last resort, I would prefer to scan to whole drive just to get a little peace of mind

[ShortRouter]

@TwilightLinkThink of it as a biological virus. It can't infect a host that it wasn't intended to run on. A Linux distro can't run a MS Windows process. You are safe to copy multimedia files and dosuments onto a pendrive, then format the infected drive just to be sure.

[TwilightLink]

8 hours ago, ShortRouter said:

@TwilightLinkThink of it as a biological virus. It can't infect a host that it wasn't intended to run on. A Linux distro can't run a MS Windows process. You are safe to copy multimedia files and dosuments onto a pendrive, then format the infected drive just to be sure.

I understand, maybe i will do that, scanning from the live cd was taking forever.

 

Thanks for the answers!