Need to find driver files

I bought a secondhand PC so I needed to download the driver files from the Internet(I'd already got the person who sold it to me to download and install the Ethernet driver), however I have the Virut virus and therefore my backup of my drivers is compromised and obviously downloading it from the net again would result in the file probably being infected. I don't have access currently to another computer to be able to download the Ethernet driver files so I need at least those files and knowledge of how to manually install them before I can reformat my PC. I am aware that the driver type of files are not of the type that are known to be infected but once I found them of course I would run a scan just in case. So I am basically asking how to find these files and how manually install them.

Hi EnigmaChick.. You find the driver files by going to the website of the manufacturer who made the computer. If it is not a name brand machine, you will have to open the case up and find the individual make and model # of all the components in your computer and visit those individual websites starting with who makes the motherboard. Not an easy task. Most of the driver files will be in the form of .exe files and they will get infected by the Virut virus. You also risk infecting any flash drive or hard drive that you attempt to save the files on. In my humble opinion you are wasting your time attempting to do it this way. Virut is a very serious infection. If you want to do it right visit a friend and download the drivers on to a flash drive or CD. Even if you didn't have Virut, but some other kind of infection, you shouldn't attempt to save and carry over executable progams like driver installation files because of the risk. If you absolutely have to do this, hopefully you can find just the ethernet drivers in a .zip format that should be safe. Then, once you reformat, install the ethernet drivers and then download the rest of the drivers you need. P.S. Do your friend a favor and do not plug in a hard drive or flash drive that has been plugged into this infected computer. Because you risk infecting your friends computer. It would be best to just download the file to a CD and take it home.

This is the whole reason I asked how to find the files already on my computer that are needed for my Ethernet and back them up and then find out how to install them manually, rather than by using the usual general installation program or zip file I can get from the Internet as I currently don't have access to another computer with Internet access and the ability to save the installation file needed. If I can eventually do that, I plan to use a brand new flash drive and not plug in into my computer until I have reformatted my PC. My knowledge of driver files is they are usually dll files and ini files but finding them and knowing how to use them to manually install a driver isn't something I know.

I guess I don't understand why you want to do it that way or what the difference is? Why not download the installation file for the ethernet driver from the same computer you are posting your messages from? Either way you have to move files off that machine in some method. Having the installation file will assure you that you will get things back up and running after the reformat. There are programs I have heard of that will save your drivers before a reformat. I don't know how they work or how reliable they are. Someone else would probably have to come along and recommend one of those programs. Although I'm sure the information is out there on the internet on how to find out what files are needed to backup, I do not know of the way off hand because I have always just re-downloaded them. Sorry.

A format and reinstall is always considered a "last resort" option that no one wants to go through. And generally, the good support people hate to recommend a reformat, as that indicates a lost battle against the badguys. But you have been advised here by two malware experts to do just that, both warning that you risk infecting other systems or reinfecting yourself if you don't. Appleoddity in this thread has said the same thing. And now I agree.

What you are trying to do is not the best or wisest way to go about this. You copy all your drivers BEFORE, not after infections. You already know your computer is infected, therefore you can not just connect the hard drive to another machine and copy off files. That would be irresponsible as it surely risks infecting the other machine, likely to reinfect your machine again when you reinstall the files. You can't risk saving the possibly infected driver files to a flash or USB drive for the same reason - the malware may (and this one likely will attempt to) infect these devices too, turning them into threats to ALL computers they may get attached to in the future. Not cool!

That is why downloading new files from the computer or motherboard maker's website is the best bet to get the latest, and "clean" drivers. You need to take inventory of your hardware in order to know where to start. See what Belarc Advisor says you have for a motherboard. Open the case, stick your head in there and take inventory. ONLY THEN will you know where to look for good drivers.

That said, you need to format and reinstall and you MUST have (in your possession) a separate Windows license for that computer (if you don't, you need to buy one). Since you said PC and not notebook, it is likely Windows will install fine and configure your Ethernet, graphics, and critical devices to use Windows own generic drivers. This assumes there is nothing wrong with the computer otherwise, and the motherboard, graphics, RAM, drives, etc. are all in good working condition. This also assumes we are talking about XP or newer.

Then, once set up, a quick Google search of save my drivers will show you options for next time this happens.

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Please note, speaking for the WTT Staff, if you still wish to pursue the risky course of action 4 experts have advised against, we can't, or won't help you further. Speaking for me personally, I will not lead you down a path I know to be wrong.

Alright, I'll keep trying to access another computer, I will be using a new flash drive that I wont have ever used on my PC on the other one and wont use on my PC until it's reformatted so I'm not worried about that issue, it's getting access to another one that's the issue. I needed to download the setup files for most of my computer's drivers the first time because Windows XP didn't have most of those them. As I said earlier the person I bought the PC from downloaded and installed the Ethernet driver first so I could at least connect to the Internet. P.S I planned to save the driver files to a DVD or CD for the very reason it wouldn't infect another drive. I did backup my driver files to an external hard drive but it was in an .exe format and that drive is also infected.

Hi EnigmaChick. Bummer! But it seems you are now on the right track to get the machine functional again. Best Regards

I am glad to report I have just bought a 8GB flash drive and will have access to a computer to use it to download both the Ethernet driver files and many others I want to before reformatting my computer in a few days. You may close this topic if you want and thank you all from making me seriously reconsider my original idea.