Why not right click on the external harddrive (Drive D or E) however it shows on your computer when plugged in..Should be an option to Scan with (Whatever AV program you are using)

I might want to run SuperAntiSpyware, Malwarebytes,, scans on your back up drive ? Maybe my regular virus scanner too.. which all might take a while.. depending on size and what kind of backups.

yes definitely just plug your back up drive into the pc and when you run say malwarebytes it asks right at the beginning which drives to scan select the one that is your external drive and after updating malwarebytes full scan on it. Same with the other programs.

Or make a new back up or 2 right now and just delete all the old backups that you may have that would contain the infection and then you know any backups you have are the ones from after the clean up.

Thank you Gene, Mikie, and raven. I'm scanning my F Drive right now with MSE. I wasn't sure about how to scan with the antispyware/malware programs, so thanks for explaining it raven.

I'll post back on what the programs find; but I might just follow raven's suggestion to delete the old backups and make a new one, just to be on the safe side. I'll be back with my results - thanks again.

... I'm scanning my F Drive with the hd plugged in, I mean. ; )

Malwarebytes and other tools often mentioned here are reasonable secondary tools to help detect and eliminate infections, but are unnecessary if your primary tools are working.

You should consider using a different antivirus program, good ones stop invaders in the first instance. Also review your online and email practices and avoid the risky ones.

Thanks for the advice snidely. After the infections, I changed my antivirus program (a couple/few weeks ago) and I'm now using Microsoft Security Essentials which I'm happy with so far.

I completed the scans on my hard drive: MSE, Malwarebytes, and Superantispyware didn't find anything. So, I will assume... the contents of my hard drive are clean.

If I do decide to delete the contents of my hard drive anyway, do I just click on 'format'? I'm also curious, if I decide to keep the 'old' contents on my hd, does a new back-up just copy everything off of my computer and 'cover-up' the old contents, or does it just back-up anything new I might have done since the last back-up?

It would depend on the type of backup you select, a full backup will backup all the stuff you have it set up to backup, and an incremental backup just updates the files and stuff that have changed since the last backup.
If doing a full image backup that creates a new complete snapshot of the system including the operating system and all settings, exactly as it is at the time the image was done. This is the optimal situation and the best way to go for a full restoration.

For your current situation you can simply right click on the backup you want to delete and select delete.
They are just files and folders basically.

Dee can -

Please DO NOT trigger a Format. It deletes everything on the drive (including Windows). If you reformat your PC's hard drive, it'll be useless to you and won't start again until a new operating system installation is done. It shouldn't be something you need to do.

raven - I disagree with your suggestion about the advisability of having a HDD image. Use of same would seem to be well beyond the ability of most people who visit this forum.

To avoid problems and inconvenience, my first suggestion is that everything important should be backed up and, correspondingly, unimportant files needn't be backed up. Many users have nothing but unimportant files. A simple emailer and web surfer likely has nothing that needs to be backed up.

My second suggestion is to avoid problems by using proper tools and practices. (Many of the tools and practices I've seen recommended in various threads in this forum I don't agree with)

My third suggestion - if a problem is encountered that the user doesn't know how to deal with, find a service provider or someone knowledgeable to help you. For "seasoned citizens", younger family members may be useful for this.

Write down on a piece of paper (yes, a piece of paper) the programs you use and the obscure websites you like and have bookmarked. Other than important data files (photos, music, correspondence), EVERYTHING ELSE on your PC can be reinstalled, re-downloaded, and otherwise replaced.

If your PC is old, struggling, or otherwise deserving of a proper burial, buy a new one. They're cheaper than ever, and old your old PC may not be worth the cost or effort to resuscitate.

Good luck to all. With a first rate antivirus program, all that's left for you to do is to know where you go and know what you open. With that and absent being very unlucky, you won't have any problems.

snidely, luckily I didn't touch 'format' so thank you very much for warning me. I did delete the old backup files like raven suggested, though. Also raven, I did a system image backup. I had also done a regular full backup prior to that, which I guess would be ok to have along with the system image one, if not I'll delete that one. I did the first full backup because I ran into a problem with the Seagate Wizard, which I later figured out, and was able to get the System Image completed.

snidely, I appreciate all of your advice. I went for years just using an antivirus program and occasionally malwarebytes. After recently downloading Superantispyware, though, it found a couple of trojans that the other two programs never found. I'm a pretty safe computer user, and don't do anything risky with my computer, but I still managed to pick up a couple of infections. Luckily nothing too serious, I don't think, and I was able to get my computer cleaned up. I might be a little over-vigilant now in trying to keep it clean. :)

snidely, not everyone at this forum is so "computer dumb" that they don't know what a HDD image is or how to make use of same. I keep an up-to-date image on an external drive at all times. I was able to restore my system with all the updates, etc. by using this. When a computer passes several years of age, the so-called "restore" disks are of little help, hence the up-to-date image or clone on an external drive. By the way, I bought my first computer in 1998, am totally self-taught (with help from the regulars here), and I'm 81 years young.