HELP!!! Virus in Windows 7 :(

Hey everyone, so i just bought an authentic version of windows 7 pro for my Acer Extensa laptop. I booted from dvd, did a clean install, formated my C drive (partition 2), and eevrything was running smoothly. However, when I went online to download a driver for my touchpad, on accident I went to a "fake" site, and downloaded the driver from there. BAD BAD IDEA.

After downloading, my computer screen started flicking black and changing screen resolutions. During each black flicker, there were these little blue and yellow "character" markings all over the black screen. When I restarted, windows said there was a problem...and fixed it. The error said it was "bluescreen". However, the black flickering didnt stop.

THEREFORE, I am rebooting my computer from the disk again. I have 3 partitions, and noticed THIS time the 3rd partition labaled D: DATA (Primary) is not completely empty. It has a total size of 69.9GB but only 69.8GB are free. I am wondering if this is where the virus is hiding. Also, Partition 1: PQSERVICE (OEM Reserved) has size of 9.8GB and free space 4.6 GB.

My QUESTION to you guys is..this time instead of just formating the 2nd partition like the first time around, should i format the 2nd and 3rd to ensure I have whiped the virus clean? THANK YOU for your help :)

*note*
i would like to add that i also installed the systemics touchpad driver for vista from the REAL Acer site upon the same restart that the virus took full effect. At first i thought that the driver was causing the issues, then I realized it must have been the fake driver detector downloaded right before

After i read this thread...

https://www.sevenforums.com/general-d...tml#post274145

maybe it wasn't a virus afterall? I had the same error message when I restarted my computer. although that was some pretty sketchy software, called "driverbot". Hmm...

Captain Zero said:

You 'bought' a genuine copy? .

yeah i did. Paid $51.00 to become a member of MSDNAA through my school, and downloaded a 100% real RTM version of windows 7 pro with authentic key

Dinesh said:

If you feel that its a virus, try running these apps to get the virus out of the computer:
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware - Reviews and free Malwarebytes Anti-Malware downloads at Download.com
Best Free Antivirus: ESET! Try free antivirus programs for 30 days.

Just ran bitdefender. All is well in the world lol. But then again, I also reinstalled windows from the boot dvd, so maybe that already deleted the virus. It was a strange black screen i tell ya... QUESTION: Can I re-enter my key again? Or will microsoft decline it because I used it the first time i setup windows 7?

The key should work again and again, as long as you dont change, lets say the motherboard.

Thanks so much everyone for all of your help! Mods...for deleting my duplicate posts, jfar for the key advice, and dinesh for the anti-virus links! This website is definitely going to be in my favorites from here on out.

I may be too late for this, but don't enter your key in during setup. I have to honestly wonder why people are doing this with Vista and Windows 7. You are a prime candidate, and have given a beautiful example of why this is. Anytime you are doing the OS install, get it up and running, updated, and drivers installed first. Then, when you are happy with it, and feel that it is stable, then worry about putting in your key and activating.

You also could try deleting the OEM partition, assuming you made recovery discs. There's no need to keep that, if you have these discs. Besides, if your HDD dies, so will your restore method anyway, without the discs. If you think it was a virus, it is best to clear the drive, and the MBR, before reloading the OS.

DeaconFrost said:

You also could try deleting the OEM partition, assuming you made recovery discs. There's no need to keep that, if you have these discs. ..... If you think it was a virus, it is best to clear the drive, and the MBR, before reloading the OS.

Thanks for the tip, before i read your post I actually rebooted the OS but only formated partition 2 (C: System) and not the other two partitions. Is it too late to also delete the OEM partition using the boot dvd, or would I have to re-install the OS again?

Also, when you say delete...you mean actually click "delete" on the win7 setup install right? And not just click "format"? Thanks!