HB wrote:
I have a question on installing a Windows Image backup from a Free Agent
external drive. It's the same computer. Apparently the old W/7 desktop
finally got some kind of virus or worm that my anti-scumware can't find. So
I downloaded AVG and Adaware. Ran them both (not at the same time) and now I
can't get online with the desktop. I get "no connections" available. And
there is nowhere to add wireless. Just dial up or cable or DSL. After 8
years my wife and I feel this old reliable workhorse should be wiped clean.
To do a System Recovery since a System Restore didn't help. I have an Image
made but have no clue how or what to do with it after a System Recovery.

We suspect though that if we do install the ImageBackup we'd be installing
the same problems, viruses or whatever is causing the weirdness. Neither of
us can remember exactly when it started. So would you advise we forget the
backup-image and just replace all the folders we have backed up on
thumbdrives? Just start all over as if it were a new PC? All suggestions
welcome.

BTW anyone who remembers the Toshiba laptop that needed a new HD. It was
given to an acquaintance who had a new HD installed. So far she said it's
working fine.

What you do next, depends on how many computers you own,
what OSes they're running, and so on.

You can "compare" the current laptop 2.5" SATA drive, to
a restored copy of the backup. And OSes like W7/W8/W10
you should be able to use the "Attach VHD" function in
Disk Management, to make the contents of the C: in the
Free Agent backup folder, visible. You could then compare
and see if a file is missing, between the two sets of files.

That's not a lot of fun though.

The VHD image would also have a set of registry files.
There are system registry files, as well as an NTUSER.dat
per user account. You could pluck registry files from
the VHD and put them back into the "infected" machine
and see if the network connection comes back up. That's
only advisible, if you backed up the laptop yesterday.
A year-old backup, doing that would make a big mess.

It boils down to a case of "what are you comfortable doing".

Are you up for days of forensic work, or days of reinstall work ?

Those are some of your choices.

You could, for example, using your Technician Machine,
restore the Windows Image set, to a scratch drive. Then
run Kaspersky Rescue 2018 free CD against the drive image, and
see if the image is infected, before putting it on
the laptop. That CD prompts before acting on something
it finds. I like to inject an "EICAR sample virus",
which is just a file with about 70 characters or so in it,
just to make sure the AV scanner is working. Kaspersky
makes a free CD, and BitDefender has one as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EICAR_test_file

Paul