Francisca Moses asks:
My flash drive picked up a virus that changed my folders into shortcuts.
Later I picked up a further virus as soon as I placed my flash into my PC. It placed files that I did not recognize on my flash and then it changed most of my files into exe, and par extension files.I would like to recover my files but I don’t know how.
10 Answers -
Bruce Epper
September 21, 2012After cleaning the virus from your computer and the flash drive, grab File Association Fixer. It has fixes for 20+ file associations for Vista and Win7.
ha14
September 21, 2012you can try the following from winhelponline
http://www.winhelponline.com/fileasso/lnk_fix_w7.zip
http://www.winhelponline.com/fileasso/exe_fix_w7.zip
perhaps to run the reg files also in the USB key if on the desktop do not work and reboot.
ahmed Fouad khalil
September 21, 2012usually antivirus when clean the drive, remove the virus effect on the file, and the file become correct otherwise, remove the file if could not fix
Ben
September 21, 2012Sometimes windows operating system or files undergoes problems of corruption, virus attack corrupts all of this. All these situations lead to data loss. Solution to this problem is use of a proper anti virus program and for the recovery a data recovery software is needed, i will suggest you to use Kernel for windows data recovery software for the same. For more info plz visit – http://www.softwaredatarecovery.net/macrecovery.html
vasu gupta
September 21, 2012you should put the shortcuts on internet and see wether you get any matching files
Dimal Chandrasiri
September 21, 2012I really hope this virus you r talking is not the same I think it is. bt I came across one virus which happens to do the same that you describe. the thing is, it creates exe files of all the folders in the usb and deletes the folders permanently. if that’s the case, m afraid you’ve lost your data. if you are lucky enough, the virus might have hidden the folders.
try running a DIR command to see what is inside the USB. 
antony27 avjy27
September 25, 2012here the solution,first try some good antivirus program and installed it in your computer,try microsoft securtiy essential and update the definition…now check your whole PC if virus is in your hard disk or not..now use malware software like Iobit malware or anti-malware bytes…and again check the whole PC…change the setting in both anti-virus software real time scan and USB scan….now insert your flash drive…it shows how many virus attacked in your flash drive….actually .ink and trojan virus do like this create the shortcut folder…try to use good antivirus it can 100% solve this problem……
Deekshith Allamaneni
September 26, 2012Viruses do not change our files to EXE. In most of the cases, it hides our files and creates new exe files with the same name.
You can recover them by:
1. Booting into Linux either dual boot or Live CD.
2. Changing settings to view hidden and os files. (But this 2′d option does not work in most cases of virus attack)
So, booting from any Linux distribution is recommended.
{Viruses do not change our files to EXE. In most of the cases, it hides our files and creates new exe files with the same name.
You can recover them by:
1. Booting into Linux either dual boot or Live CD.
2. Changing settings to view hidden and os files. (But this 2′d option does not work in most cases of virus attack)
So, booting from any Linux distribution is recommended.}
This comment helped me out a lot.
Thank you it is appreciated.
April 3, 2013Amit Sinha
September 26, 2012just take your file on external drive and insert it into any Linux operating PC then there you can easily change your file extension from “.exe” to your required format
yekoko
January 21, 2013How I can solve …my application file has been changed virus, how to recover my original application file?? Please help me….