Pendrive, SD Cards or Flash drives are very common device to transfer data from one computer to another, also sometimes we get errors while connecting Pendrive to Computer and during data transfer one of them is Shortcut Error, basically, this is a Virus known as Shortcut virus, it converts every file into shortcut in Pendrive / Hard drive, this article will guide you to remove shortcut virus from your flash drive as well as computer.
What is Shortcut Virus and How does it Spread.
When we connect a flash drive to an infected computer and transfer any file it automatically infect Pendrive and all files shown as Shortcut. This virus can affect any external storage like Flash Drives, External Hard disk, Phone Memory, Memory card or any Memory Stick, this is an anonymous malware which initially released online and spreading from one computer to another and we got Shortcut of files which are in USB drive if you try to open any file you will get error message.
You Can See How Files are Showing in Removable Disk (D:)
How to Remove Shortcut Virus From Pendrive / USB Drive.
If your USB drive doesn’t have important files you can try to Format it, but if it contains important files then you are not going to format it, to Remove Shortcut Virus follow the Steps Below.
Step 1. Go to Start and Search for cmd, as it appears in start menu Right Click on it and Click “Run as Administrator“
Step 2. Navigate to Flash Drive by typing its letter. [ Let’s Say it is i ], to find your USB drive letter open “My Computer” and check for letter, type i: and hit enter.
Step 3. Type ” del *.lnk ” (without quote) in cmd window and Hit Enter on your Keyboard.
Step 4. Now type ” attrib -s -r -h *.* /s /d /l ” ( without quote ) and hit Enter .
It will take few seconds to recover all your files, Now open your Flash Drive you will get Back all of your files.
[Any mistake in above command may cause data loss so be careful while executing del *.lnk command]
How to Remove Shortcut Virus from Computer.
Once you recover files into USB drive you can use them but if you again plug in USB Flash drive into the infected computer your flash drive will infect again, so it is better to remove the source of this virus i,e infected the computer, follow the steps below to remove shortcut virus from the computer.
Step 1. First open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + del Or Right Click on the taskbar and click on Task manager.
Step 2. Go to Process tab and look for process Wscript.exe, Scroll down and find any such process, Now Right Click on it and Click on End Task.
Step 3. Now go to Start and search for “regedit“, open it you will get Registry Editor navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run
Here look for Registry Key “odwcamszas” if found then right-click on it and delete this registry key. If you don’t find exact registry key then look for similar registry keys and search them on google to know what they do.
This will remove Shortcut Virus from your Computer, if not then try these steps.
1. Press windows + R key, you will get Run box, type %temp% here and hit OK, now temp folder will be open look for file nkvasyoxww.vbs and delete it.
2. Go to C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup. Check Startup folder if nkvasyoxww.vbs exist here then delete it.
3. Press Windows + R key, type “msconfing” into the run dialog box and hit OK, it will open System Configuration, Go to Startup tab, and look for nkvasyoxww.vbs uncheck it from startup and hit OK.
There may be a different name for the VBS file, just make sure you don’t have any file with an unusual name and VBS extension at the startup, registry, and temp folder.
In Windows 8, Open Task Manager and go to Startup tab, disable nkvasyoxww.vbs from here.
Watch Video Tutorial to Remove Shortcut Virus
This will remove Shortcut Virus from your Computer or Laptop if you face any problem feel free to comment below.
Make sure you have complete protection installed into your PC like Kaspersky Total Security or McAfee Total Protection if not please download and install Kaspersky Total Security/ McAfee Total Protection or any other antivirus which provide protection from all kind of threats.
Or you can also install a good free antivirus program but be having a full version of an antivirus give you a piece of mind and you stay safe from different types of malware like a virus, trojan, rootkit etc.
wscript is not found in my pc
Please delete all temporary files from your temp folder.
whn i typ del *.lnk it shows it is not recognised as an internal or external command,operable program or batch file plzz help mee plz
First navigate to your pen drive and then type del *.lnk it will delete current shortcuts.
i did every step but when it comes to del *.Ink it says “Could not find M:\*.Ink”
It deleted all my data which was contained in the shortcut :/
del *.lnk, in this l = small ‘L’
can you please make a video for us?
if u made a guide video pleas give us a link on reply of comet.
Can you please specify which temp folder? iv’e deleted some from a certain temp folder, but Wscript.exe still won’t appear!
Press win+R key, it will open run window type %temp% and hit OK and you will get Temp folder.
Thanks a lot for your Grateful help
it says here that:
Access Denied – D:\System Volume Information
what should I do?
pls reply ASAP
it says here that:
Access denied – F:\System Volume Information
Right click cmd then run as an admin
i cant find run as admin
i have got the same problem. How did you resolve it??
u can try this…
connect ur usb with ur android smartphone using otg.
delete the shortcut file
you r not going to lost any of ur data
and u r back to happy land. 🙂
not working bro
Thank you. It help me a lot. the short cuts in my usb/ flash drive have been removed.
someone help me the command del Ink doesnt go through
i follow it now im hoping to fix the problems of my loptop thankyou
thank you for you help sir
the virus are still there whenever i open my computer.
the virus are still there whenever i open my computer.
i really appreciated the second steps! it really works for me! Thanks for everything. this virus is really really sucks for me and for my computer. this virus came from my Friends Flashdisk.
hello, when i type attrib -s -r -h *.* /s /d /l it says that invalid switch – / l. what to do plz help
Make sure CMD is running as Administrator and try again.
i ran it as adminstor but it still in valved
have u left spaces between /s /d /l?
it told me the same thing and i corrected the spaces…. it ran after that
im using win 8 how can i run as admin the cmd?
Search for cmd and right click on it > Run as administrator.
Or Press win +X key and choose cmd admin.
Bro..it deleted all the data…when I used del *.lnk…plz help if data can be recovered…
It is still there..
Hw to remove permanently?
Kill the process wscript from task manager and then delete shortcut virus.
Some times difficult to use because of codes. It gives errors many times.
This worked for me. Shortcut Virus Remover. It is easy to use and free.
shortcut delete simpal mathad (1)go tu task manager enter
(2)End Task Wscript.exe file
(3)and your pendrive SD Card connect your Camputer Leptop and select all shortcut and delete all shortcut your problam solve it Surinder Dhiman
pls note after removing link files by *.lnk my all file link are removed from the usb drive.
after that i did the attrib -s -r -h *.* /s /d /l now in my use all files are removed. pls help ..what to do to restore my files???
Re-Insert flash disk, kill the process wscript from task manager, make sure files are not hidden.
I will like to know what you mean, when you say; kill the process, because i don’t really understand it. Thank you so much.
Killing a process means, open task manager > Right Clik on Process and hit “End Task”
when i format it says that my disk is write protected. i could not use any either of the method you shows me. please tell me how to fix my problem. its full with viruses
It turns out that my computer was infected by this. I keep reformatting my flash drive but it just keeps on returning. That’s when I decided to look inside my machine, and there it was. Thank you so much for this tutorial!
thanks for this, it helps me a lot.. 🙂 as i expected it really works.. 🙂
This works. You can also do it by using USBFIX. Check this out http://bit.ly/1rz22mh
Hi, dear please find me solution:
I just follow the procedure, i opened the directory and follow the path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run.
I found tkgrklxjri.vbs (value set as – wscript.exe //B “C:\Users\FAHEEM~1\AppData\Local\Temp\tkgrklxjri..vbs”) file instead of odwcamszas. so what to do now??
Delete that registry key and also delete that file form AppData.
help its says invalid switch – /l
cant find this when i open run in windows version (odwcamszas)
THANKS BRO
I KNOW ALL STEPS OF CMD TO REMOVE SHORTCUT
BUT NOT ABOUT “WSCRIPT” PROCESS
THANKS YOU HELP ME ALOT
hi, pen drive thing worked but cant found any of files in my PC idk wht to do
sir after giving the fist command in cmd, system replied that it iz write proctected
You need to remove write protection from your flash drive, read it here- http://www.itechfever.com/disable-write-protection-usb/
Thank a lot
My drives have been infected with shortcut virus, when i open a folder, there is a shortcut of the same folder present inside it, tried removing it and when i restart it comes back. AVG does detect it and removes it but it comes again. Even in my usbs, it goes away and then comes back again. My files don’t get hidden but a shortcut folder of the same name gets created inside it.
I have exactly the same problem. My PC is running on windows 8.1.
I’ll be eternally grateful if I can receive assistance.
I had to re-install my windows!
Same here, none of the methods I came across worked
I have to give a thumbs up to you for this lovely information.
I tried all the methods given but the problem persisted.
Out of curiosity, I just decided to perform a Boot-Time Scan with Avast Premier and it seems to have worked but I’m not 100% certain if it’ll solve the issue forever. Your feedback is needed.
Hi! I can’t find Wscript.exe on my computer, and i can’t also open the regedit on START.Please help me to solve the problem the shortcut virus on my computer.
Many thanks………………….
Impressive. Works very well
thanks! it worked. I finally removed the shortcut virus, it’s name is sv.vbs!
i can not remove shortcut virus ….. After applied your query ????
I have followed the steps and after I type the attrib thingy it says access denied and when I look to my folder my filed aren’t there anymore. They were in shortcut but I could still see them. Now I can’t anymore. Please help I have a lot of valuable info
i tried everything but seems that the virus isn’t in my laptop because i didn’t find “odwcamszas” or “nkvasyoxww.vbs” or wscript ,It’s on my usb,but when i try to type ” attrib -s -r -h *.* /s /d /l ” it says access denied
i didn’t find any name like “odwcamszas” or “nkvasyoxww.vbs” anywhere in mt lappy but still virus exist in my system ………what sholud do now.
Download and run Hitman Pro once.
I followed the instructions exactly, I ran cmd as administrator, and type the exact command. I waited for the new command line before I checked the drive, but still everything is in shortcut. Dunno what happened. Repeated it three times, but it still did not work. I may be doing something wrong. Need your help.
P.S. The drive I’m fixing is a my phone’s memory card.
How do I take out the shortcuts on my USB, I tried to take out the .lnk but it says invalid switch
sorry but i find it in iexplore file
what should i do
Sir plz help me i lost my very important data when em giving your instruction there write invalid stiwch
Hello all. just figured out how to remove the shortcut from my USB flash drive. My problem was when i insert my USB stick the first thing that you will see is only a shortcut of your USB drive and when you open it shows all your file.
What i did is installed roguekiller and let it do its thing in your computer. I saw it killed Trojans and other malware.
Next is simple go to your USB and open the shortcut. Cut all the files, go back and delete the shortcut then paste your files. Then problem solved.
You must kill the Trojan first using the roguekiller before doing the cut delete paste, or else the shortcut will just keep coming everytime you stick your USB flash drive on your computer.
What a relief. I am very happy. 🙂 Special thanks to roguekiller.
thanxs bro!!!! i have tried almost 20+ methods but nothing worked.
this method really helped me to get solution of this shortcut removing.
thank you !!!
Your solutions were helpful. Thank you!! 🙂
hi, there is no Wscript.exe when i open processes in task manager?
followed your article and the shortcut virus is long gone from my computer, cant wait to share this with friends, thanks so much man.
thanks done:)
Chance Less Great Post WorkS Fine….
Thank You
Thank you this was really helpful had been struggling with this mine had hidden itself as csrss in c:\z
I Follow all the steps but still the same…. 🙁
i can’t remove this FXSAPIDebugLogFile from my temp folder it says that its open by windows explorer.
What If I can’t find the nkvasyoxww.vbs?
It may be by another name, find the suspicious processes and search them on Google and remove accordingly.
i have do all the step on how to remove short cut virus from pendrive /USB drive..but its still come back…..why??
its just work for a few second,then the short cut come again…
hi any one can help me to new attrib code for unhide data pen drive please send me this code thank you
Hi,
thank you very very much .your work helped me alot…
Hi,
im not fine this file on my windows 7 home basic(in registry,tmp folder and etc)
you have any solution for me ?
Open the taskbar and check the running processes, look for any suspicious program ( generally these programs have weird name) or look them into google, Now right click on it, open file location and delete them.
i have searched for ” nkvasyoxww.vbs ” but i didn’t get what should i do
great post ahhhhhhhhh
excellent information n extremely helpful. Thanks sir for I was torched with this bloody shortcut….thank u again
This blog has informed wrong information.None of it worked on Windows 7.
Thanks guys it worked like a charm. These viruses were killing my brains out.
use usbdisksecurity
it will prevent any autorun and shortcut virus first step defence.
use with your antivirus no problem.
thanks for the help
i like your blog
I like your blog
I got dis shortcut virus from a friend of mine. The virus was eaten through my system , until i found this tutorial. It has really saved the live of my system. Tnks a lot guys
thanks, it helped me a lot!
it shows it is not recognised as an internal or external command,operable program or batch file when i put the letter of my usb. what should I do? I did make sure that it is running as administrator but still… please help. thank youu so much.
Write the exact command and try again.
Good post
Bhai u are a genius u are like a god to me… very good
the comman attrib -s -r -h *.* /s /d /l is not regonized as an internal and external command. now how the shortcut virus will be removed from my usb drive
It is showing invalid swicht /l what can i do plzz help meeee fast plzz
Check the command properly and try again.
When I entered del *.lnk, I got Access Denied. I am running as admin
Make sure you are running cmd as admin in the user account which has administrative privileges.
how will i remove it?
do i need to do the “remove shortcut virus from computer” steps?
the shortcut in my flash drive was remove but when i plugged it to other computer it will appear again. how’s that?
please reply
You need to remove the associated virus from computer too.
how will i remove it?
do i need to do the “remove shortcut virus from computer” steps?
i did this with my usb and glad i managed to restore all files..but unfortunately i could not read all of them since i get the message thats the files are corrupt.What do i do?
thanks ,,it worked for me..
When I Type the comment del *.lnk It says “access is denied” even thought I am running cmd prompt as an Adminstrator. Please help
Thank you, 100% worked for me..
buddy i’m not able to delete shortcut virus from my USB drive . i had tried windows + R 7 followed every steps but yet not able to delete it . plz help me on this .
If you don’t have important data into flash drive then you can try formatting it, and also remove shortcut virus from the computer.
Thank you sandeep singh it works perfect my friend
thank you it worked.
mine is not a shortcut link file but it create an automatic folder name driver that is on read only even after formatting. help pls
None of this is working.Plz post a new method.Thank u.
Shortcut ke sath me application type ka folder ban jata hai to kya kare plese help me because my important file is in there
After following this article download Hitman Pro and scan your computer and flash drive.
IT s very simple
make to your Removable Drive one archive in the desktop
then format your Removable Drive
Then extract the archive in your Removable Drive.
And it s OK.
Archive using winrar
and the job is done.
it s the only solution
ThankYou, It’s working. CMD helped me.
sir good morning i cant delete or remove the shortcut virus from my flash drive. i dis what you have said using cmd but still the shortcut virus is still there..
It worked!
i used cmd but still cant permanently delete the shortcuts and the folder in my usb……..
pls can someone help me…
I have the ShortCut Virus on my PC, but when I follow your steps to remove from my USB Stick (although there are no problems following your instructions) it does not do anything?? I still have the Virus on my USB Stick.
When I follow your instructions to remove the Virus from my PC, I can not see any of the .vbs files on my PC??
Thanks AnyWay buddy
Thank you so much. I was trying for several hours to fix this problem, but only the instructions on this site worked for me. Thank you so much. You saved my Flashdrive and my files.
I find that some of the people are confused as to the syntax for the second cmd line.This is the one I used and it’s worked every time…..
attrib -h -r -s /s /d j:*.* where ‘j’ ls the effected drive
I can’t find wscript and nks.vbs like that in my laptop windows 10 how to find that virus and remove permantly please help me
Thanks a lot. Removed the virus from my USB.
You rock bru!!!
On typing the first line, it says “Access is denied.” I’m running as administrator. What do I do?
Thank u,! I’m goin2 try these 2moro…?
Can you please mail me the entire post: .How to remove shortcut virus from USB drive and PC.
This virus IRITATES!
Thank you so much, this worked great for me!
Thank U……………… Great it works all files recovered
Thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This deleted all my data.. how can I recover it
I tried the above process but it says access denied after typing del *.lnk
what to do…..?
please reply soon
You have to open cmd as administrator.
thank you!
thanks! so much that send that second option worked for me
………….big up…………….
hi, someone help me with removing shortcuts from my flash drive. I am stuck where it says enter del Ink
when I put the attrib bit in it says access denied, what do you recommend? I really need help as my work is due tomorrow and my usb is messes 😐
You need to run cmd as administrator.
I’ve tried everything it is not working
i tried using the task manager i can’t see wscript.exe
i’ve tried its not working
Hi, what should I do my files were deleted along with the shortcut folders. Can I still retrieve them? I did the command prompt for the external hard drive. Thanks.
You can recover your deleted files using Recuva file recovery tool.
You are great. Thanks for the solution. Now no shortcut problem in my pc. ???
Hi there,I log on to your new stuff named “How to Remove Shortcut Virus from USB Flash Drive and Computer.” regularly.Your story-telling style is awesome, keep up the good work! And you can look our website about proxy server list.
You are great. It worked like a champ.
When I insert my pen drive into PC temp empty folder is coming…after that I Wil format it Wil go…again I insert my pen drive that temp empty folder is coming…tell me how to fix that problem……
Hi there
When I type del *.lnk
A message appear ” movies.lnk the file or directory is corrupted and unreachable ”
What’s that mean?
it deleted all my files that’s in the shortcut. how to recover it?
If you follow the exact command it will only delete .lnk files, if it is deleted then you can try recovering those files using Recuva file recovery tool.
Thank you very much dear.
my problem has been solved by your steps
.I already try the command but it after the attrib… “access denied – G:\AUTORUN.INF”
and then i cannot find all my folders. Please help me i need to retrieve files on my flashdrive
How i can removed short cuts from my usb drive i did with all the about methods but it again appear
I didnt find wscript
..so u said to remove temp folder
Whether i should remove all temp from appdata??
followed the first step but it says ” The system cannot find the drive specified ” ,i typed s cos its the letter of my usb / flash drive.
tried the other steps but didnt work as well.
what to do??
After applying the 4 steps (look below) procedure all link disappears, but the flash appears Empty
Step 1. Go to Start and Search for cmd, as it appears in start menu Right Click on it and Click “Run as Administrator“
Step 2. Navigate to Flash Drive by typing its letter. [ Let’s Say it is i ], to find your USB drive letter open “My Computer” and check for letter, type i: and hit enter.
Step 3. Type ” del *.lnk ” (without quote) in cmd window and Hit Enter on your Keyboard.
Step 4. Now type ” attrib -s -r -h *.* /s /d /l ” ( without quote ) and hit Enter .
What happened?
I solved my problem
“attrib *.* -h -s /s /d” (without quotes) and hit Enter.
We need simply be patient,
When the Command Prompt returns back to the drive your selected, the operation is complete (http://visihow.com/Show_Hidden_Files_Using_Command_Prompt)
Thanks
Thank you so much. Just removed the shortcut virus from my USB!
Hi! My hard disk was infected with the shortcut virus. I tried to do the usual attrib code and followed your steps, the del *.lnk worked for me and deleted the files that are in shortcut but when i entered attrib -s -r -h *.* /s /d /l it says access denied – E:\System Volume Information
Please help me. Thank you.
Try opening cmd as administrator.
I opened it as administrator but still it says access denied
Please help me,thank you
Are you logged into your computer via Administrator account?
i too have same problem – Access denied D:/ System Volume information
Thanks a bunch.It worked, saved me and all my info.
Thanks…..it works for pen drive.
try this…
connect ur usb with ur android smartphone using otg.
delete the shortcut file
you r not going to lost any of ur data
and u r back to happy land. 🙂
Hi I had all my files in USB (4Mb) converted to .lnk files, I almost cleaned it using USB Master Clean, it recovered all my files, OK, BUT now besides my files, I have 2 documents Word, converted to .lnk direct access, it is impossible to delete them because they are size 0- . I tried with unlocker, (failed) and entering cmd and DOS system and “”del *.*.lnk” but system says it can not read or delete those 2 files . So far they cause no damage but maybe because I dont click on them, but I am afraid maybe they can damage my pen drive. Is it dangerous it I cant delete them?
i just did the step 3
attrib -s -r -h *.* /s /d /l
and it is access denied,
please help, thanks
reply pls
Removed the .lnk shorcuts. Also removed 35GB of music in my HDD. Should have WARNED this shit could happen, I’d rather have kept the virus.
THank you very much,
I had a variant in vbscript:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER…/Run
C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /c start wscript /e:VBScript.Encode %temp%\SysinfY2X.db
I could not find the SysinfY2X.db file, so I deleted all %TEMP% files. It oll OK
THank you very much.
Absolutely helpful to remove the shortcut virus.
Many thanks
Ian
Hi all. Can i ask something. My flash drive has shortcut virus(i guess). Because when i enter it shows icon of disk itself with shortcut again. So if i put it to other computer and try this to delete this virus will it harm my using computer. I am just scared of harming my computer.
Thank you so much! I have managed to recover my removable disc!
I just clicked the file shortcut. u will see that all files will be stored in a folder ‘drive’. clicked on the ‘drive’ on top of your browser, so u will see all your original view of your thumbdrive. I cut and paste to other drive, format the infected drive and paste the original data back.
Thank you. Your tips helped me to resolve the issue quickly.
Thanks for this wonderful tips it was really helplful.
The shortcuts from my external hard drive have been removed but Drive.bat and Drive folder are still there and my files are inside the folder.
it shows me the usb shortcut which includes my files in it ;/ it also say MINECRAFTER.ink dont mind i named that XD
thanks buddy..it helped 🙂
plz tell me your facebook account i have a very big problem
when i inject a usb in there automatic come 1 recylerer folder and shorcut 1 shorcut 2 shorcut 3 shorcut 4
file plz sir give me the solution plz
i have a problem when i trying with del *ink !! could not found G:/*.ink ? what the problem ?
THANK YOUU I LOVE YOU! Thought I would never see my files again
It really works for me .. Thanks …
Thanks for sharing this post.This post is very useful for me . I remove the virus in my computer with the help of this post.
Thankyou
watch if access denied?
Thanks Man!
It recovered all my data..
hellow i tried to remove shortcut from flash drive through cmd but result is access denied
what should i do? i followed all step carefull
fucking ALL MY FILES ID DELETED
can’t find nkvasyoxww.vbs
Thanks Sandeep Singh
I got a virus in my pendrive. In which therr is folder which contain a long name exe 0 kb software when inpaste any file in my pendrive it make shortcut of that file. It hide the original file and make same name shortcut file. How to remove that folder permanent from my usb drive plzz help me
Really nice and safe trick to remove this virus without AnitiVirus. Thanks you for sharing.
Thanks very much, it works like charm
after all the steps in cmd all the short cut virus removed from usb drive. i eject it and it comes back again.
is the PC infected? i have removed the wsciprt.exe in PC what else can i do
this is awesome! i like this way of attribution! tnx men !
Thanks for sharing it really help me alot.
not work
Thankyou So very much….. It Works.. 😉