I have had a problem for 2 weeks with an .eml file. It is in multiple folders on my system and I cannot successfully delete them. The file also copies itself onto any attached USB devices. None of my applications are working as a result of this file, what is the best way to rid my machine of this file before it affects others on the network?
First off, remove your computer from the network before the malware potentially copies infected files onto mapped network drives. Whatever malware infected your system, it sounds like it has associated itself with executables on your system and has functionality to prevent it from being removed (which is common). You could potentially restore your computer to a known good restore point. If that doesn't work, you will need to know how to remove the malware manually from your hard drive.
To remove malware manually from a system, follow these basic steps:
To prevent this in the future, be sure the account you normally log in with does not have elevated or administrator-level privileges (savvy hackers can exploit admin-level user accounts quite easily), and always install and update antimalware and antivirus software (if both are not included in your preferred software). If you login with an account with elevated privileges, you may need to contact your IT department to change your account to remove your elevated privileges.
25 May 2010