Files converted to EXE

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1

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help, please.

I mainly use my Sandisk thumb drive for work on my Macbook Air. However today, I had to plug it into a PC, to print some files. This went without a hitch.

However, on plugging my thumb drive back into my Macbook Air, all the files on the drive on now EXE files, & unable to be read on my MAC.

Is there anyway at all of sorting this problem out, without losing any (important) data. Converting back to OSX or ???

Thanks in advance for any help. 

2

I have no idea how that could/would happen, but can’t you just rename the files to the 3 digit file extension they were before? It’s unlikely the files themselves were altered.

3

Unfortunately, renaming them does’t work. I get the following error message when trying to open them:

“You can’t open the application because microsoft windows applications are not supported on OS X.”

I can still open them on the old PC thats the culprit for reformating them all into EXE files. Just not any other laptop. I think its an old version of windows running on the old laptop that reformatted it.

4

So it turns out the old PC laptop was full of viruses/worms etc. It has hidden my files & renamed visable ones EXE files.

Can you recommend anyway virus/word/malware scanners & revmovers that I can download to my Macbook Air, that will rid the USB stick of the viruses & allow me access again?

Thanks…

5

:smiley:   Hi Nozzer,

_ Dear member of SanDisk Community, welcome. _

You have the antivirus (free): Avast!
The raisins, three devices: the PC, the Mac, and then finally to the UFD.
To recover, the converts in “hidden and system” files, you can see the following articles, in which I attempted this topic:

http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/All-SanDisk-USB-Flash-Drives/Files-appear-as-direct-link/m-p/304525#M6126

http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/All-SanDisk-USB-Flash-Drives/when-i-copy-any-material-to-my-cruzer-blade-8gb-it-changed-to-a/m-p/305157#M6166

Luck, and then you tell us, what happened, please.

Regards, Alfred.                                                             (Google translated)

6

Can you recommend anyway virus/word/malware scanners & revmovers that I can download to my Macbook

If you have admin access to the pc I recommend you debug it first. Then install an antivirus app on it.  Then use it to clean your USB drive, if it’s infected.  I doubt the infection spread to your Mac.

For cleaning the pc try MalwareBytes. And online cleaners like TrendMicro’s HouseCall, Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool, BitDefender, ESETs Online Scanner.  

There are numerous free AV apps, Microsoft Essentials/Microsoft Defender, Avast!, AVG, etc. that you can install once the pc has been cleaned to keep it clean.

7

Thanks for all the advice.

As the PC is a works laptop (I work in Afghanistan), things like anti-viruses weren’t downloaded onto it. Im not concerenced about my personal macbook.

I’ll spend the day downloading the anti-vuruses for the works laptop & report back. Hopefully with good news.

Thanks again, to everyone who offered help.