Recovering files to flash drive in DOS 2

[electricpete]

GENERAL BACKGROUND (not required to define my problem)
The fake a/v software (Vista Total Security or many other names) has invaded my computer 3 times, each time coming back a little stronger with more and more tentacles. It not only hijacks your browser, and every program, also commandeers system restore and windows updates (which are needed because it ate part of windows).

I noticed on my ISP usage graph that it has been transferring massive quantities of data... for what purpose I'm not sure.

I was able to get in to browse my files a little bit. I think it has completely re-arranged my files and windows, and installed it's own version of windows.

SPECIFIC BACKGROUND: (to define my problem)
I want to recover my own files to my 32GB flash drive. I am able to start in safe mode with the flash drive inserted and use the command window to access both c: and e: (flash). Using dir c:\*.doc I see that my files are located deeply nested below the following structure:
c:\ProgramData\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Da
ta\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Applicati
on Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data

There are more levels down, but that is as deep as dos prompt will let me go. Here is example navigating directory tree in dos:

c:\ProgramData\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Da
ta\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Applicati
on Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data>[blue][b]cd A
pplication Data[/b][/blue]

c:\ProgramData\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Da
ta\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Applicati
on Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Appl
ication Data>[blue][b]cd Application Data[/b][/blue]
The filename or extension is too long.

c:\ProgramData\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Da
ta\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Applicati
on Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Appl
ication Data>[blue][b]dir[/b][/blue]
 Volume in drive C is OS
 Volume Serial Number is B4D6-EB49

 Directory of c:\ProgramData\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\
Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application
Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Applica
tion Data\Application Data

06/14/2009  03:10 PM    <JUNCTION>     Application Data [.]
               0 File(s)              0 bytes
               1 Dir(s)  92,463,247,360 bytes free

c:\ProgramData\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Da
ta\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Applicati
on Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Application Data\Appl
ication Data>

Note that my commands are in [blue]blue bold[/blue]. My first command above is cd Application Data... and it allowed me to get one step deeper. My next command repeated cd Application data...and it told me I was too deeply nested. Then I typed dir command which verified there remains another layer of Application Data directory below here.

I don't really care if I can navigate the directory. I want to copy my files to flash. I tried selecting my flash drive E:\ and then typing xcopy c:\ProgramFiles\ /S
which is supposed to grab all subdirectories. It gives me an error message indicating that it doesn't like the space embeded in the subdirectory names.

Is there any dos tool I can use to block copy this directory structure?

 

[edfair]

how about xcopy crogramfiles\*.* /s

not sure about cmd but dos would have referenced the directories as applic~1

if you cat get to them from the command prompt how about moving them back a directory at a time until access is easier?

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[electricpete]

Thanks. At the E:> prompt, typing
xcopy crogramfiles\*.* /s
results in
File Creation error - Incorrect function
Unable to create directory E:\Application Data
0 files copied

I tested from the command prompt, using mkdir function, I was able to successfuly create directories in E drive that had no embedded spaces. But when I tried to create directories with embedded spaces it created the directory but ignored everything after the space. Unfortunately xcopy gives an error and stop.

I really have no way of getting to my data that I know of without xcopy. As discussed above, it is so deeply nested that the command prompt won't even let me navigate that deep.

If I use windows explorer, looking at c drive, I cannot even see the ProgramData subdirectory. And the explorer search function reveals no *.doc files on my computer (even though I can find them with command prompt). I think the virus is somehow feeding false data into windows explorer, just like everything else that is run from windows. It has re-arranged my harddrive and hidden my data under all those nests. It also throws up messages about hard disk errors and I think if I click on them it would ask for money to fix them.

It is a very nasty virus. Pretty much a silent invasion and takeover by computer terrorists. grrr.

 

[BadBigBen]

Why not use a BartPE or better yet a Live Linux distro (such as Parted Magic) to transfer the files, that way the underlying Windows install is out of the picture (and no interference from the malware).

Bart's Preinstalled Environment (BartPE) bootable live windows CD/DVD

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

Parted Magic

http://partedmagic.com/doku.php?id=start

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[IPGuru]

Once recovered I think you also need to investigate why you keep getting hit by these fake antivirus programs


I do not Have A.D.D. im just easily, Hey look a Squirrel!

 

[edfair]

Once you are as deep as you can go with the command prompt in c: you might be able to xcopy the c: drive to the E:. The OS would not have to go through the entire filesystem structure to find the files to copy as they would only be a directory or two down from the current c: location.

As soon as you put program files in the command line you are forcing it to handle the entire path.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.