Re: Alternate data Streams

Fun indeed. Thanks. Your suggestion re copying to CD and back to the HD
worked, and the folder I tested now has no ADS data (visibly) attached to the
file name. It also took a fraction of the time to scan the folder. However on
doing so, it claimed to have scanned 450 files, when in fact there are only
150 files in the folder, is this something else I should be worried about?. I
am currently looking many thousands of afected files.

Many Thanks again.
--
Mike H


"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

Keep having fun, Mike. :-)

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:31D37451-0D8C-4A53-8A60-73AF2555D657@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Mike Hoban <MikeHoban@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
Extraordinarily helpfull and usefull response, thank you very much. I will
read everything and take it all on board.
Best Wishes
Mike
--
Mike H


"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

Hi Mike,

Thank You. Very Helpfull, I will try that. All of my external HDs are
NTFS formatted, and all retain the ADS when files are copied between
them.

To get rid of Alternate Data Streams on any file, move to a non NTFS
media, like a floppy, a CD or a memory stick and then move the file back
to the hard drive.

If I
were to create new external HD's formatted to FAT32, then copy the files
from the NTFS drives, would that remove the ADS?.

Seems awful drastic.

Keep in mind that adding Comments to any file adds ADS.

<quote>
To add a comment to a file

1. Right click a file.
2. Click Properties.
3. On the Summary tab, type your comment in the Comments area.
-or-

On the Summary tab, click Simple, and then type your comment in the
Comments area.

Notes
To display the comments you add to files, double-click the folder that
contains the files you want to view. On the View menu, click Choose
Details, and select the Comment check box, and then click OK. On the
View menu, click Details to see comments for several files at once, or
select a file and click Details in the left pane to view the comment for
the selected file. <quote>
from...
Add a comment to a file
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/windows_add_comment.mspx

Not all Alternate Data Strems are evil. Although with SP2 Microsoft adds
zone info as ADS with the Attachment Manager.

You can use the HijackThis ADS Spy to remove ADS.

Both of these are copied and pasted from HijackThis.

HijackThis ADS Spy
---------------------------
Alternate Data Streams (ADSs) are pieces of info hidden as metadata on
files. They are not visible in Explorer and the size they take up is not
reported by Windows. Recent browser hijackers started hiding their files
inside ADSs, and very few anti-malware scanners detect this (yet).Use ADS
Spy to find and remove these streams.Note: this app also displays
legitimate ADS streams. Do not delete streams if you are not completely
sure they are malicious!
---------------------------
OK
---------------------------
HijackThis
---------------------------
Using ADS Spy is very easy: just click 'Scan', wait until the scan
completes, then select the ADS streams you want to remove and click
'Remove selected'. If you are unsure which streams to remove, ask
someone for help. Don't delete streams if you don't know what they
are!The three checkboxes are:Quick Scan: only scans the Windows folder.
So far all known malware that uses ADS to hide itself, hides in the
Windows folder. Unchecking this will make ADS Spy scan the entire system
(i.e. all drives).Ignore safe system info streams: Windows, Internet
Explorer and a few antivirus programs use ADS to store metadata for
certain folders and files. These streams can safely be ignored, they are
harmless.Calculate MD5 checksums of streams: For antispyware program
development or antivirus analysis only.Note: the default settings of
above three checkboxes should be fine for most people. There's no need
to change any of them unless you are a developer or anti-malware expert.
---------------------------
OK
---------------------------

HijackThis (More for the advanced user)
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/downloads.html

HijackThis log tutorial
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/htlogtutorial.html

HijackThis Log Tutorial
http://www.aumha.org/a/hjttutor.htm

See 9. How to use ADS Spy
How to use HijackThis to remove Browser Hijackers & Spyware
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial42.html
--------

NTFS Alternate (Multiple) Data Streams articles

The first four are short and to the point.

NTFS Data Streams - Windows Alternate Data Stream, NP.EXE
http://www.auditmypc.com/freescan/readingroom/ntfsstreams.asp

Windows Alternate Data Streams
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/tutorial25.html

Windows NTFS Alternate Data Streams
http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1822

NTFS Streams
http://www.alcpress.com/articles/ads.html

-----

Alternate Data Streams Threat or Menace Why Alternate Data Streams
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=413685&rl=1

FAQ Alternate Data Streams in NTFS
http://www.heysoft.de/nt/ntfs-ads.htm

Fork (filesystem)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_data_stream

Hidden NTFS Alternate Data Streams (ADS) Explained - Are You At Risk?
http://www.diamondcs.com.au/web/streams/streams.htm

Hidden Threat Alternate Data Streams
http://www.windowsecurity.com/articles/Alternate_Data_Streams.html

NTFS Alternate Data Streams » Girl Geekette dotNet
http://www.girlgeekette.net/2005/09/16/ntfs-alternate-data-streams/

NTFS Data Streams
http://www.relsoft.net/datastreams.html

NTFS Streams - Everything you need to know (demos and tests included)
http://www.diamondcs.com.au/index.php?page=archive&id=ntfs-streams

Practical Guide to Alternative Data Streams in NTFS
http://www.irongeek.com/i.php?page=security/altds

Is there any advantage to the NTFS format over FAT32?, . Finally, can I
reformat the existing NTFS drives to FAT32 (obviously losing the data
in the process?.

You cannot reformat an NTFS drive to FAT32 without some 3rd party
utility.

You can do whatever you like, but NTFS is the way to go, not FAT32.

What Is NTFS?
http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/Library/59a9462a-cbdd-45e7-828b-12c6cd9ae4781033.mspx

FAT & NTFS File Systems in Windows XP
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/ntfs.htm

Limitations of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314463

NTFS vs. FAT: Which Is Right for You?
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/russel/october01.asp

Overview of FAT, HPFS, and NTFS File Systems
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/100108

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:F869C836-D6CC-4D0B-83D6-15589BB5F4DF@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Mike Hoban <MikeHoban@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
Thank You. Very Helpfull, I will try that. All of my external HDs are
NTFS formatted, and all retain the ADS when files are copied between
them. If I were to create new external HD's formatted to FAT32, then
copy the files from the NTFS drives, would that remove the ADS?.

Is there any advantage to the NTFS format over FAT32?, . Finally, can I
reformat the existing NTFS drives to FAT32 (obviously losing the data
in the process?.

Many Many Thanks
Mike


--
Mike H


"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

ADS probably does not slow down your system.

To get rid of Alternate Data Streams on any file, move to a non NTFS
media, like a floppy, a CD or a memory stick and then move the file
back to the hard drive. ADS can only exist on NTFS formatted drives,
moving or copying files strips the files of the ADS crap.

You get Confirm Stream Loss messages when copying files with ADS to
non-NTFS formatted media...

Confirm Stream Loss
-----------------------
The file 'xxxxxxxxxxxxx.zzz' has extra information
attached to it that might be lost if you continue copying. The
contents of the file will not be affected. Information that might be
lost includes:
Summary Info
Document Summary Info

Do you want to proceed anyway?
-----------------------

Click YES because there is nothing you can do about it.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:790E5795-6EFE-40EE-93C2-150D3DD87F10@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Mike Hoban <MikeHoban@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hunted and pecked:
Hello, I am looking for advice on how to locate and remove Alternate
data Streams from jpeg files. They during in my virus scan, but no
where else. I fear they are causing my system to slow down
considerably. thanks

--
Mike H


.

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