How to Scan a Laptop Hard Drive for Viruses Using Desktop & Ethernet Cable

by Talha Safi

Sometimes viruses and malware can cripple a laptop completely. When this happens, you might not be able to access the Internet to download current virus definitions or patterns needed to remove the infection from the laptop. Therefore, you might have to use a second computer to scan the laptop and remove infected files. Using a simple crossover network cable, you can connect a desktop computer to your laptop to scan and clean its hard drive with virtually any anti-virus or anti-malware application.

Step 1Power off both the laptop and desktop computers. Connect one end of the RJ-45 crossover cable to the LAN port on the laptop, which resembles a large telephone jack. Plug the other end of cable into the matching port on the rear of the PC.

Step 2Power on the desktop computer first, and then turn on the laptop. Wait for both computers to boot into Windows.

Related Reading: How to Change a Primary or Secondary Hard Drive on a Dell Laptop

Step 3Go to the desktop computer. Click the “Start” button and then click “Control Panel.” Click the “Network and Sharing Center” link.

Step 4Click the “Unidentified Network” icon after the "Network Sharing Center" window appears. Click “Network discovery and file sharing are turned off” on the information bar of the window, and then click the “Turn on network discovery and file sharing” option.

Step 5Type the Windows administrator account password for the desktop computer when prompted. Wait a few seconds for Windows to update network settings and save them. Reboot the computer to restart Windows when prompted.

Step 6Go to the laptop computer. Open “Control Panel” on the Start menu and then open the Network and Sharing Center. In the "Network and Sharing Center" window, enable the “Turn on network discovery and file sharing” option and then restart Windows when prompted.

Step 7Go to the laptop computer and click “Start,” then “Computer.” Right-click the “Local Disk(C:)” drive icon and then click “Share with,” then “Advanced Sharing” on the pop-up menu. After the “Local Disk C: Properties” window appears on the screen, click the “Advanced Sharing” button in the middle of the window.

Step 8Click the apply button in the properties window and then click “Close.”

Step 9Go back to the desktop computer and open Windows Explorer. Click the “Network” link in the left navigation pane. The Network window displays the desktop computer and the laptop in the Windows network window. In the network window, double-click the computer icon for the laptop. Windows Explorer displays the shared “C:” drive folder on the laptop.

Step 10Right-click the shared drive folder for the laptop in the network window and then click “Map Network Drive” on the pop-up menu. The "Map Network Drive" window appears on the screen. In the “Drive” field, leave the default drive letter in place or select one in the drop-down list. Note the drive letter assigned in the "Map Network Drive" window, then click the “Finish” button.

Step 11Install your preferred anti-virus application on the desktop computer if you have not already done so. Launch the anti-virus program and then click the “Update” or “Update Virus Definitions” link. Wait for the anti-virus program to download and install the newest virus definitions so that it can find the latest reported viruses. Restart the anti-virus program if prompted to do so.

Step 12Click the “Scan Settings” or “Scan Drive” button in the anti-virus program. Deselect the local hard drive on the desktop computer if selected in the list of drives to scan. Click the check box next to the drive letter assigned to the laptop hard drive in the "Map Network Drive" window.

Step 13Click the “Scan” or “Scan Now” button to scan the network hard drive on the laptop for viruses or malware. Follow the instructions that appear to remove any infections from the laptop computer’s hard drive.

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