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Submit Virus Samples

If you would like to submit a virus sample manually, please use our secure Web Submission Tool.

Master Boot Record submissions

If you suspect that your master boot record is infected (Windows 95/98/Me only), and want to submit a copy to Symantec Security Response, follow these steps:

NOTES:

  • You must be using Norton AntiVirus 5.0/2000/2001/2002/2003 or Norton AntiVirus CE 6.0/7.0.
  • Boot viruses generally cannot affect Windows NT based Operating systems (Windows NT/2000/XP) because they do not allow direct access to the disk.
  1. Click here to download the file All_boot.exe. (This file allows users of Norton AntiVirus products which have the Quarantine module to make a copy of their Master Boot Record and submit it to Symantec Security Response for analysis.)
  2. Save the file to the root of the first drive on the first disk. (In most cases, this will be the root of the C drive.)
  3. Using Windows Explorer, double-click the C:\All_boot.exe file to run it. (This can also be done from the command line if desired.) The file C:\Boot.dat is created.
  4. Close the DOS window.
  5. Place the file in Quarantine by clicking "Add Item" in the Quarantine Console. For instructions, read the document How to place a file in Quarantine.
  6. Select the Boot.dat file, click Submit, and follow the on-screen prompts.
  7. Symantec will respond to your submission within one business week.
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