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nate

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#28454 30-Nov-2008 14:24
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I'm having a weird issue with all the MP3s on my laptop.  If I try playing them in Winamp/Virtual DJ/Mixx they sound garbled or don't even load.  This also happens if I put them on a USB stick and play them in my Pioneer car stereo.  They do however play fine in Windows Media Player 10.

I think it has something to do with my laptop, as if I use a mate's USB stick in my laptop or car stereo, their MP3s play fine.

I have the latest version of AVG and Adaware, and regularly scan so I don't think it's a virus or spyware, but I have no idea what else it could be.  I really hope my 25GB+ of MP3s aren't all corrupted.

Anyone have any ideas?


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freitasm
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#186441 28-Dec-2008 23:04
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It seems this is WIMAD...




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nate

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  #186444 29-Dec-2008 01:45
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Yes we were discussing this in chat, seems that my laptop has been infected, and with that all my MP3s (~5k) have been corrupted with this virus.  I can verify that after removing the infection, any new MP3s I download are fine.

Lesson learned - regular backups are a must.  I've got a backup which I'm restoring from at the moment (I have lost some MP3s) but would've been much worse had I not had any backups.

There doesn't seem to be a fix for this virus - once your MP3s are infected they are stuffed.

nate

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#186574 29-Dec-2008 20:56
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Solution to cleaning mp3s infected with WMA Wimad:

I found from this forum post that on a Spanish forum they had a solution.  If you download FS-MP3Fix.zip and run the enclosed exe in any directory with mp3s, it removes the infection and makes the file clean (have verified with Avast) and the file becomes playable again in iTunes, Winamp etc.

I've done my 500 lost MP3s with it and they all work fine.  This program is a life saver.

Hopefully this helps someone else out. 



paul151
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  #186605 29-Dec-2008 22:50
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nate: Solution to cleaning mp3s infected with WMA Wimad:

I found from this forum post that on a Spanish forum they had a solution.  If you download FS-MP3Fix.zip and run the enclosed exe in any directory with mp3s, it removes the infection and makes the file clean (have verified with Avast) and the file becomes playable again in iTunes, Winamp etc.

I've done my 500 lost MP3s with it and they all work fine.  This program is a life saver.

Hopefully this helps someone else out. 


That's a great tip thanks Nate.

Although I have not been hit by this 'nasty' I'm bookmarking this post in case I ever need to use it.

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