Ubuntu, Vista, Wubi, and the Lemming Virus

Asked by Kai Zane

I am a Windows Vista user (love it! hate XP), however I also need experience with Linux Ubuntu (we have Ubuntu and Vista computers where I work). I'm not confident with partitioning my hard-disk to make room for Ubuntu (i've had bad experiences with XP, don't even want to try it with Vista), so I used Wubi to install Ubuntu inside of Vista.

I use Avast Anti-virus on both Ubuntu and Vista, and today, while I was scanning with Avast, it suddenly popped up saying there was a virus (Lemming-2056) inside the the root.disk file (C:\ubuntu\disks\root.disk), the file that the Ubuntu system is installed inside. If I delete it (from either side), then I can't boot into Ubuntu or Ubuntu freezes up. Both sides say the virus is in the same directory (C:\ubuntu\disks\root.disk on Vista, /host/ubuntu/disks/root.disk on ubuntu). What is the Lemming-2056, is it safe, how can I remove it from ubuntu without deleting the entire root.disk file, and is it a threat to Vista? PLEASE HELP!!!

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Kai Zane (wolf-of-the-arctic) said :
#1

ClamTK virus scanner (inside ubuntu) does not see it.

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nhasian (nhasian) said :
#2

its most likely just a false positive. i doubt that the windows virus scanner can even see inside the files in the root.disk

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marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said :
#3

I suggest you to install Ubuntu NOT using Wubi.

If you have installed Ubuntu via Wubi please uninstall it read http://wubi-installer.org/faq.php

Installing Ubuntu using Wubi make Ubuntu less robust and all problems that you will have to Windows can be affect your Ubuntu partition file.

I strongly suggest you to install Ubuntu+Windows in dual mode creating a real Ubuntu ext3 partition.
In this mode you can use Ubuntu and Windows as usual and then using installed Ubuntu you can save or repair damaged (due viruses or other issue) Windows partitions data.

- Here the steps to install Ubuntu 8.04.2 https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GraphicalInstall (pretty the same for Ubuntu 8.10)

Is very easy to install, if you need info please ask.

Thank you

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Kai Zane (wolf-of-the-arctic) said :
#4

I'm not sure that it is a false positive. I have Avast running inside the Ubuntu setup as well, and it finds the virus as well, however I will look into this because that was my first thought (my reason for coming here in the first place).
The Windows virus scanner can see inside the root.disk file also.
And finally, I did read the FAQ on Wubi's site; apparently...you didn't. I know that Ubuntu is not as powerful as it should be when installed inside Windows. However, if had actually paid any attention at all to what I said earlier, I don't want to partition my hard-disk: I have had bad experiences with partitioning disks (whether programs did it, or if I used a liveBoot disk to resize existing partitions.) I don't want to partition anything. I don't want a repeat of what has happened in the past. So, from now on, if someone is going to post a plausible solution to my problem, if it involves partitioning the disk, don't even bother posting.

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Tom (tom6) said :
#5

Try holding a cup of coffee but balance a big glass of water on top. Can you drink from the glass easily?

You are preventing yourself from being able to experience Ubuntu unless you can install it properly. The Wubi is not meant to be a proper install - it's only meant to give a quick impression of what Ubuntu looks like and to have a quick go at some games or try out the Office apps. You'd have more luck finding out what Ubuntu is like by running off the bootable Cd without installing it at all.

The virus is a Windows virus, not a Linux one and so you need to talk to Symantec or Avg or whoever your Windows anti-virus is with. In a normal install of linux we don't get viruses. If you are prepared to spend considerable time working out how to deal with any of the multitude of viruses and security issues in Windows but are not prepared to spend a few minutes working out how to install Ubuntu properly then you are probably better off avoiding linux.

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

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Tom (tom6) said :
#6

I thought these pages might help
   - if you have trouble booting from a Cd

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootFromCD

   - if you need proper instructions on how to set up a dual-boot rather than just pictures

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot

Good luck and regards from
Tom :)

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Tom (tom6) said :
#7

If you are still having trouble with this then please post it as a new question. Only the most recent questions tend to get looked at so posting/reposting a question just before america arrives online after work/school gives the best chance of getting a good few answers.
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+addquestion

If the problem has been resolved then please follow the link to the forum thread and mark it as Solved.

Good luck and many regards from
Tom :)

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Kai Zane (wolf-of-the-arctic) said :
#8

Well Tom, though no one's answer really helped me here, I sat down with my friend at our local college who is a Linux genius (he has his own personalized version of Linux that he built and wrote himself and he calls it Feduntu, a single Fedora/Ubuntu hybrid OS; don't know how he did it, but he let me use his computer, and it was nice). Anyway, he looked at the problem I was having, and he explained it to me. I'm posting this for anyone who has a similar problem.

Forgive me because my memory is slightly off (I have been ill recently, and I'm not feeling to great as of now either), but the basic way he explained it to me (and the best way I can translate it simply) is this:

The virus inside of the Wubi installation (the lemming) was not actually a bad virus at all. It was a virus by standard terms, but it was the only way that you could install Ubuntu inside of Windows and have a true (or rather as close to true as possible) multi-boot system. It let the Ubuntu OS see all of the files inside of the Windows OS, which explains why Windows could not see inside of Ubuntu. So the virus was actually what made the whole system work.

He told me however that having this virus was a bad thing because I have many important documents on my computer (for my engineering classes and such). If I was booted up in Ubuntu, then all of my files in Windows could be easily broken into and stolen (he showed me using his computer to hack into mine over a wireless network), regardless of any firewalls I had in place. He also said that "real" multi-boot systems had similar problems, but since they were real rather than "almost real", like Wubi, it was somewhat more difficult.

So basically the story is this: Wubi is a great way to learn how to use Linux (and it would be nice if there was one for Fedora too), but it is not a good idea to use it on a system with a great deal of critical information. The more you use Ubuntu in this fashion, the more likely you are to fall victim to things such as identity theft, fraud, etc.

So use Wubi to learn, but don't use it as the real thing. Thanks to all who (atleast) tried to help. I'll refer back to this site should I have any further questions in the future.

PS. Ubuntu is now off of my system permanently, until I get an external hard-drive.
Later.

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Tom (tom6) said :
#9

Thanks for getting back to us with that. You've just given me another reason to dislike the Wubi install even more than i did already which i didn't think was possible. Sorry that your experience of Ubuntu was less than satisfactory. I hope you enjoy Fedora and have more joy with that.

Thanks again, good luck and regards from
Tom :)