Virus - fake HD error

[Aellon]

i know this sounds like i dont know what im doing, truth be told i rarely do, but i believe my laptop's hdd has been infected with a virus that hides all data from view in the hdd...

i know its not a normal hdd failure because of 3 things:
1) the computer boots just fine, no issues till after log in
2) the tray has programs which have loaded (eg skype etc.etc.)
3)in windows explorer all information is "gone" including the windows and system(32) folders - if it was really gone how did it boot?

anyone have ideas on how to fix this short of flashing the bios and/or swapping the HDD?

 

[Emerald]

have you tried booting into Save Mode with Network and scan for malware?

 

[Aellon]

Yeah but the thing is, the whole "programs missing" is still there in safe mode

 

[Guest]

Yeah but the thing is, the whole "programs missing" is still there in safe mode

Dealt with the same symptoms today. Perhaps try this, open my computer and from the tools menu open folder options.
Enable show hidden files and folders and click OK. If you now see files in your C drive you will need to edit the folder properties on each (you may select multiple folders) and remove the 'hidden' attribute. This process takes a while to run through.

The machine im working on also had all the shorcuts from the start menu deleted, not hidden so im affraid they may need to be manually recreated. Once your going a bit better, use your browser options to purge any and all temporary internet files.
Then run through with malwarebytes, and perhaps another reputable malware/AV app to make sure nothing remains.

Lastly, change any online banking (especially!) and any other website passwords you may have entered using the infected machine, not to scare monger... just to be sure.

good luck.