How to Create a Fake and Harmless Virus

Do you want to play a trick on your friends? Try this shocking but harmless virus. Read on to find out how to execute it.

Part 1
Part 1 of 2:

Writing and Saving the Code

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    Run Notepad. Notepad will allow you to input text with very little formatting. Click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Notepad.
    • If you're on a Mac, use TextEdit.
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    2
    Input a small batch file. Put the following into your text file (without the bullets):
    • @echo off
    • echo Message here.
    • shutdown -s -f -t 60 -c "type a message you want to appear here."
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    Click File, then Save As.
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    Name your file.
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    Change the .txt extension to .bat or .cmd.
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    Change the ".txt bar" to "All Files".
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    Click Save.
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    Close Notepad.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 2:

Making a Fake Icon

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    Right click on the desktop and go over to "New," then click "Shortcut".
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    For the location of the shortcut, choose your virus.
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    Click "Next".
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    Give the shortcut a name that your victim will or might click on.
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    Click on "Finish".
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    Right click on the shortcut you have just made and choose "Properties".
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    Click on the "Choose icon" button and scroll through the list of icons.
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    Choose an icon that the name of your file. Click on it and hit "OK" twice.
    • Note that this will not work on Windows 7 Pro
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    Will this harm the computer at all?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    No, this only shuts the computer down. The user may lose any open and unsaved files, but the computer itself will be unharmed.
  • Question
    What do the characters S, F, T, and C signify?
    MasterBeiber Everything
    MasterBeiber Everything
    Community Answer
    S is for shutdown, F for force, T for timer, and C to do a message.
  • Question
    Will the PC that I run this on be able to turn back on?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Yes, this only shuts down the computer. It will turn back on normally and nothing will be harmed.
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Warnings

  • Do not execute such viruses on computers that must be available 24 hours a day, such as the ones in hospitals.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • If you use a shutdown-countdown, you should have enough time to abort the countdown.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • Only do this to someone who can handle such a prank!
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • Once this virus has been clicked on, there is often no way to stop it. However, if you need to terminate the shutdown for whatever reason, go to command prompt and type in this following command: "shutdown /a". It will immediately terminate the fake virus.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • Some antiviruses will detect this as a virus
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 197 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 1,489,525 times.
713 votes - 76%
Co-authors: 197
Updated: October 25, 2022
Views: 1,489,525
Categories: Computer Pranks
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