Asus ships new Eee PCs with live virus

Eee PC
The Eee line now includes a desktop PC, some of which shipped with a virus

Asus, the maker of the ultra-successful Eee PC range of computers, has more than a little egg on its face this morning after it emerged that an unknown number of new machines shipped with a virus already onboard.

The Taiwanese firm's Japan office is so far the only one to acknowledge the problem, which affects only the newly launched Eee Box desktop computer.

Endless copying

According to a Japanese-language apology directed at customers in Japan, a virus called recycle.exe is present on the D drive of some Eee Boxes.

It activates as soon as the drive is accessed and copies itself to the C drive and any removable media attached to the computer. Beyond that, it appears harmless so far.

Replacements lined up

Asus advises customers in Japan to contact it immediately to arrange a replacement, although it gives no indication as to how the virus managed to get on the PCs.

The most likely cause is an infected drive in the factory being cloned onto empty Eee Boxes to prepare them for shipping, although this has to be confirmed.

Asus responds

The official response just in from Asus goes as follows: "ASUS was recently made aware of a virus issue with the Eee Box computers sold in Japan. ASUS has taken immediate action to replace the affected Eee Box units. As the issue was addressed on the same day that it was discovered, the extent of its impact is extremely limited.

"ASUS has determined the root cause and is fully confident that we have resolved this issue. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and advise all customers who purchased an Eee Box in Japan between October 2nd and October 3rd 2008 to contact the ASUS service center in Japan for more information."

J Mark Lytle was an International Editor for TechRadar, based out of Tokyo, who now works as a Script Editor, Consultant at NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation. Writer, multi-platform journalist, all-round editorial and PR consultant with many years' experience as a professional writer, their bylines include CNN, Snap Media and IDG.

Latest in Laptops
apple macbook air against blue background
There's a huge MacBook Air sale right now – shop record-low prices from $629.99
Dell Inspiron, MacBook and Surface Pro laptop next to each other on a orange background
Best Buy has excellent laptop deals and I've picked the 9 best offers from $139
13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M4 in Sky Blue
The new Apple MacBook Air M4 has a weird quirk with its performance cores - but it's nothing to worry about
MacBook Air 15-inch with M4 chip on a creative's desk with screen open
I've reviewed the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) - and it remains the best 15-inch laptop I'd recommend for most people
Apple MacBook Air M3 on yellow background with lowest price text overlay
Forget the MacBook Air M4: here are 9 older-model MacBook deals from $629.99
MacBook Air mute key
The new M4 MacBook Air finally fixes an Apple keyboard annoyance that's been around for decades
Latest in News
A super close up image of the Google Gemini app in the Play Store
It's official: Google Assistant will be retired for phones this year, with Gemini taking over
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 16 (game #1147)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, March 16 (game #378)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, March 16 (game #644)
Three iPhone 16 handsets on show
Apple could launch an iPhone 17 Ultra this year – but we've heard these rumors before
Super Mario Odyssey
ChatGPT is the ultimate gaming tool - here's 4 ways you can use AI to help with your next playthrough