A user's computer fails to boot and displays an error message indicating a missing operating system. After troubleshooting, you suspect it might be a boot sector virus. Which action should you take to confirm and address this issue?
Format the hard drive and reinstall the operating system.
Run a full antivirus scan from within the Windows environment.
Reinstall the operating system from a USB drive.
Use an antivirus rescue disk to scan and repair the master boot record (MBR).
Boot sector viruses infect the master boot record (MBR) of a hard drive, preventing the operating system from loading. To address a potential boot sector virus, professionals should use specialized tools like an antivirus rescue disk which can boot independently from the infected drive and scan for the virus. Simply reinstalling the OS or running antivirus from within Windows would not be effective if the MBR itself is compromised. Formatting the hard drive will remove the virus but is destructive and should be a last resort.
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