Virus or Spyware transfer through Partitions?

[jongyoo]

I currently have two partitions, one for the XP OS and another for back up just in case the system files get corrupted. I was planning on my annual formatting but this time I want to try something new.

I want to make three different partitions:

1) Primary OS(XP) for regular use

2) Secondary OS(XP) for executing possible virus and spyware infested programs such as Kazaa.

3) Back up for pics and music.

Basically, I was just wondering if I installed something with spyware such as programs like kazaa onto the secondary partition, would those virus or spyware leak into my primary OS? I'm just sick of using my computer and it being slow because of all these parasites latching onto my system files. I just wanna have a whole new platform to try these dirty programs and another to use as my own. Thanks

-jong

 

[Schadenfroh]

it will probably go after the partition you have your OS on, there are spyware free versions of kazaa floating around *cough kazaalite*, but that is illegal because it is copyright infrengement on sherman networks (makers of kazaa, lawsuit about this a while back), but i assume you are using kazaa for legit and legal purposes, so i would reccomend possible alternative P2P programs that are spyware free, the bittorrent client, that is freeware and opensource, azereus, is spyware free. see my sig for spyware prevention

 

[VirtualLarry]

If you run malicious code on an OS, and that OS can see whatever other filesystems/partitions, then yes, the malware can also "infect" those other partitions.

I found Western Digital's DataLifeguard 2.6 BackWeb spyware to be particularly insideous - even if you boot off of the diag floppy, it drops a .PIF file into your Win9x "Startup" folder, and bootstraps the Windows' infection that way, next time you boot windows, and then the stub loader downloads the rest of the junk from the internet. So it is even possible for a DOS boot disk to infect a Windows OS too.

 

[madthumbs]

You need one of those new high tech hard drive firewalls. lol

 

[Aleksandar]

yes a lot will go to C specialy spyware