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So, I think I've worked out why AVG picked up the executable on that thumb drive, and Sophos picked up the autorun.inf:
pauses
oh, man, something jumped up and grabbed focus just as I was pressing enter twice to go down I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT WAS. I'm running a full scan of my computer in avast! right now, was it that? I don't know. It's currently scanning through the files for Bloodlines...
*stops it, looks at logs*
Name of File: c:\Documents and Settings\
Result: Unable to scan: the system cannot find the path specified
What? That's because it doesn't exist. That data is under c:\Users\...
*restarts scan*
Aaaanyway. My theory.
(Can you tell I haven't had my meds yet? I'm still eating breakfast. Part of the problem with having to take my meds with food, and therefore not before breakfast, is that it takes me ages to eat my cereal, because I keep getting distracted from it.)
My theory is this: the autorun file on the thumb drive tried to launch the executable, which had the virus, to which AVG said OH HELLS NOE and nuked it, but overlooked the autorun.inf file. So my computer, in accordance with the zero evidence of any kind that it acquired a virus and clean returns from scans with two different antivirus programs (but I'm running another one just because I can, basically, even though I've scanned from boot already), didn't get a virus.
However, the thumb drive still had a dodgy autorun file, which the library computer picked up when I put it in there, and was all OH HELLS NOE about that.
So ultimately, I'm fine, and this is just my antivirus protection getting to do something useful for the first time ever. (Seriously. I've been using the internet since the mid 90s. I have maintained moderately careful viral sanitation habits. To the best of my recollection, this is the first time I've ever actually brushed with infection.)
So that's that, and I will probably dip my thumb drive again into the festering waters of public library computers because there's more stuff I want to avoid printing in bulk, and my computer has antivirus protection for a reason. But I will probably also notify the State Library staff that their computers have viruses, because it's my public duty, or something.
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