Malware Removal Guide

Malware is short for "malicious software." Malware is any kind of unwanted software that is installed without your adequate consent. Spyware, rootkits, and trojan horses are examples of malicious software that are often grouped together and referred to as malware.

It’s not always easy to tell if your computer was compromised or not,because these days cybercriminals are going to great lengths to hide their code and conceal what their programs are doing on an infected computer.
It’s very difficult to provide a list of characteristic symptoms of a infected computer because the same symptoms can also be caused by hardware incompatibilities or system instability,however here are just a few examples that may suggest that your PC has been compromised :

• You may receive the error "Internet Explorer could not display the page" when attempting to access certain websites
• Your web browser (e.g., Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome) freezes, hangs or is unresponsive
• Your web browser's default homepage is changed
• Access to security related websites is blocked
• You get redirected to web pages other than the one you intended to go to
• You receive numerous web-browser popup messages
• Strange or unexpected toolbars appear at the top of your web browser
• Your computer runs slower than usual
• Your computer freezes, hangs or is unresponsive
• There are new icons on your desktop that you do not recognize
• Your computer restarts by itself (but not a restart caused by Windows Updates)
• You see unusual error messages (e.g., messages saying there are missing or corrupt files folders)
• You are unable to access the Control Panel, Task Manager, Registry Editor or Command Prompt.

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms then we strongly advise you follow our removal guide as the below instructions can be used to remove more than 99% of the Windows malware.

Malware Removal Guide for Windows

STEP 1 : Start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking

1. Remove all floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs from your computer, and then restart your computer.
2. Press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts.Please keep in mind that you need to press the F8 key before the Windows  start-up logo appears.
3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode with Networking , and then press ENTER.
   
4. Log on to your computer with a user account that has administrator rights

STEP 2: Check for malicious proxy server

Some forms of malware may add a proxy server which prevents the user from accessing the internet,follow the below instructions to check and remove any proxy server.

1. Start Internet Explorer  and if you are using Internet Explorer 9 ,click on the gear icon    (Tools for Internet Explorer 8 users) ,then select Internet Options.
   
2. Go to the tab Connections.At the bottom, click on LAN settings.
   
3. Uncheck the option Use a proxy server for your LAN. This should remove the malicious proxy server and allow you to use the internet again.
   

If you are a Firefox users, go to Firefox(upper left corner) → Options → Advanced tab → Network → Settings → Select No Proxy

STEP 3: Repair Executable (.exe) File Association

Rootkits and trojans can change your Windows registry settings so that when you try to run a executable file , it will instead launch the infection rather than the desired program.

1. Download the exe-fix.bat file to fix the malicious registry changes.
   Download exe-fix.bat (Size: 5.47 KB)
2. Once the download is complete, double-click the exe-fix.bat or right-click it and select Run as administrator.

STEP 4: Perform a system scan with Kaspersky TDSSKiller to remove any malicious rootkit

Today's threats will come bundled with rootkits which can cause browser redirects and other malicious behavior.To check if there are any rootkits on your system , we need to run a scan with Kaspersky TDSSKiller.

1. Download the latest official version of Kaspersky TDSSKiller.
   
2. Before you can run Kaspersky TDSSKiller, you first need to rename it so that
   you can get it to run. To do this, right-click on the TDSSKiller.exe icon and select Rename.
   Edit the name of the file from TDSSKiller.exe to iexplore.exe, and then double-click on it to launch.
   
3. Kaspersky TDSSKiller will now start and display the welcome screen as shown below.In order to start a system scan , press the 'Start Scan' button.
   
4. Kaspersky TDSSKiller will now scan your computer for an malicous files.
   
5. When the scan has finished it will display a result screen stating whether or not the infection was found on your computer. If it was found it will display a screen similar to the one below.
   
6. To remove the infection simply click on the Continue button and TDSSKiller will attempt to clean the infection.
   A reboot might require to completely remove the malware from your system. In this scenario, always confirm the reboot action to be on the safe side.

Note: IF you have rebooted your computer,please start again in 'Safe Mode with Networking' before proceeding to the next step.You can find details on how to start in 'Safe Mode with Networking' in Step 1.

STEP 5: Run RKill to terminate any malicious process running on your computer.

RKill is a program that will attempt to terminate any malicious processes that are running on your system ,so that we can perform the next step without interruptions and clean your computer of infections.
As RKill only terminates a program's running process, and does not delete any files, after running it you should not reboot your computer as any malware processes that are configured to start automatically will just be started again.

1. While your computer is in Safe Mode with Networking ,please download the latest official version of RKill.
   
2. Double-click on the RKill iconin order to automatically attempt to stop any processes.
   
3. RKill will now start working in the background, please be patient while the program looks for various malware programs and tries to terminate them.
   
   IF you receive a message that RKill is an infection, that is a fake warning given by the rogue. As a possible solution we advise you to leave the warning on the screen and then try to run RKill again.Run RKill until the fake program is not visible but not more than ten times.
   IF you continue having problems running RKill, you can download the other renamed versions of RKill from here.
4. When Rkill has completed its task, it will generate a log. You can then proceed with the rest of the guide.
   

WARNING: Do not reboot your computer after running RKill as the malware process will start again , preventing you from properly performing the next step.

STEP 6: Perform a full system scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware FREE

1. Please download the latest official version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware FREE.
   
2. Install Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware by double clicking on mbam-setup.
   
3. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the installation process. Do not make any changes to default settings and when the program has finished installing, make sure you leave both the Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware checked. Then click on the Finishbutton. If Malwarebytes' prompts you to reboot, please do not do so.
   
4. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start and you'll be prompted to start a trial period , please select 'Decline' as we just want to use the on-demand scanner.
   
5. On the Scanner tab,please select Perform full scan and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for any possible infections.
   
6. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer malicious files as shown below.
   
7. When the scan is finished a message box will appear, click OK to continue.
   
8. You will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware has detected.Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.Make sure that everything is Checked (ticked) and click on the Remove Selected button.
   
9. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware will now start removing the malicious files.If during the removal process Malwarebytes will display a message stating that it needs to reboot, please allow this request.
   

STEP 7: Double check your system for any left over infections with HitmanPro

1. This step can be performed in Normal Mode ,so please download the latest official version of HitmanPro.
   
2. Double click on the previously downloaded file to start the HitmanPro installation.
   
   NOTE : If you have problems starting HitmanPro, use the "Force Breach" mode. Hold down the left CTRL-key when you start HitmanPro and all non-essential processes are terminated, including the malware process. (How to start HitmanPro in Force Breach mode - Video)
3. Click on Next to install HitmanPro on your system.
   
4. The setup screen is displayed, from which you can decide whether you wish to install HitmanPro on your machine or just perform a one-time scan, select a option then click on Next to start a system scan.
   
5. HitmanPro will start scanning your system for malicious files. Depending on the the size of your hard drive, and the performance of your computer, this step will take several minutes.
   
6. Once the scan is complete,a screen displaying all the malicious files that the program found will be shown as seen in the image below.After reviewing each malicious object click Next.
   
7. Click Activate free license to start the free 30 days trial and remove the malicious files.
   
8. HitmanPro will now start removing the infected objects, and in some instances, may suggest a reboot in order to completely remove the malware from your system. In this scenario, always confirm the reboot action to be on the safe side.

As an additional step we strongly recommend that you download and perform a system with the following free on-demand scanners :

1. ESET Online Scanner
2. Emsisoft Emergency Kit
3. Microsoft Safety Scanner

STEP 8: Unhide your files and folders

Some forms of malware can modify your file system in such a way that all files and folders become hidden, to restore the default settings , you'll need to run the below program.

1. Please download Tweaking.com-UnhideNonSystemFiles.exe to unhide your files and folders.
   
2. Double click on Tweaking.com-UnhideNonSystemFiles.exe and when the utility starts click on the 'Start' button to unhide your files.
   

STEP 9 : Remove the residual damage after malware removal

Browser redirects, broken file associations and errors can be the result of residual damage, in order to remove this unwanted behavior we will need to run Windows Repair All in One.

1. Download Windows Repair All In One installer on your computer.
   .
2. Double-click tweaking.com_windows_repair_aio_setup.exe and install the program by following the prompts.
   
3. Once the program has started, click the Start Repairs tab on the far right.
   
4. Click Advance Mode so there is a bullet in it and then click the Start button (bottom right)
   
   Note: When asked if you would like to create a restore point. It is recommended just in-case something does not go as planned.
5. On the next screen click Start button (bottom right) to start reverting your system to the original Windows settings
   
   After finishing it's task Windows Repair All In One will automatically restart your system.