Access Denied To Remove Unwanted Program

I am using Windows XP on a Dell Laptop. Because I wanted to clean up my Registry, I accessed Ascentive Performance Center on the Internet. Too little information was offered about their program, so I got out of their page before giving any information to them. Now, however, every time I turn on my computer I get a pop-up screen wanting me to download their programs. I do not want the program, yet when I try "remove programs" it is not found. When I look in C drive I find APCLang.dll which I cannot delete because I get "Access denied". How to remove?? Any help appreciated. Jimmie

Please download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and save it to your desktop.
alternate download link 1
alternate download link 2

• Make sure you are connected to the Internet.
• Double-click on mbam-setup.exe to install the application.
• When the installation begins, follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
• When installation has finished, make sure you leave both of these checked:
  • Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
  • Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware
• Then click Finish.
• MBAM will automatically start and you will be asked to update the program before performing a scan. If an update is found, the program will automatically update itself. Press the OK button to close that box and continue. If you encounter any problems while downloading the updates, manually download them from here and just double-click on mbam-rules.exe to install.
• On the Scanner tab:
  • Make sure the "Perform Quick Scan" option is selected.
  • Then click on the Scan button.
• If asked to select the drives to scan, leave all the drives selected and click on the Start Scan button.
• The scan will begin and "Scan in progress" will show at the top. It may take some time to complete so please be patient.
• When the scan is finished, a message box will say "The scan completed successfully. Click 'Show Results' to display all objects found".
• Click OK to close the message box and continue with the removal process.
• Back at the main Scanner screen, click on the Show Results button to see a list of any malware that was found.
• Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.
• When removal is completed, a log report will open in Notepad.
• The log is automatically saved and can be viewed by clicking the Logs tab in MBAM.
• Copy and paste the contents of that report in your next reply and exit MBAM.

Note: If MBAM encounters a file that is difficult to remove, you may be asked to reboot your computer so it can proceed with the disinfection process. Reagardless if prompted to restart the computer or not, please do so immediately. Failure to reboot normally (not into safe mode) will prevent MBAM from removing all the malware.

Actually, try using Spybot Search and Destroy or scan your computer with an antivirus before trying the above.

Because I wanted to clean up my Registry, I accessed Ascentive Performance Center on the Internet.

Registry cleaners are extremely powerful applications. There are a number of them available and some are more safe than others. Keep in mind that no two registry cleaners work entirely the way. Each vendor uses different criteria as to what constitutes a "bad" entry. One cleaner may find entries on your system that will not cause a problem when removed, another may not find the same entries, and still another may want to remove entries required for a program to work.

The Windows registry is a central repository (database) for storing configuration data, user settings and machine-dependent settings, and options for the operating system. It contains information and settings for all hardware, software, users, and preferences. Whenever a user makes changes to settings, file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in this repository. The registry is a crucial component because it is where Windows "remembers" all this information, how it works together, how Windows boots the system and what files it uses when it does. The registry is also a vulnerable subsystem, in that relatively small changes done incorrectly can render the system unbootable.

The usefulness of cleaning the registry is highly overrated and can be dangerous. In most cases, using a cleaner to remove obsolete, invalid, and erroneous entries does not affect system performance but it can result in "unpredictable results". Unless you have a particular problem that requires a registry edit to correct it, I would suggest you leave the registry alone. Using registry cleaning tools unnecessarily or incorrectly could lead to disastrous effects on your operating system such as preventing it from ever starting again. For routine use, the benefits to your computer are negligible while the potential risks are great.

Ed Bott's Webog: Why I don’t use registry cleaners
Do I need a Registry Cleaner?

When I look in C drive I find APCLang.dll which I cannot delete

MBAM has a built-in FileAssassin feature for removing stubborn malware files.

• Go to the "More Tools" tab and click on the "Run Tool" button
• Browse to the location of the file(s) to remove using the drop down box next to "Look in:" at the top.
• When you find the file(s), click "Open".
• You will be prompted with a message warning: This file will be permanently deleted. Are you sure you want to continue?. Click Yes.
• If removal did not require a reboot, you will receive a message indicating the file was deleted successfully, however, I recommend you reboot anyway.

Caution: Be careful what you delete. FileAssassin is a powerful program, designed to move highly persistent files. Using it incorrectly could lead to disastrous problems with your operating system.