BleepingComputer.com: Cannot remove suspected virus from startup in Windows Defender (32bit Vista)

Hi there,
I'm using the pacs-portal database to help discover which things I can safely remove from the startup in windows vista 32bit. I am accessing the start-up file list using windows defender. The database indicates that explorer.exe should not normally be in the start-up and that it is probably a virus; however when I select this file all 3 buttons are inactive (Delete, Deactivate, Activate - sorry, it's in French and those are the closest translations I can think of). I also tried unsuccessfully to delete the file located on C:\Windows\eplorer.exe
I'd like to know if it is a virus and if so, how I can remove it altogether (not just from the startup)

Thanks very much

The short answer....explorer.exe is necessary and should be in startup.
Are you experiencing any malware related problems or attempting to speedup the startup?

Whenever you suspect a file is malware you can submit it to one of the linked online services below and it will
scan the file with numerous security programs and give you a report.
VirusTotal - Free Online Virus and Malware Scan
Jotti's malware scan

Hi Buddy215,
Thanks for replying. The startup is abnormally slow, as for malware related problems... I'm not actually sure what those might look like

I'm cheesed off that the database listed it as a problem though! I will try out the links you gave me and go from there.
Thanks again

Eliminating programs from startup will speed it up.
But if the slowness you are experiencing is a recent occurrence and you have not added programs,
then you should look further as to the cause.

Some suggestions: Defragment your hdd, use the Disk Cleanup utility (see link), scan with Super Antispyware Free
and allow it to remove whatever it finds. If it finds anything other than cookies, let me know.

Delete files using Disk Cleanup

SUPERAntiSpyware.com - AntiAdware, AntiSpyware, AntiMalware! (if you have SAS Free already installed, be sure to update before scanning)

Directions for using SAS:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/virus-removal/how-to-use-superantispyware-tutorial

IMO...you didn't read the data properly ...which is the sort of thing that malware-writers count on often.

The entry reads:

"exp1orer.exe X exp1orer.exe Added by the DLOAD-FG TROJAN! Notice the digit "1" used in both the startup entry and filename, rather than a lower case "L"

Louis