How to remove WinAntivirus Pro (Removal Instructions)

Posted by Grinler on April 27, 2008 @ 02:04 PM · Views: 3028

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What this programs does:

WinAntivirusPro is a rogue anti-spyware from the same programmers as AntiSpywareExpert and XPAntiVirus. When WinAntivirusPro is installed, it will automatically scan your computer and display a large list of fake infections installed on your computer. In order to remove these infections, though, you are required to purchase a license of WinAntivirusPro before you can remove them. These infections are shown as files and registry keys that in reality do not exist on your computer. WinAntivirusPro will also display alerts in your Windows taskbar about actions that are supposedly occurring on your computer. These alerts are more fake information being displayed to you so that you are scared into purchasing the software. These alerts, as well the infections found from a scan, should be ignored. Instead uninstall WinAntivirusPro for a safer computing environment.

Below are screen shots of WinAntivirus Pro.

WinAntivirusPro Screenshot

     
WinAntivirusPro Fake Alerts

This guide will walk you through removing the WinAntivirusPro program.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs

Advanced information:

View WinAntivirusPro files.
View WinAntivirusPro Registry Information.

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [WinAntivirusPro] C:\Documents and Settings\BC\Desktop\WinAntiVirusPROSetup.exe

Guide Updates:

04/27/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for WinAntivirusPro using Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware:

1. Print out these instructions as we will need to close every window that is open later in the fix.
   
   
2. Download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, or MBAM, from the following location and save it to your desktop:
   
   Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Download Link
   
   


3. Once downloaded, close all programs and Windows on your computer, including this one.
   
   
4. Double-click on the icon on your desktop named Download_mbam-setup.exe. This will start the installation of MBAM onto your computer.
   
   
5. 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 Finish button.
   
   
6. MBAM will now automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program before performing a scan. As MBAM will automatically update itself after the install, you can press the OK button to close that box and you will now be at the main program as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. On the Scanner tab, make sure the the Perform quick scan option is selected and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for WinAntivirusPro related files.
   
   
8. MBAM will now start scanning your computer for malware. This process can take quite a while, so we suggest you go and do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan. When MBAM is scanning it will look like the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. When the scan is finished a message box will appear as shown in the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   You should click on the OK button to close the message box and continue with the WinAntivirus Pro removal process.
   
   
10. You will now be back at the main Scanner screen. At this point you should click on the Show Results button.
    
    
11. A screen displaying all the malware that the program found will be shown as seen in the image below.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    You should now click on the Remove Selected button to remove all the listed malware. MBAM will now delete all of the files and registry keys and add them to the programs quarantine.
    
    
12. When MBAM has finished removing the malware, it will open the scan log and display it in Notepad. Review the log as desired, and then close the Notepad window.
    
    
13. You can now exit the MBAM program.
    

Your computer should now be free of the WinAntivirus Pro program. If your current anti-virus solution let this infection through, you may want to consider purchasing the PRO version of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future.

If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow the steps outlined in the topic linked below:

Preparation Guide For Use Before Posting A Hijackthis Log

Associated WinAntivirusPro Files:

c:\Documents and Settings\BC\Desktop\WinAntiVirusPROSetup.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\BC\Start Menu\Programs\WinAntiVirusPROSetup.lnk

Associated WinAntivirusPro Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\WinAntivirusPro
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\WinAntivirusPro\Settings
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "WinAntivirusPro"