WinXProtector Removal Guide

Posted by Grinler on March 27, 2008 @ 06:03 PM · Views: 452

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What this programs does:

WinXProtector is a rogue anti-spyware program that deliberately displays false scan results in order to mislead you into thinking your computer has an infection. In order to remove these infections, though, you are first required to purchase a license of the software. Most of the files that WinProtector states are malware are in fact legitimate programs. For example, WinXProtector states that the c:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\winmine.exe file is the Backdoor.Mite malware. In reality, this program is a legitimate copy of the Windows game called Minesweeper. These legitimate programs are only being shown to trick you into thinking you are infected. Screenshots of this false positive and the WinXProtector program are below.

WinXProtector Screenshot

WinXProtector False Positive

This guide will walk you through removing the WinXProtector program.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs

Advanced information:

View WinXProtector files.
View WinXProtector Registry Information.

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [WinXProtector] C:\Program Files\WinXProtector\WinXProtector.exe

Guide Updates:

03/31/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for WinXProtector 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 WinXProtector 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 WinXProtector 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 WinXProtector 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 WinXProtector Files:

c:\Program Files\WinXProtector
c:\Program Files\WinXProtector\Buy.url
c:\Program Files\WinXProtector\Help.url
c:\Program Files\WinXProtector\Uninstall.exe
c:\Program Files\WinXProtector\WinXProtector.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Application Data\WinXProtector
c:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Start Menu\Programs\WinXProtector
c:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Application Data\WinXProtector\base.dat
c:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Application Data\WinXProtector\base2.dat
c:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Application Data\WinXProtector\Desc.dat
c:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Application Data\WinXProtector\spline.dat
c:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Start Menu\Programs\WinXProtector\Purchase License.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Start Menu\Programs\WinXProtector\Support Page.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Start Menu\Programs\WinXProtector\WinXProtector Uninstall.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\forensics\Start Menu\Programs\WinXProtector\WinXProtector.lnk

Associated WinXProtector Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\WinXProtector
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\WinXProtector
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "WinXProtector"