How to remove AntiSpyware Pro XP (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Grinler on September 9, 2008 @ 08:53 PM · Views: 28,472

Add to Favorites!    Print Guide!

What this programs does:

AntiSpyware Pro XP is a rogue anti-spyware program that is cloned from AntiSpyware XP 2008. AntiSpyware Pro XP, just like its predecessor, is advertised via malware that displays fake security alerts and web sites that display pop-ups stating that you are infected. Both of these methods have two goals in mind; to make you think your infected and to scare you into downloading and install the software.

If you decide to download and install AntiSpyware Pro XP, the program will be configured to run automatically when your computer starts. Once running, it will perform an anti-malware scan and display a pre-programmed list of infections found on your computer that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the software. It is important to note that none of these infections that are found are actually real or present on your computer. In fact, if you took a few computers and ran the software on it, each computer would show the same list of infections. This is just a scare tactic to scare you into purchasing the software.

AntiSpyware Pro XP screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 10 images you can view.

This guide will walk you through removing the AntiSpywarePro XP program and its associated malware for free.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View AntiSpyware Pro XP files.
View AntiSpyware Pro XP Registry Information.

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [s9201] "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Software Licensors\Antispyware PRO XP\asproxp.exe" /autorun

Guide Updates:

09/09/08 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for AntiSpyware Pro XP 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 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 AntiSpyware Pro XP 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 AntiSpywarePro XP 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. Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    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. When removing the files, MBAM may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot, please allow it to do so. Once your computer has rebooted, and you are logged in, please continue with the rest of the steps.
    
    
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 AntiSpywarePro XP 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 AntiSpyware Pro XP Files:

c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\services
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\services\services.dll
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Software Licensors
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Software Licensors\Antispyware PRO XP
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Software Licensors\Antispyware PRO XP\BASE
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Software Licensors\Antispyware PRO XP\DELETED
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Software Licensors\Antispyware PRO XP\LOG
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Software Licensors\Antispyware PRO XP\LOG\20080909202141140.log
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Software Licensors\Antispyware PRO XP\SAVED
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Software Licensors\Antispyware PRO XP\asproxp.exe

Associated AntiSpyware Pro XP Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Software Licensors
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Software Licensors\Antispyware PRO XP
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Software Licensors\Installer
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "s9201"