How to remove Nano Antivirus (Uninstall Instructions)

Posted by Lawrence Abrams on December 2, 2008 @ 02:03 PM · Views: 5,550

 

What this infection does:

Nano Antivirus is a rogue from the same family as AntiSpyware Pro XP. This program is classified as a rogue because it uses false scan results and deceptive advertising in order to trick you into thinking you are infected. You will be introduced to NanoAntivirus via two methods. The first method is through the use of Trojans that display fake security alerts stating that you are infected and that you should download and install Nano Antivirus in order to protect yourself. The second method is through the use of pop-ups when visiting certain sites that state your computer is infected. If you click on these pop-ups, you will then be brought to a page showing an advertisement that pretends to be an online anti-malware scanner. When the advertisement is finished, it will state that your computer is infected and that you should install Nano Antivirus in order to protect yourself. Regardless of the method, the main goal of these advertisements is to trick you into thinking you are infected and thus you purchase the software.

Once Nano Antivirus is installed on your computer it will be configured to start automatically when you sign on to Windows. Once running, the program will scan your computer and list a variety of infections that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the software. These infections, though, are all fake and are only being shown to scare you into purchasing a license of the software. While running, you will also see a fake Windows Security Center screen that recommends that you purchase Nano Antivirus. Last, but not least, when NanoAntivirus is running you will also find that your computer begins to run slower. This is because the program is constantly nagging you to register the program, as well as using up the computer's resources that legitimate programs could better use.

 

Nano Antivirus screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 8 images you can view.

 

This guide will walk you through removing NanoAntivirus program and any associated malware that may have been installed with it.

 

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

 

Advanced information:

View Nano Antivirus files.
View Nano Antivirus Registry Information.

 

Entries for this program found in the Add or Remove Programs control panel:

Nano Antivirus

 

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

 

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Nano Antivirus] "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Surround Software Solutions\Nano Antivirus\nanoav.exe" /autorun

 

Guide Updates:

12/02/08 - Initial guide creation.

 

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Automated Removal Instructions for Nano Antivirus 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 (Download page will open in a new window)
   
   


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 full scan option is selected and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for Nano Antivirus 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 NanoAntivirus 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 NanoAntivirus 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 Using Malware Removal Tools and Requesting Help

 

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Associated Nano Antivirus Files:

c:\uninstallinfo.txt
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Surround Software Solutions
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Surround Software Solutions\Nano Antivirus
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Surround Software Solutions\Nano Antivirus\nanoav.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Surround Software Solutions\Nano Antivirus\BASE
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Surround Software Solutions\Nano Antivirus\DELETED
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Surround Software Solutions\Nano Antivirus\LOG
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Surround Software Solutions\Nano Antivirus\LOG\20081202135125769.log
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Surround Software Solutions\Nano Antivirus\SAVED

 

Associated Nano Antivirus Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\uninstall\Nano Antivirus 3.8
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Surround Software Solutions\Installer
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Surround Software Solutions\Nano Antivirus
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Nano Antivirus"