Remove Wind Optimizer (Removal Guide)

Posted by Grinler on June 9, 2009 @ 11:43 PM · Views: 2,144

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What this programs does:

Wind Optimizer is a rogue Windows optimization software from the same developers of General Antivirus and Personal Antivirus. When Wind Optimizer is installed it will be configured to start automatically. Once started it will prompt you to scan your computer, and when finished, will state that there are a variety of problems on your computer. In order to fix any of these problems, though, you will be required to first purchase the program. What Wind Optimizer is not telling you is that the problems it states you have are grossly exaggerated, or not a problem at all, and that fixing them will most likely not help with your computer's performance.

Wind Optimizer screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 2 images you can view.

In fact, while this program is running you may actually find that your computer begins to run slower. This is because the program is always running in the background and displaying unintelligible alerts that are very difficult to dismiss. The program also uses a a lot of your computer's CPU and memory, which will cause other programs that need these resources to run slower.

With all of this said, please do not purchase Wind Optimizer regardless of what it tells you. Instead use the removal guide below to remove this program for free.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View Wind Optimizer files.
View Wind Optimizer Registry Information.

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

Wind Optimizer (1.0.0.2)

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Wind Optimizer] "C:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\WindOptimizer.exe" /s

Guide Updates:

06/09/09 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for Wind Optimizer 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 Wind Optimizer 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 Wind Optimizer 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 Wind Optimizer 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 Wind Optimizer Files:

c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Wind Optimizer
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Wind Optimizer\Purchase License.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Wind Optimizer\Uninstall Wind Optimizer.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Wind Optimizer\Wind Optimizer Home Page.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Wind Optimizer\Wind Optimizer.lnk
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Wind Optimizer
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Wind Optimizer\updateloadlist.ini
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Wind Optimizer\db
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Wind Optimizer\db\Settings.ini
%UserProfile%\Application Data\Wind Optimizer\db\Urls.inf
%UserProfile%\Desktop\WOSetup.exe.txt
%UserProfile%\Desktop\WOSetup.tmp.txt
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\activate.ico
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\Contig.exe
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\Explorer.ico
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\log_09062009.wlg
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\unins000.dat
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\unins000.exe
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\uninstall.ico
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\vista.manifest
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\vista.res
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\WindOptimizer.exe
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\WO_install.iss
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\WO_install.new.iss
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\WODefragmenter.exe
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\WOIsnce.db
c:\Program Files\Wind Optimizer\db

Associated Wind Optimizer Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Wind Optimizer_is1
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "Wind Optimizer"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center "AutoUpdateDisableNotify"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center "InternetSettingsDisableNotify"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Security Center "UacDisableNotify"