Remove Windows Antivirus Pro (Uninstall Guide)

Posted by Grinler on July 26, 2009 @ 09:42 PM · Views: 136,125

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What this programs does:

Windows Antivirus Pro is a rogue anti-virus program and a ransomware that does not allow you to run any programs on your computer. When Windows Antivirus Pro is installed it is configured to run every time Windows starts. Once running it will automatically scan your computer and then list a variety of infections that you cannot attempt to remove until you purchase the program. This program also acts as ransomware because while it is running it will state that almost any program you try to execute is an infection and not allow you to run it. This makes it hard to run any legitimate anti-malware programs until you end the Windows Antivirus Pro processes or purchase it.

Windows Antivirus Pro screen shot
For more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.
There are a total of 9 images you can view.

While Windows Antivirus Pro is running you will also see numerous security alerts and hijacks appear while using your computer. A summary of the types of alerts you will see are:

• The following message will be shown when you try to run almost any application:
  
  Warning!
  Running of application is impossible. The file C:\Windows\Notepad.exe is infected. Please activate your antivirus program.
  
  
• Security alerts, or Infiltration alerts, falsely stating that your computer is under attack or that a security risk has been found. Examples of messages you will see are:
  
  Warning: Infection is Detected
  Windows has found spyware infection on your computer!
  Click here to update your Windows antivirus software
  
  Security Warning
  There are critical system files on your computer that were modified by malicious program.
  It will cause unstable work of your system and permanent data loss.
  Click here to undo performed modifications and remove malicious software (Highly recommended).
  
  Security Warning
  Your computer continues to be infected with harmful viruses. In order to prevent permanent loss of your information and credit card data theft please activate your antivirus software. Click here to enable protection.
  
  Security Warning
  Malicious programs that may steal your private information and prevent your system from working properly are detected on your computer.
  Click here to clean your PC immediately.
  
  
• A window that impersonates the Windows Security Center that promotes Windows Antivirus Pro.
  
  
• While using Internet Explorer, you will randomly be shown an alert stating that the site you are browsing has attacked your computer.
  
  
• A window that state that your Windows processes are crashing even whey are are not.

As you can see, Windows Antivirus Pro was designed to trick you into thinking your computer is under attack or infected when in reality the program itself is the infection. Instead of purchasing this program, please use the guide below to remove this program and any related malware for free.

Threat Classification:

• Information on Rogue Programs & Scareware

Advanced information:

View Windows Antivirus Pro files.
View Windows Antivirus Pro Registry Information.

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

Windows Antivirus Pro

Tools Needed for this fix:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

Symptoms that may be in a HijackThis Log:

O2 - BHO: ICQSys (IE PlugIn) - {F54AF7DE-6038-4026-8433-CC30E3F17212} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\dddesot.dll
O23 - Service: AntipyPro_12 (AntipPro2009_12) - Unknown owner - C:\WINDOWS\svchast.exe

Guide Updates:

07/26/09 - Initial guide creation.

Automated Removal Instructions for Windows Antivirus Pro using Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware:

1. Print out these instructions as we may need to close every window that is open later in the fix.
   
   
2. This application will disable the ability to use your Windows Task Manager. To fix this, please download the following file to your desktop.
   
   Fixtm.reg
   
   Once the file is downloaded, double-click on it and select Yes when it asks if you want to merge the data into your Registry. Once that is completed you should be able to use the Windows Task Manager.
   
   
3. Now we need to end the two processes associated with Windows Antivirus Pro as they do not allow you to run any applications that we will need to remove this program. To do this we need to launch the Windows Task Manager by right-clicking on the time in the Windows task bar and then selecting Task Manager. The menu showing the Task Manager option is shown below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. When Task Manager is started you will be in the Applications section as shown below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   At this point you should click on the Processes tab.
   
   
5. You will now be at a screen that shows the running processes on your computer. First put a checkmark in the checkbox labeled Show processes from all users as shown in the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Then scroll through the list till you see the process called Windows Antivirus Pro.exe and left-click on it once so it becomes highlighted. Then click on the End Process button as shown by the red arrow in the picture above.
   
   
6. When you click on the End Process button, Task Manager will ask you to confirm if you are sure you want to terminate it as shown in the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   At this point you should press the Yes button in order to kill the process.
   
   
7. After you have ended the Windows Antivirus Pro.exe process, scroll through the list of processes until you find the svchast.exe process. Then end this process as well by clicking on the End Process button and confirming that you want to end it. Please note that in Windows there is a legitimate program called svchost.exe, so please be careful to only end the process that is spelled svchast.exe.
   
   
8. Now that the two Windows Antivirus Pro processes are terminated, you can use your programs again. You should now download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, or MBAM, from the following location and save it to your desktop:
   
   Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Download Link
   
   


9. Once downloaded, close all programs and Windows on your computer, including this one.
   
   
10. Double-click on the icon on your desktop named mbam-setup.exe. This will start the installation of MBAM onto your computer.
    
    
11. 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. If MalwareBytes' prompts you to reboot, please do not do so.
    
    
12. 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.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
13. 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 Windows Antivirus Pro related files.
    
    
14. 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.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
15. 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 WindowsAntivirusPro removal process.
    
    
16. You will now be back at the main Scanner screen. At this point you should click on the Show Results button.
    
    
17. 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.
    
    
18. 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.
    
    
19. You can now exit the MBAM program.
    

Your computer should now be free of the WindowsAntivirusPro 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 Windows Antivirus Pro Files:

%UserProfile%\Desktop\Windows Antivirus Pro.lnk
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Antivirus Pro
%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Antivirus Pro\Windows Antivirus Pro.lnk
c:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\
c:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\ANTI_files.exe
c:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\msvcm80.dll
c:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\msvcp80.dll
c:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\msvcr80.dll
c:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\Windows Antivirus Pro.exe
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\dbsinit.exe
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\wispex.html
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\i1.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\i2.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\i3.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\j1.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\j2.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\j3.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\jj1.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\jj2.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\jj3.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\l1.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\l2.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\l3.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\pix.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\t1.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\t2.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\up1.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\up2.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\w1.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\w11.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\w2.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\w3.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\w3.jpg
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\wt1.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\wt2.gif
C:\Program Files\Windows Antivirus Pro\tmp\images\wt3.gif
c:\WINDOWS\ppp3.dat
c:\WINDOWS\ppp4.dat
c:\WINDOWS\svchast.exe
c:\WINDOWS\system32\bennuar.old
c:\WINDOWS\system32\dddesot.dll
c:\WINDOWS\system32\desot.exe
c:\WINDOWS\system32\sysnet.dat

Associated Windows Antivirus Pro Windows Registry Information:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Softimer
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Windows Antivirus Pro
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{425882B0-B0BF-11CE-B59F-00AA006CB37D}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{F54AF7DE-6038-4026-8433-CC30E3F17212}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{F54AF7DE-6038-4026-8433-CC30E3F17212}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Win Antivirus Pro
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\AntipPro2009_12
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\AntipPro2009_12