How to remove rogue software

How to remove rogue software

If you feel you have rogue software on your computer Microsoft has offered a number of ways to help you remove it.

Use the free Microsoft Safety Scanner
Microsoft offers a free online tool that will scan and remove potential threats from your computer. To perform the scan, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/

Download and install Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free tool that will help prevent rogue software, viruses, and other malicious programs from installing on your computer as well as remove them. Once you have finished using the Microsoft Safety Scanner, install Microsoft Security Essentials. To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the Microsoft Security Essentials site at: http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials
2. Click Download Now.
3. Follow the steps in the Installation Wizard to install Microsoft Security Essentials.

Manually remove the rouge software

If the rogue software cannot be detected or removed using Microsoft Safety Scanner and/or Microsoft Security Essentials, try the steps below to locate the offending program and delete it:

1. Write down the name of the rogue software. For this example we'll call it XP Security Agent 2010.
2. Start Windows in Safe Mode with Networking:
   1. Restart your computer.
   2. When you see the computer's manufacturer's logo, press and hold the F8 key.
   3. When prompted, use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode with Networking and press the Enter key.
3. Click Start and check to see if the rogue software appears in the Start menu. In this case, we'll call it XP Security Agent 2010. If it's not listed there, click All Programs and scroll to find the rogue software's name.
4. Right-click the offending program, then click Properties.
5. Click the Shortcut tab.
6. In the Properties dialogue box, check the path of the rogue program listed in Target. For this example, it will appear as: C:\Program Files\ XP Security Agent 2010. Note: The folder name will often appear as a random number.
7. Click Open File Location.
8. In the Program Files window, click Program Files in the address bar.
9. Scroll until you find the offending program folder. For this example, it will be named XP Security Agent 2010.
10. Right-click the folder, then click Delete.
11. Restart your computer.
12. Go to the Microsoft Safety Scanner site at:  http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/
13. Follow the steps to run the scan and remove the offending rogue software.

If you suspect that your computer is infected with rogue security software that is currently not detected with Microsoft security solutions, you can submit samples using the Microsoft Malware Protection Center submission form.

For more information on rogue security software, visit the following Microsoft web sites:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/rogue.aspx

http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/antivirus-rogue.aspx