How to Kill Spyware Processes
What are processes?
Every program has its own executable code (for example, the .exe file). A process (or task) is a program that is being executed. When you start a program, the executable code will load into the computer’s memory. This code is the process. If a process is closed or terminated, the resources used by that program will not run. To see all the processes running on your computer, you can use the Windows Task Manager, a built-in Windows utility.
The Windows Task Manager allows you to terminate almost all processes, however, there are some programs that have invisible processes running in the background and can remain on your computer without you knowing its exact location.
Why is it important to remove malicious processes?
Even though some processes are legitimate, there are other processes that come from malicious applications such as spyware, adware, trojans, malware, worms, and rootkits. It’s reported that malicious applications may run on your computer without your knowledge or consent. These malicious applications can infect your computer and compromise your privacy, security and computer performance. That’s why it is important to learn how to kill malicious processes.
The first step is to evaluate every process running on your computer to determine whether any of them is a piece of spyware. The obvious choice is to look for a process that is either out of place, does not belong to a program you remember installing or is behaving odly. In the case of an extreme malware infection, you may not be able to kill the offending program with the Task Manager and instead might get an “Access denied” error. In a case like this, an anti-spyware program might be the best approach to solve your computer’s security problem.
The instructions on how to get started depends on what Windows version you have. Learn how to remove kill spyware process from your computer.
Kill Spyware Processes Manually
Warning: Stopping system processes is a difficult and risky. If you delete the wrong file, your computer may crash and important data may be lost. As a precautionary measure, please back up important files and set a System Restore point (click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore, and follow the on-screen instructions) or run a spyware check with a trusted anti-spyware program to automatically detect spyware.
You can kill spyware proccesses in two ways:
Method A: Using the Windows Task Manager. (Recommended)
Method B: Using PsKill through the Command Prompt window.
Method A: Using Windows Task Manager to Kill a Process
Follow the steps below to manually kill a process with the Windows Task Manager:
- Start Windows Task Manager
To open the Windows Task Manager, use the combination of CTRL+ALT+DEL or CTRL+SHIFT+ESC. You can also press the “Start” button, select the “Run” option, type “taskmgr” in the blank field and then press the “OK” button.
- Find and Kill Spyware Processes
In the Windows Task Manager, select the “Processes” section to see all active tasks. Find the proccess by name. To make it easier, select the “Image Name” button to list tasks by name.Use the list of process files associated with the spyware you know or suspect your computer has been infected with. You can find a list of processes by going to our spyware database and selecting the parasite you’re interested in. If there’s a process that you don’t recognize, copy the process and search on google.
Select the process you want to kill and click on the “End Process” button to kill it.
Method B: Using PsKill through the Command Prompt Window to Kill a Process
In some cases, a parasite may disable your Windows Task Manager so instead you can use “pslist” and “pskill” (a third party application by Mark Russinovich) to list and kill the unwanted proccesses.
Follow the steps below to manually search and kill the spyware processes with PsKill:
- Open the Command Prompt window
Press the “Start” button on your Taskbar and select the “Run” option. Type “cmd” in the field and then press the “OK” button.
- Search the unwanted process
When the Command Prompt window is opened, type the command “pslist” and press “Enter” to search processes from the list of running programs.
- Kill the unwanted process
Once you know the name of the process you want to kill, type the command “pskill [PROCESS_NAME]“ and press “Enter” to terminate the unwanted process. For example, if you wanted to kill SpyLocked (a rogue anti-spyware program), you would type pskill spy-locked.exe.
- If the process was terminated successfully, a confirmation message will be displayed.
August 19th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
i will try these things as win antispyward 206+207 have loaded in my computer a lot of times and locked it up yesterdday and it took me 2 hours to get it out thanks m
September 1st, 2007 at 8:50 pm
I am curious, in order for ultimate cleaner to find its way to your PC, do you have to manually download it or does it find its way through an open port or something ?
September 3rd, 2007 at 7:53 am
natural,easy to use,& effective
September 3rd, 2007 at 7:56 am
so long & more power……….. no fees just follow the manual.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Some clever spyware programer has found a way to circumvent this method of removal. The directory that comes up when I open my DOS is “C:\documents and settings\ user” and I am unable to change the directory. I’ve tried every command, but it seems to be ignored. I guess its reformatting the hard drive for me!
October 2nd, 2007 at 10:36 am
The same thing with me. DOS opens with C:/documents and settings\user. Can’t change the directory. Anyone have any other ideas?
October 5th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Rachel.
Have you found a way to get around that? Mine is doing the same thing. Can anyone help?
October 8th, 2007 at 9:48 am
Rachel, Lauri and Amy,
Maybe you can be more specific? Give the detailed description what is happening on your system.
October 9th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Have an error: SETUPAPI.DLL file is linked to missing export NTDLL.DLL:NTCLOSE. It seems the only thing affected is any IE6 toolbar, they won’t appear or reload. Had a file STARWARE TOOLBAR that my Spy Sweeper found and removed, but still no toolbar’s. I would like software that would make this right, put the missing file back. Will yours accomplish this or can you recommend one that would?
running win98/acer aspire 333mhz,ie6
missing ntdll.dll:ntclose
October 10th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
have you tried this command
C:\documents and settings\user\ cd\
and if not. try to
run msconfig from cmd and choose selective start up
disable your system restore from system icon located at control panel
restart PCin safe mode with networking
and from there do an online scan on you system
firefox user
October 10th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
I’m experiencing the exact same problem. The background shows a false error message. I can’t access task manager because it says it’s been disabled by the administrator. If I didn’t have Firefox for a browser, the computer would be totally useless. I’ve gone through all the advice, but it seems they are one step ahead. It’s like the computer “lets” me use it, other than that, its in total control.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Josh,
It seems that you have got malware on your system. You have to fix your computer by using anti-spyware programs. You said taht you can’t access Task Manager. Press Start, click Run and then paste “REG add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v DisableTaskMgr /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f” (without quotation marks). This should enable Task Manager.
October 27th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
i can’t open taskmanager and RUN in start menu
November 11th, 2007 at 8:15 am
rachel and amy:
just add dir
C:/documents and settings\user>dir
that brings up the directories
im all for killing all these unwanted spyware junk using any weapon available
November 14th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
I can’t even get into google because my computer tells me that I am not connected to the internet. Does Ultimate defender cause this as well?
November 15th, 2007 at 2:28 am
wads da process name fer zlob?
November 20th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
lol,
There can be a few different Zlob processes. Their names are changing very often. The best solution is to scan your computer with our free scanner and remove the infected files. Our free scanner will separate the processes so you can easy find their names.
November 20th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
pat,
Very likely, that no. But it’s possible that there are many other parasites on your computer. Perhaps some of them don’t let you to connect to some pages on the internet.
December 5th, 2007 at 2:27 am
so, i don’t think AWOLA actually got installed cos it won’t appear in the task manager – but it won’t go away either. it keeps displaying messages in the task bar and keeps opening its program. how can i get rid of it?
December 5th, 2007 at 2:29 am
now my computer is telling me it can’t do the pslist thing either. “pslist is not recognized as an external or internal command”
December 5th, 2007 at 10:31 am
wes,
You have to install the additional software PsTools. You can find it here http://technet.microsoft.com/lt-lt/sysinternals/bb896649(en-us).aspx After installation PsList and PsKill should work.
December 16th, 2007 at 3:46 am
Hello! Can someone, anyone help my hubby & me!? I’ll beg if necessary..lol I just got Norton back on our computer, but somehow, most likely before I did that I got dioCleaner infected & I can’t get rid of it through the ways I’ve tried on here, this thing is WAY smater then me!! I thought by reinstalling Norton it would get rid of the DioCleaner…nope! So do I have to buy like an additional $30 spyware program or something to get rid of it? It won’t even let us look at our email’s either! I keep going to ask.com & reading as much as I can…gona be a long night! Maybe I can look at my hotmail at least. That’s meme71973@hotmail.com if anyone has any advice for us! Thanks for everything!!
Amy S.
December 22nd, 2007 at 10:49 am
Amy,
Not all antivirus programs remove spyware. And the infections are mutating very often, so it’s nearly impossible to catch and clean them very easy. You should contact the support team of your antivirus and they will help you with DioCleaner removal. Also, you can follow the DioCleaner manual removal instructions which are on http://spywareremove.com/removeDioCleaner.html . You can use our free scanner which is not removing, but detecting the infected files, so it will help you to find the locations of the infected files and then you can try to remove them manually. Otherwise, you can get a reliable anti-spyware program.
January 11th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
To Laurie & Amy.
I believe CMD opens in the current or last used directory.
To navigate, use the CD (change directory) command
To go to C: root, firefox pointed out use CD \ or Cd C:\
To go up one level, do CD.. Do that several times you’ll get to C: root
To go down a level, do CD\lowerleveldirectoryname
To see what folders / directories are in the current directory, do DIR (optionally with /P to stop it scrolling off the window)
DOS still lives
j
January 12th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Pslist and Pskill wont do anything and i know where the viruses origin file is but its protected from deletion… Why cant i use PSlist and PSkill?
January 14th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Seth,
As I mentioned above to Wes, you have to install the additional software PsTools. You can find it here http://technet.microsoft.com/lt-lt/sysinternals/bb896649(en-us).aspx After installation PsList and PsKill should work.
February 12th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I seriously need your help.
I followed your instruction to remove UltimateDefender from my system but it’s icon stilll manages to be in my toolbar! I’ve downloaded all sorts of anti spyware but it doesn’t seem to be able to get rid of it. Why?
February 13th, 2008 at 10:30 am
MJ,
It may be, that the antispyware program you have, doesn’t have the latest updates for this parasite. Did you update your antispyware program? Try to boot your computer in Safe Mode and scan with your antispyware program again. Sometimes antispyware programs remove parasites from Safe Mode, which they can’t remove in Normal Mode. If this won’t help, try to scan your computer with our free SpyHunter scanner, which will detect the infected files and show their locations. Afterwards boot your computer in Safe Mode and manually delete the infected files (Shift+Del).
February 26th, 2008 at 12:18 am
how can i completely kill all of my anti spyware on my laptop? I would like to know step by step construction so please kindly reply for my request.
February 26th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Patrick,
The instructions are on this post. There are files that change or appear new on the web for a rogue anti-spyware… there’s no 100% solution, but at least you should let most of the searching be done with a real anti-spyware program rather than you manually deleting each file which can end up in you missing one file.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:42 am
I’m having problems like this to and I can’t get my taskmgr to work and somehow its disable?? why is that?
March 5th, 2008 at 4:44 am
I’m having computer problems like these people and it changed my desktop and disable my taskmgr how does that happen and I can’t use system restore too help me someone
March 5th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Malware often disables access to Task Manager to make manual inspection and removal more difficult.
To enable Task Manager:
1) Click Start > Run
2) Type REGEDIT > OK (Registry Editor will open)
3) Browse HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\system
4) Look for the value DisableTaskMgr (right pane) > Right click > select Delete
*When asked “Are you sure you want to delete this value”, select Yes.
5) Browse HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system
6) Look for the value DisableTaskMgr (right pane) > Right click > select Delete
*When asked “Are you sure you want to delete this value”, select Yes.
7) Close the Registry (File > Exit)
Task Manager should be enabled. If not, reboot into Safe Mode and repeat these steps.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I downloaded pstools but I am still unable to use pslist or pskill. What do I do?
March 9th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Connie,
Can you use pslist or pskill in Safe Mode on your PC?
March 15th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I’ve downloaded the additional PsTools, but still getting the “does not recognize” message.
March 31st, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Hello all. Ok here is my dilemna. I have this ZLOB on my pc as well. I tried to use Norton 08. BOOOOO. its a waste of money. I used that SpyHunter and it found a lot more stuff than I was aware of. I was having trouble getting to my directory C:\ also. It worked when i did (case sensitive) CD:\. So i get to the C prompt and i type in PSLIST and to no avail. I also downloaded the PsTools and I still can not get it to run. I get the error message that says ‘pslist’ is not recognized as an internal or external blah blah blah. I really need this thing to GO AWAY!!! I am furious at how long this process has taken. I would really appreciate any guidance through my long haul of these stupid trojans and spyware and malware and viruses and and and and and. Aren’t u guys fed up? I really hope that we can get an answer soon because if not….well soon i hope.
April 26th, 2008 at 3:19 am
I am having d same probs..i downloaded the Pstools and it shows itz not recognized as a command or file..and …well am fed up too..
May 9th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Izit just kill the process and the malwarrior will be gone? Do i need to delete other files also?
thankz for helping..Really appreciate it..
May 26th, 2008 at 9:05 am
hey guys….
u tried taskkill???
i usaually use taskkill when taskmgr is disabled……(now i enable it though)
take “run”
then type taskkill /im “processname.exe” /f
processname is the name of the process
u can also enable taskmgr with registry key…..
May 30th, 2008 at 12:32 am
having troubles. I follwed each step even resarting and going on safe mode seems like spyburner has me locked and on my monitor it states: warning your computer is in danger quickly remove all spyware. Also every minute on my bottom tool bar a warning pops up stating: your computer is infected its detected a spyware infection. please help im so confused
June 4th, 2008 at 7:40 am
HI
I NEED HELP PLEASE HELP ME MY COMPUTER HAS BEEN INEFTED PLEASE HELPME
MY NAME DAVE
PLEASE CANYOU HELP ME
THANKS
June 19th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Dear,
Please help me, my task manager is lost
June 24th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I’ve read through all the remedies, but my biggest problem is that this wonderful Vista Antivirus 2008 has removed or hidden the things I need to do alot of these procedures. i.e I have a start button at the bottom, but no option to search or run, all of these have “disappeared”. How can I get to c: so that I can procede with all the processes? Please help before I start throwing things!!!!!
July 14th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I have been infective by Antivirus 2009. I followed the steps to remove but I am still being plagued by popups. the main one says “about-blocked” in the blue line and the page says “Blocked Microsoft Internet” I don’t know how to get rid of this.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:12 am
when my comand prompt comes up, it doesn’t say just “C:\” but instead a “C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator>” How can i fix that??? Help PLZ!
July 16th, 2008 at 2:21 am
hi sir,this is siva,some problem occurs in my laptop.problem is(warning! spyware detected install antivirus or spyware remover to protect ur system)when login laptop.only display this message,no other details like(start,desktopicons).did not enterning login also.pls give me some suggestion.in my harddisk important files are there pls sir…..
July 16th, 2008 at 7:19 am
ahh, i hate it, i have this thing called “Vista Antivirus 2008″ on my computer, and I just
can’t figure out how to get it out, its to hard! hehe. Should I just leave on there? I mean I use the task manager
every time to end it, but should I just find some one to delete it, or just keep it there?
What kind of hard does it really do to my computer? ahh, helppp :]
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:53 am
HELP PLEASE!
I got infected by the virus calling itself ANTIVIRUS XP 2000. The results are terrible. I can’t access the Internet, previous reestablishment points are deleted and replaced by one point, antivirus scans are not possible, just to mention a few of the problems. Attempts to uninstall the system fails, just to mention a few of the problems. I can, however still access some basic routines, including RUN…..
I am using Windows XP SP3, but in a OEMversion, preinstalled when the PC was delivered. Reinstalling Windows through a reinstall CD supplied, will mean total loss of all emails, which are important to me. (I have not made regular backups on an external harddisc frequently,following the principle: Real men do not backup… they cry!).
I am using an older PC, running Windows ME, and even though it’s terrible, it gives me a possibility to read and write emails, and use the internet. I amable to download possible needed routines to solve the problem, but since I can’t access such sites from my normal PC, and only the oldie, the only possibility to use programs or routines from the Internet is if they can be downloaded to for example a CD burned on the old, and used on the new PC.
I hope somebody on this site will be able to give me a simple and understandable solution. I am NOT an expert at all, but am as normal user able to follow instructions. IF some kind and wise soul needs additional questions answered or has the solution, then I will be eternally gratefull to receive your comments or instructions, preferably through emails to mundus@newmail.dk
Thank you in advance. I hope somebody can help me, to again get an operational PC. As far as PC knowledge is concerned: I am just a user, almost 70 years old, but still able to remember what the word “senile” means
July 24th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Could i just kill the process by using msconfig so that it doesnt even start up?
August 2nd, 2008 at 2:28 pm
my cousin downloaded a game from isohunt.com. when he finished installing the game, my laptop just performed slowly. and all those antivirus or antispyware keeps on popping on my monitor. and some porn sites also appeared on my desktop. can i erase the virus/spyware/adware manually or do i need to install an anti spyware program for it to be erased? HELP please.
August 27th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
hello, my computer just got infected by windows antivirus 2008, it has erased my run command, i cant access my task manager because it keeps saying that it has been locked by an adminstrator ( before this happened i could always access task manager by crtl-alt-del) how do i get this off my computer.
September 30th, 2008 at 7:44 am
My 1st experience, so my question is; why aren’t these bloody people found, fined and/or in prison?
The whole nasty experience is a game I just don’t wish waste time playing. Perhaps Apple’s the answer!?
October 7th, 2008 at 8:18 am
I am receiving pops saying windows has detected sypware infection when i clicked on this icon it wanted to instal xp antispyware 2009. I quickly ended it. but this pop up keeps coming up and my pc is slow. moreover the windows background that was originally blue is now black in color. I have checked for this virus on my task manager but i do not know which program is the virus. Any help plz
October 10th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Hi,my name is Marta,i´m from portugal.
I tryed to follow the list to remove the Ultimate antivirus 2008,but when i open my computer it happens all again from the beginning.The virus don´t dissapered.Please help me!!!
October 12th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
FYI, if you are getting the error “locked by an adminstrator” it means you have Vista and you do not have admin rights. Go into start, right click run command, use as admin and it will let you use any command.
Nick, no. A lot of viruses change their names even after you disable it in MSconfig.
This is the setup I have in preventing viruses is free avg, PC tools firewall and firefox
October 20th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
i have the problems where task manager and regedit are disable ,, surely cause by the virus.
msconfig’s file still exist but cannot be open.
this is running process i,ve found:
guwyw.exe (3696) 10/20/2008 6:17:04 PM C:\DOCUME~1\jeje\LOCALS~1\Temp\guwyw.exe
sjag.exe (624) 10/20/2008 6:17:11 PM C:\DOCUME~1\jeje\LOCALS~1\Temp\sjag.exe
and also this windows process backup for that virus:
wscript.exe (5896) 10/20/2008 7:25:19 PM C:\windows\System32\WScript.exe
i,ve tried to remove manually like i always done before, i off system restore, del all the keys from registry and delete that virus files.. but they win over me… I found the new name for the virus from running process:
rekthy.exe (3696) 10/20/2008 7:15:03 PM C:\DOCUME~1\jeje\LOCALS~1\Temp\rekhty.exe
dbroun.exe (624) 10/20/2008 7:15:10 PM C:\DOCUME~1\jeje\LOCALS~1\Temp\dbroun.exe
they change their name itself..
im use panda antivirus with latest update.. but it does’t detect it..
October 20th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
folder option still exist .. but when u show the hidden files .. it back to do not show hidden files …
for those who cannot access task manager, u can use this method, copy the codes below and save it in the notepad, rename it as proclist.vbs. double click proclist.vbs and it will create notepad file named processlist.txt.
).
double click proclist.vbs again and open processlist.txt file .. u can see process list of your system there. tq for those who create that codes
here the codes
Set objFS = CreateObject(”Scripting.FileSystemObject”)
Set objNewFile = objFS.CreateTextFile(”ProcessList.txt”)
strComputer = “.”
Set objWMIService = GetObject(”winmgmts:” _
& “{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\” _
& strComputer & “\root\cimv2″)
Set dtmInstallDate = CreateObject( _
“WbemScripting.SWbemDateTime”)
Set colProcesses = objWMIService.ExecQuery( _
“select * from win32_process” )
For Each objProcess in colProcesses
strOutput = strOutput & _
objProcess.Name & ” (” & objProcess.ProcessID & “)”
If objProcess.CreationDate “null” Then
strOutput = strOutput & vbTab & _
getmytime(objProcess.CreationDate)
End If
If objProcess.ExecutablePath “null” Then
strOutput = strOutput & vbTab & _
objProcess.ExecutablePath
End If
strOutput = strOutput & vbCrLf
Next
objNewFile.WriteLine strOutput
Function getmytime(wmitime)
dtmInstallDate.Value = wmitime
getmytime = dtmInstallDate.GetVarDate
End Function
October 27th, 2008 at 11:45 am
good suggestions, but still stuck with some spyware that refuses to go!
October 28th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Hello! There is a new process explorer that detects all sorts of evil processes.
I used it to kill that awful bagel worm, that created hidden protected processes using a rootkit..
It is called Nixie. And can be found at netnixie.com
After killing the bad things you can run regular anti-virus\spyware things to remove left overs…
November 16th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
I have been infected by antivirus 2009..ive tried to delete it and i ahve also went to task manager and deleted the processes but it still doesnt work. now i cant even access anything, when i try to go online…it says….blocked becasue of virus threat. Any help please?
November 20th, 2008 at 3:38 am
what if the response for pslist is like this “pslist is not recognized as internal orexternal command, operable program or batch file” please i need your help to remove the antivirus 2009
December 11th, 2008 at 3:45 am
every time i try to delete this spy using command propmt window, my computer automatically shuts off… what else can i do to remove this spy protector on my computer.. pls help.. i really don’t know much about pc’s..
December 13th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
hi.. erm u know ur meant to like delete is from the process box in task manager… i have the antivirus2009 thing that pops up with you have a security problem and plays music and stops me watching videos
help please
what would be called in task amanger… i cant work out which 1 it is to delete it
xx
December 17th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Felicitaciones, me han servido sus consejos. Es una excelente pàgina voy a recomendar a mis compañeros de universidad
December 21st, 2008 at 4:25 am
my laptop’ background freezes when the computer starts ups ,
i can control anything and open anything using task manager when i clicked on the new task manager and theres a virus called:
Worm.Generic.27489
i cant delete it ,even using command promp and task manager, even all the online scans cant delete it,
what should i do now?
help!
December 30th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I’ve got the Internet Antivirus Pro malware that my Norton Anitivirus program didn’t catch.I guess because I didn’t pay the extra $30 for spyware coverage. When I go to taskmanager and end the process of the offending program it immediately restarts. I went in to edit the registry but only found 2 files with obvious offending program names. I’ve downloaded a spyware scanner from the internet but I don’t think the malware is letting it load. If I reformat the hard drive I’m afraid some of the malware files may still be in the registry and remanifest in the newly formatted HD. Can this happen?
January 14th, 2009 at 12:29 am
i have a antispyware-antivirus program installed but i keep getting popus saying i have security problems, i run the spyware, it picks up some suspect files but does not clear the security problem. what do i do? my windows progam picks ramdom spyware removale programs, and they scan but they keep tryin to get me to buy something. how do i get rid of this mess
January 21st, 2009 at 9:29 am
I have been infected with Spyware Protect 2009 and I can’t seem to find it on my system to delete it. Any suggestions?
January 30th, 2009 at 9:05 am
pslist not recognized command..help..i got “ñiäw” and it is so anoying…i got two (2) csrss.exe process inmy task manager.. how to delete ñiäw?
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:15 am
Newbie here. Hope someone can advise me. I intend to build my first desktop computer soon. I plan to use Windows XP. I want to eliminate all the unnescessary BS programs/software that comes with it. I want to basically keep the “Guts” of the OS; IE; Bluetooth and wireless; the Windows Media Player; Basic games, you don’t have to pay for; Paint; Word, Window Defender; whatever MS Office elements that come with it, etc. I will choose and buy, my own internet security software, and CD/DVD copy, ripping programs, Codecs; Photo management, etc. Can I find such a stripped down program?
I especially want to eliminate any games that are the “Teaser” types that want you to play now and pay later, as well as any spyware that comes installed on a new OS. I hope this will make for a leaner, faster, safer and less problematic computer OS, with little or no compatibility issues. All the promotional stuff that comes on the OS from the factory, I want gone. I see alot of that stuff remains in the hard drive taking up space and doing things in the background somewhere.
Am I asking too much? Is this possible? I am not a “Techie” with the knowledge to safely go in and find this stuff to remove it.
If this is possible, then which XP version should I get?
I would appreciate some advice. Thanks!
February 6th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Problem in explorer. Some unwanted backgroung music starts suddenly wen laptop is on.if i kill explorer through task manager or if i refresh on desktop background music will stop suddenly.plz any one give me the solution ?. is formatting laptop only way to remove background music?
February 7th, 2009 at 1:48 am
I have managed to get system guard 2009 on my system, i have been following the walkthroughs on its removal, i have slaved the hard drive to another and operating from there to manipoulate it, but i do not know how to get into %systemroot% to remove items, how do i get into it please?
February 7th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
I have been infected with Spyware Protect 2009 and I can’t seem to find it on my system to delete it. I’ve done multiple scans with Norton and SpywareDoctor. They both say I have no problems, But, Spyware Protect 2009 keeps popping up. Any suggestions?
February 10th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
ok the xppolice i have must be smart or i am retarded i try to pull up the task manager is disabled by the administrator so i cant shut it down and i tried doing it under the run section but it says the same thing anyone with any info would be great thatnks
February 10th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
i have gotten most of the spy ware to get off my computer but not all of it when i try to do the task manager to bring up all the tasks it says that it has been disabled by the computer administrator, which is me lol, so now i feel i am between a rock and a hard spot to fixing my computer if there is any suggestions i would greatly appreciate it thank you
February 11th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
i think i managed to get rid of xp police antivirus but i still can access task manager. any tips?
April 8th, 2009 at 1:31 am
Wow – Mark’s pslist & pskill are terrific. There’s a setting in the registry that controls whether taskmgr is disabled or not.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:18 am
just type ” cd .. ” when u get ” C:\documents and settings\ user ”
so that u’ll get “C:\documents and settings\ ”
then again retype ” cd .. ”
so that u’ll get ” C:\ ”
from where u can function
May 8th, 2009 at 11:51 am
hi,there!
anybody who could help, please help me out here.
as the problem i have is, my pc got infected by AVKill.xnxlufi, which i have not been able to delect it from my pc so far, so i need some guidance to get rid of this bloody Trojan from my pc.
if you be grateful if you guys could help me out!!!!!!!!!!!
June 9th, 2009 at 12:14 am
Hi,
It seems that I have acquired “personal antivirus.” I do not know where and how to delete it or remove it? I currently have Windows Live OneCare and it is scanning at the moment. I read about it and I know what it is; I am sure it is malware. Can anyone help me to figure out how to remove it? Please and thank you
June 17th, 2009 at 6:03 am
-originally, task manager wouldnt budge
-AVG antivirus cant be installed or launched
-tried dtask manager (kill task override disabled)
-tried the pskill method : Access is Denied
dont know what to do next.
trying to kill csrss.exe
can drop an email to me @ siongkin@hotmail.com
June 25th, 2009 at 10:24 am
i have the personal antivirus and need help removing does anyone know how nothing has worked
July 5th, 2009 at 5:35 am
hello
can any ane help from the system security 2009
pleace can any ano send the process how to delete/kill the virus /malware/spyware
this is my email :kandagatla_sandeep@yahoo.in
July 5th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
was in the process of removing swpdemo 2009, when accessing the first two websites the second one automatically did a scan and wouldn’t allow me to leave site i suspect it installed the system security version 4.52.
was able to uninstall, and yet it still remains.
does not allow access to task mgr thru (cntrl+alt+dlte) or when using run (taskmgr), run (REGEDIT), run (cmd) for Pskill.
can anyone help???
July 19th, 2009 at 3:26 am
My computer has recently be infected with the trojan virus as well as spyware and worms. After letting family members use my computer I discovered numerous game program downloads as well as the unistallation of my anti-spyware & antivirus programs. Now I am getting “Application cannot be executed [processname.exe]” pop ups. I have tried to download kill spyware & trojan remover programs trying all of the above suggested routes without success. I am so frustrated that I have even tried to restore my computer to the factory settings. That even failed. (all personal data/documents/files were backed up and are protected) What is the best way to go about cleaning out this mess? I hope someong can help.
July 20th, 2009 at 10:28 am
when i try the part of stoping the process it says that i cant .and when i try the pslist thing it wont let me type anything..what do i do now?
July 20th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
I can get on to task manager, but when i go on it, and click on csrrs, then on end process, is says ” The operation could not be completed. access denied”
July 31st, 2009 at 11:57 am
Personal AV is still on my system. OUCH. I tried uninstalling, task manager and cmd for the pskill and no luck in removing it. I changed the dos drive to be on c:\ by entering cd.. but I have no luch finding the pskill of personal AV files to delete. I went into safe mode and still no such luck deleting (Uninstalling) this Personal AV. What other options are there. Should I trash (delete) my entire sysem and reinstall all programs and windows XP?
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Where can I get a list of what the processes are and which ones I need and which ones I dont.
August 6th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I tried all these steps. wont let me type anything.
August 15th, 2009 at 12:27 am
use the tskmgr comand. Go to start, and click on Run. in the space provided type tskmgr, then click on processes. You will see all the processes in action. Identify the process you want to kill, in this case it will be sp2009. Click end process to kill it.
August 22nd, 2009 at 6:06 pm
The smart virus eliminator has remove my administrative right. I can’t pull up cmd, taskmgr or even remove the programs out of my computer. Please advise. Thank you.
August 23rd, 2009 at 9:31 am
THanks for all the help! I too have located the following infections: msavsc.exe, msctrl.exe, msfw.exe, msiemon.exe, mssadv.exe, msscan.exe in a temp file. The malware has disabled access to TaskMgr. My question, what do I do first….delete the malware or establish access to TaskMgr. Please help with the exact sequence of “what to do”. THanks in advance for the response!
August 23rd, 2009 at 9:43 am
Regarding the entry below…I am unable to delete the indicated *.exe files with several windows and several dos tools. They seem un-deletable!
________________________
August 23rd, 2009 at 9:31 am
THanks for all the help! I too have located the following infections: msavsc.exe, msctrl.exe, msfw.exe, msiemon.exe, mssadv.exe, msscan.exe in a temp file. The malware has disabled access to TaskMgr. My question, what do I do first….delete the malware or establish access to TaskMgr. Please help with the exact sequence of “what to do”. THanks in advance for the response!
August 24th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I am at the cmd stage and when I press enter it comes up C:\User\myname> when I try to put in pstlist nothing happens. how do I fix this
August 24th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
I also do do not get the color codes to modify in the step before did i miss something?
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
SOMEONE HELP! Every time i pull up the command prompt and type something in it says “pslist” is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file
September 5th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
hi the other day, this popup comes up on screen telling me that i have 32 different viruses on my(brand new) computer, wich i now know i didnt.So i clicked on the popup and installed Total security ver 4.52 , and now it wont let me run ANY software, or install anything, every time i try to open any software or installany thing, a popup message come up saying:Application cannot be executed.The file name … is infected.Please activate your antivirus software.
I cant even open WMP!!!
Ive tried finding the program files but that popup comes up and closes watever im trying to open, ive tried.It basically blocks me from opening anything on my computer.The only thing i can use my computer for atm is the internet browser, other than that its totally useless.
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!
September 6th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Thanks very helpful
September 10th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Total Security has taken over my computer. I am not able to open anything except the internet. I can not download anything to get rid of it because it blocks it from acessing the internet. I can not manually do it either. How can I get rid of this Total Security.
September 12th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I have been infected with da virus : Personal antivirus and its so annoying. It won’t let me in to websites keeps tellin me dat the site contain things that might harm my computer when they dont. I have googled the site and it says its a fake antivirus and when i try to remove it i have 2 download things and then it scans the pc then you have 2pay to remove it? Is there any way i don’t have 2pay? And i can’t unistall it? I didnt download this personal antivirus it just came by its self! I have tryed so much and i cant seem to get rid of it please sum1 help and tell me how
September 14th, 2009 at 9:32 am
My computer was infected by Total Security 2009.
I tried removing it with anti-spyware (3 different applications) without success.
I tried to remove the various parts manually, which only caused more problems.
Now I am at the stage where nothing works and on trying to reinstall Windows, the disc reads but cycles back to the beginning without getting to the welcome page.
Any fixes with this please !!?
Gil
September 15th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
OMg ThiS really Works I hate does personal antivirus.I will never accept one Thank You AlOt
September 17th, 2009 at 1:13 am
Well I can open folders but i cant open any programs to get rid of this TOTAL SECURITY!!!!
September 20th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I have “windows police pro” on my computer. This has taken over everything. I can not run a search or open any porgrams. I can log onto the internet, but can not open any links to scan my computer. HELP
September 20th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
To kill personal AV , just find it in the task Manager like the method 1, its name is: PAV. Good luck
September 24th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Jacob, I too have been taken over by
September 24th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Jacob, I too have been taken over by TOTAL SECURITY and need help getting rid of it. Have tried some of the “solutions” on the net but to no avail. Seems like it popped up after I downloaded, bought & installed Paretologic antivirus & spyware. Don’t know if this TOTAL SECURITY was attacted to the download are not but it only appeared after using the Paretologic download. Hopefully someone will help.
Bill
September 25th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Ive been blessed with the Total Security somethingware and cant get rid of it. I have read and tried all that you have posted. I cant get in to task manager, cant log on to the internet. none of the commands work and cant get into the add/remove programs. I cant find anything in the program files or even know what to look for. Please help!
September 29th, 2009 at 6:59 am
ive been infected unfortunately not sure where from but probably from that shitty Limewire n or
from the community networks…it made the laptop go dead at the weekend,but when i took it from my boyfriends house to mine it just worked again…Tele @ safety & windows defender cant find anything…then i downloaded trojanhunter and did lots of scans which came out clear ,except for 4 permant scan report notifications as follows : Port 5151/TCP is open (matches optixlite 0.20),Port 5151/TCP is open (matches optixlite 0.30),Port 5151/TCP is open (matches optixlite 0.40) & Port 5151/TCP is open (matches optixlite 500)…which ive found out now to be trojans…pls urgent help with the best way to remove this pest/virus…lol…its so annoying…thanks
September 30th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Hey i’ve been infected by antivirus plus and it keeps popping up every 10 seconds and i want to uninstall it but when i went to uninstall program it wasn’t there and i went online and it appears it is a rogue. I dont want to pay to uninstall it but i dont understand how to do the manual uninstall people provided. If someone can give me an easy guide to eradicate this scumware i would appreciate it very much.
October 1st, 2009 at 8:48 am
I have been also attack by total security , its very nasty and hard to get read off. can anybody help please
October 1st, 2009 at 10:40 am
I tried to remove Total Security from the add/ remove on my computer, but it says this is a read only program in order to fix the problem download Total Security and the problem will be fixed.
Total security is the (PROBLEM)!!!!!!!
HELP!!!!
October 8th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Hi i need your HELP! I was just trying to download ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS4 in limewire, when i opened the set up,AVG informed me that i have a Trojan (i didnt take note the virus) I was in panic,and i see this a.exe and d.exe in my task manager,when i go to regedit,nordbull and poprock and xml is present…I tried to remove them through AVG and i thought i got rid of it but when i tried to scan on Norton internet security High Risks for Suspicious:MH690.A – Heuristic Virus located in at C:\windows\system32\rorzl.exe and C:\windows\system32\etxx06563.exe, and W32.irc robot…..These high risks virus are BLOCKED and i cant do anything to get rid of it…When i go to msconfig, theres 2 POP ROCK in the start up registry…
I was really scared yesterday night so I deleted Pop rock,Nordbull and XML from regedit…I also deleted d.exe and a.exe in the search…but still it keeps on running…i tried to follow your instructions here,i tried to go to cmd,when i try to type pslist it says its not a correct command………Pls i really need your help,AVG and Norton and Spyhunter didnt take effect……………………I also have hijack this but i dont wanna make mistakes…..
October 9th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
i am one of those ‘computer iliterates’ that got stuck with this stupid fake personal anti virus thingy.
can i say a BIG Thank you for putting up some simple & might i add effective instructions to DESTROY that God awful program that was making me tear my hair out!
thank god for sites like this you gave me back my sanity,
October 18th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
i too am one of those computer illiterates and i,m bugged by cyber security that i did not sign for and when i go to add/remove i,m blocked from doing so. i want to remove cyber security from my computer i am covered by mcfee. can you help me? I hope this is not another fake help me program.
October 21st, 2009 at 2:27 am
I have a quick question. While its obvious that my desktop has problems, it was not obvious that my laptop did. I ran the spyhunter on both and found out that i have malware. If I purchase the spyhunter for 29 euros, can I use it on both? They are running on the same router, but are not connected via LAN. Thanks in advance for any info. Oh, and THANK YOU for giving me my task administrator back on the desktop!!!!!!
October 27th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
i hate this security words, they ae so stupid, and i never get them right and i don’t know why
October 29th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
In attempting to rid my life of Cyber Security (thanks alot, kids), I downloaded the PsTools suite hoping to make use of pslist and pskill. However, I still am receiving the message on command prompt that pslist is not recognized as internal/external file… etc… I have not seen an answer to this issue that others had as well – what is the answer? Thanks.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:11 am
For those having a hard time getting your task manager or command prompt to open after getting these “Antivirus” programs, you will have to be quick, but here’s how to do it (I run XP so I can’t say if it works for any other OS): Restart your computer. Once you see the “start” button come up immediately click on it then click run. Enter “taskmgr” in the box and hit “enter”. This will get your task manager up so you can kill the main processes for these “antivirus” programs. Since there are different variations of the processes ( I got hit with a variation of Antivirus System Pro, the main processes were “xtxnsysguard.exe” and a process that was just numbers) you will have to figure out which processes you have kill. Once you kill the main processes in task manager you will be able to continue removal without hindrance.