WindowSecure

WindowSecure is a hoax program designed solely to trick Windows users into thinking their comptuers are full of viruses so that they’ll hand over money for a nonexistent full version. So you have been warned. Whatever steps you take to deal with this pest, the last thing you should do is give these crooks your money, because you won’t get anything in return. In fact, the program won’t go away if you pay, and it may even bring in additional infections.

These programs get around the web mainly as trojans attached to misleading downloads, and they are also promoted on shady websites that exist for only a day or two before being taken down. These pests are easily caught by antivirus programs like STOPzilla, but it usually takes a couple days for the web security world to catch on to each new threat. That’s why we see so many identical pests being released under different names every few days.

Obviously, the best way to get rid of WindowSecure is to run a full scan with a real security program, but of course you probably would not have gotten this program on your PC if you had had security software running in the first place. So if you are the type who resists antivirus software for whatever reason, I’ll take you through the experts-only manual removal instructions.

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Delete WindowSecure registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “WindowSecure”

Delete WindowSecure files:

%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\WindowSecure\WindowSecure.lnk
%UserProfile%\Desktop\WindowSecure.lnk

DIY WindowSecure Removal Instructions

Start by removing the above files. If you're not sure how to do this, refer to the instructions below.

Note: In any files I mention above, “%UserProfile%” is a variable referring to your current user’s profile folder. (Not an iEuphemism for muth@fugg@#*!@.) So if you’re using Windows NT/2000/XP/7, by default this is “C:\Documents and Settings\[CURRENT USER]” (e.g., “C:\Documents and Settings\NoahFence”).

How to Manually Delete Badware Files

Need some removing badware files help? No biggie. While you should only manually delete badware files if you're comfy editing your system, you'll find it's pretty easy. And probably really satisfying.

How to delete badware files in Windows XP/Vista/7:

1. Click your Windows Start menu, then click "Search."
2. A pop up will ask, "What do you want to search for?" Click "All files and folders."
3. Type a badware file in the search box, and select "Local Hard Drives."
4. Click "Search." Once the badware file is found, delete it.

How to stop badware processes:

1. Click the Start menu, select Run.
2. Type taskmgr.exe into the the Run command box, and click "OK." You can also launch the Task Manager by pressing keys CTRL + Shift + ESC.
3. Click Processes tab, and find badware processes.
4. Once you've found the badware processes, right-click them and select "End Process" to kill badware.

How to remove badware registry keys:

Backup your registry before you edit it. Then...

1. Click the Start menu, and click "Run." An "Open" field will appear. Type "regedit" and click "OK " to open up your Registry Editor. In Windows 7, just type "regedit" into the "Search programs and files" box in the Start menu.
2. Registry Editor opens as a two-paned window: the left side lets you select registry keys,the right side shows the values of any selected registry key.
3. To find a badware registry key, select "Edit," then select "Find," and in the search bar type any of badware 's registry keys.
4. When the badware registry key appears, to delete the badware registry key, right-click it, and select "Modify," then select "Delete."

How to delete badware DLLs:

1. Open the Start menu, and click "Run." Type "cmd" in Run, and click "OK." (In Windows 7, just type "regedit" into the "Search programs and files" box in the Start menu.)
2. To change your current directory, type "cd" in the command box, press "Space," and enter the full directory where the badware DLL is located. If you're not sure where the badware DLL is located, enter "dir" in the command box to display a directory's contents. To go one directory back, type "cd .." in the command box and press "Enter."
3. When you've found a badware DLL, type "regsvr32 /u SampleDLLName.dll" (e.g., "regsvr32 /u jl27script.dll") and press "Enter."

That's it. If you want to restore any badware DLL you removed, type "regsvr32 DLLJustDeleted.dll" (e.g., "regsvr32 jl27script.dll") into your command box, and press "Enter."

Did badware change your homepage?

1. Select Start menu > Control Panel > Internet Options > General.
2. Type your preferred home page's URL.
3. Click "Use Default," "Apply," and "OK."