How to Remove the AntiSpyWareSetup.exe Malware

AntispyWareSetup.exe has been identified as malware, which is a form of a computer virus. The intent of AntispyWareSetup.exe is to gather personal information about you and your computer. Identity thieves intend to use the information this malware gathers, or sell it to marketing companies.

AntispyWareSetup.exe is unlike many other harmful software in that it often prompts you to install it. The very name is intended to make you believe it is a perfectly safe piece of software. The prompt will often look very innocuous, merely asking that you install the AntispyWareSetup.exe file onto your hard drive. It tells you it has detected out-of-date or insufficient internet security on your computer. It even resembles a Windows update, further masking the heinous nature of this malware.

What is AntispyWareSetup.exe?

Once it is installed onto your hard drive, this malware will begin giving you messages regarding detected infections. This is what is known as scareware. It is intended to frighten you into disclosing credit card information in order to purchase the full product so that it can then remove these fake infections from your machine.

Because of the way AntispyWareSetup.exe is designed, it can slip unnoticed past certain forms of anti-virus software. Also, if your virus-scan software is out of date, it is possible that this infection will creep into your system.

What it Does

When it gets into your computer, this malware works very hard to disguise itself, which means that simple uninstall protocols will not remove it because they will not even be able to find the program. It also takes control of the entire computer system, which means that trying to update your anti-virus software and then run it will not work. To purge this infection, you will need to do it manually.

Note: One of the most common tactics of some reputable anti-virus protection companies is to use an infection on your computer as a way to sell you their product. Be wary of removal instructions in which you must buy their product. This is only a more legitimate form of this type of scam.

Manual Removal of AntispyWareSetup.exe

1. Restart Your Computer in Safe Mode: Restart your computer. Before Windows starts, repeatedly press the F8 key to bring up your boot options. There will be the option to boot up in Safe Mode. Alternately, you can simply shut your computer down without shutting down Windows by holding down the power key on your computer. This will also bring up the boot menu.
2. End the AntispyWareSetup.exe Processes: Enter the Task Manager by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys. In the Task Manager, you will want to select the Processes tab. Typically, the processes for AntispyWareSetup.exe are labeled as random.exe, but it may be different on some computers. Right click on any random.exe process and end it.
3. Delete the Programs it Has Added: Now that the processes are no longer running, you can simply search your computer for AntispyWareSetup.exe and delete all the files you find.
4. Clean Your Registry: Begin by backing up your registry. Do this by making a System Restore Snapshot. Once you have backed up your computer's registry, you will then want to run Regedit on your computer. To do this, enter your Start menu, select Run and type "regedit." You will then want to find the registry entry: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\AntiSpyWareSetup.exe" and delete it.

This will then allow you to update your virus-scanning software and perform a deep system scan to remove any lingering infections on your computer. Once this scan is complete, run it a second time to ensure that all harmful software has been removed. Congratulations, your computer is now clear!

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