Removing Antivirus 2011

Antivirus 2011 is bogus anti-spyware and anti-virus software that attempts to fool users into purchasing a software suite that does not even exist. In a nutshell, once your computer is infected with Antivirus 2011, the software displays several alarming alerts that list many supposed viruses that have hijacked your computer. In reality, the infected files listed by Antivirus 2011 are not real – they are complete fabrications. This is all done in an attempt to get you to hand over your credit card number to purchase the software. Remember, however, that this scamming software is just that – a total scam. If your computer has been infected with Antivirus 2011, you should remove it as soon as possible.

About Antivirus 2011

You get this bogus anti-virus software from phishing websites. If you visit such a site, online alerts will pop up saying that a web-based version of the software has detected several types of malware on your computer. The alerts will prompt you to download the entire, free version of the software so that it can fully detect and identify all the viruses on your computer. If – and only if – you hit the download button, the bogus anti-virus software will infect your computer. If you simply visited a phishing website, saw the online advertisement for Antivirus 2011 and did not download it, your computer should not be infected.

If you did download the bogus software, it will automatically load every time Windows starts. The software will then run a fake scan and present several very over-hyped alarm messages listing the many infections on your computer. However, if you try to use the software to remove any of the listed infections, another message will appear that says you need to upgrade to the paid version of the software in order to remove the infections. Again, the alert messages displayed are quite dramatic, often presenting phrases like, "Your computer is in Danger!" "Your computer is compromised by hackers, adware, malware and worms!" and "Antivirus Clean 2011 has detected serious threats to your computer!"

Even though these alert messages sound harrowing, they are all entirely false, so you should most definitely not upgrade to the paid version. Upgrading to the paid version not only means paying for something that does not exist, but also handing over your credit card information to hackers. If you have upgraded to the paid version, call your credit card company immediately and reverse the charges. Also, be sure to check your recent transaction history to make sure the hackers are not ringing up other charges in your name.

Removing Antivirus 2011

Removing Antivirus 2011 manually is not simple. While it can be done, successfully removing the bogus software entails printing out an entire instruction guide. You'll need to know your computer well, along with the locations of various files. If you're not tech savvy, this is probably something you do not want to do. There is another option, and that is using anti-virus software to remove the fake anti-virus malware. Many of the top-rated anti-virus software suites can not only protect your computer from future viruses, but can also scan for, detect and automatically remove viruses that have already made their way onto your computer.

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