If you have Virus Protector on your computer, don’t be taken in by the minimalist design or the big promises. This is classic fake antispyware, and if you don’t get rid of it soon, you may notice your computer acting weirder and weirder until it finally goes kaput—and I don’t think we want that.

This virus probably got onto your computer through ill-advised downloads, but that doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that this thing messes with your registry and your browser, spams you with endless Virus Protector pop-ups, and tries to scare you into paying for a registered version.

It’s frustrating, but don’t start salvaging your PC’s parts just yet. Let me show you how to get rid of Virus Protector for free.

Ready to get rid of Virus Protector? Check our instructions on how to uninstall Virus Protector.

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Do You Have Virus Protector?

When you’re infected with badware — whether it’s Virus Protector, spyware, adware, a Trojan, or a virus — there are a few key symptoms. Have you noticed…

• Slow computer performance: It just takes one parasite like Virus Protector to slow your computer dramatically. If your PC takes longer than usual to reboot, or if your Internet connection is unusually slow, you may be infected with Virus Protector.
• New desktop shortcuts or switched homepage: Badware like Virus Protector may change your Internet settings to redirect your homepage to another site. Badware can even add desktop shortcuts to your PC.
• Annoying popups: Badware can bombard your computer with popup ads, even when you’re not online. Through these popups, you may be tricked into downloading more spyware.

How to Remove Virus Protector Manually

Before we get started, you should backup your system and your registry, so it’ll be easy to restore your computer if anything goes wrong.

To remove Virus Protector manually, you need to delete Virus Protector files. Not sure how to delete Virus Protector files? Click here, and I’ll show you. Otherwise, go ahead and…

Stop Virus Protector processes:

Remove Virus Protector registry values:

Remove Virus Protector DLLs:

Delete Virus Protector files:

Get rid of Virus Protector folders:

Note: In any Virus Protector files I mention above, “%UserProfile%” is a variable referring to your current user’s profile folder. 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\JoeSmith”). If you have any questions about manual Virus Protector removal, go ahead and leave a comment.

How Do You Remove Virus Protector Files?

Need help figuring out how to delete Virus Protector files? While there’s some risk involved, and you should only manually remove Virus Protector files if you’re comfortable editing your system, you’ll find it’s fairly easy to delete Virus Protector files in Windows.

How to delete Virus Protector files in Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7:

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

How to stop Virus Protector 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 Virus Protector processes.
4. Once you’ve found the Virus Protector processes, right-click them and select “End Process” to kill Virus Protector.

How to remove Virus Protector registry keys:

Because your registry is such a key piece of your Windows system, you should always backup your registry before you edit it. Editing your registry can be intimidating if you’re not a computer expert, and when you change or a delete a critical registry key or value, there’s a chance you may need to reinstall your entire system. Make sure you backup your registry before editing it.

1. Select your Windows menu “Start,” 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 Windows start menu.
2. Registry Editor will open as a window with two panes. The left side Registry Editor’s window lets you select various registry keys, and the right side displays the registry values of the registry key you select.
3. To find a registry key, such as any Virus Protector registry keys, select “ Edit,” then select “ Find,” and in the search bar type any of Virus Protector ‘s registry keys.
4. As soon as Virus Protector registry key appears, you can delete the Virus Protector registry key by right-clicking it and selecting “ Modify,” then clicking “ Delete.”

How to delete Virus Protector DLL files:

1. First locate Virus Protector DLL files you want to delete. Open your Windows Start menu, then click “Run.” Type “cmd ” in Run, and click “OK.” In Windows 7, just type “regedit” into the “Search programs and files” box in the Windows start menu.
2. To change your current directory, type “cd” in the command box, press your “Space” key, and enter the full directory where the Virus Protector DLL file is located. If you’re not sure if the Virus Protector DLL file is located in a particular directory, enter “dir ” in the command box to display a directory’s contents. To go one directory back, enter “cd .. ” in the command box and press “Enter.”
3. When you’ve located the Virus Protector DLL file you want to remove, type “regsvr32 /u SampleDLLName.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 /u jl27script.dll”) and press your “Enter” key.

That’s it. If you want to restore any Virus Protector DLL file you removed, type “regsvr32 DLLJustDeleted.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 jl27script.dll”) into your command box, and press your “Enter” key.

Did Virus Protector change your homepage?

1. Click Windows Start menu > Control Panel > Internet Options.
2. Under Home Page, select the General > Use Default.
3. Type in the URL you want as your home page (e.g., “http://www.homepage.com”).
4. Select Apply > OK.
5. You’ll want to open a fresh web page and make sure that your new default home page pops up.

Virus Protector Removal Tip

Is your computer acting funny after deleting any Virus Protector files? I recommend using a program like File Recover from PC Tools. File Recover saves deleted files that otherwise can’t be recovered by Windows operating system.

Want to save time finding Virus Protector files? Download Spyware Doctor, let it find the Virus Protector files for you, and then manually delete the Virus Protector files.

How Did You Get Virus Protector?

Wondering how Virus Protector ended up on your PC? If you’re infected with Virus Protector or other badware, perhaps you were using…

• Freeware or shareware: Did you download and install shareware or freeware? These low-cost or free software applications may come bundled with spyware, adware, or programs like Virus Protector. Sometimes adware is attached to the free software to “pay” developers for the cost of creating the software, and more often spyware is secretly attached to free software to harm your computer and steal your personal and financial information.
• Peer-to-peer software: Do you use a peer-to-peer (P2P) program or other application with a shared network? When you use these applications, you put your system at risk for unknowingly downloading an infected file, including applications like Virus Protector.
• Questionable websites : Did you visit a website that’s of questionable nature? When you visit malicious sites that are fishy and phishy, badware may be automatically downloaded and installed onto your computer, sometimes including applications like Virus Protector. I recommend you use Firefox web browser, if you don’t already.

Understanding Virus Protector

If you’re infected with Virus Protector, you should know what you’re fighting. I’ll explain some definitions related to Virus Protector.