By Kristopher

How to Remove “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup

Updated Jul 10, 2010

“Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup screenshot “Your PC is not protected” popup is a fake system alert from scam software AntivirusBEST. This spoof “Your PC is not protected” system alert reads:

Your PC is not protected. Security center reports that ‘AntivirusBEST’ is inactive. Antivirus software helps to protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. Click here for the suggested actions. Your system might be at risk now.”

If you follow this “Your PC is not protected” popup’s “suggested actions,” you’ll be tricked into blowing dough on AntivirusBEST. The only thing AntivirusBEST protects you from is saving money.

Let me show you how to remove this “Your PC is not protected” popup, before it makes you toss your computer in a bubble bath.

Ready to get rid of “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup? Check our instructions on how to uninstall “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup.

Automatically remove “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup

(FY to the I: we earn a commish from Spyware Doctor. But we honestly dig the award-winning anti-badware — read our review.)

Do You Have “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup?

When you’re infected with badware — whether it’s “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup, 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup.
  • New desktop shortcuts or switched homepage: Badware like “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup Manually

“Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup warning 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup manually, you need to delete “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup files. Not sure how to delete “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup files? Click here, and I’ll show you. Otherwise, go ahead and…

Block “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup sites:

www.your-security-center.com
www.best-protect.info

Delete “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup files:

c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AB\abest.exe
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AB\Installer.exe
c:\documents and settings\All Users\Application Data\AB\svchost.exe
c:\documents and settings\all users\start menu\Programs\antivirusbest\AntivirusBEST.lnk
c:\documents and settings\all users\start menu\Programs\antivirusbest\Uninstall.lnk
c:\documents and settings\all users\Desktop\AntivirusBEST.lnk
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AB\QWProtect.dll
c:\documents and settings\All Users\Application Data\AB\ABEST.CAB
c:\documents and settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AntiVirusBEST
c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AB\

Remove “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup registry values:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Stats\{44b2c9f5-608d-46de-82e1-26c5bcb85193}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects\{44b2c9f5-608d-46de-82e1-26c5bcb85193}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\qwprotect.qwprotectbho
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{296a8a7f-b5ac-4789-9b33-f32c2f9a6abd}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{44b2c9f5-608d-46de-82e1-26c5bcb85193}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\qwprotect.qwprotectbho.1
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AppID\{296a8a7f-b5ac-4789-9b33-f32c2f9a6abd}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AppID\QWProtect.dll
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib\{684a7904-2593-4bbe-a90e-cdaf2ac606ae}

Note: In any “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup removal, go ahead and leave a comment.

How Do You Remove “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup Files?

Need help figuring out how to delete “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup files? While there’s some risk involved, and you should only manually remove “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup files if you’re comfortable editing your system, you’ll find it’s fairly easy to delete “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup files in Windows.

How to delete “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup file in the search box, and select “Local Hard Drives.”
  4. Click “ Search.” Once the file is found, delete it.

How to stop “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup processes.
  4. Once you’ve found the “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup processes, right-click them and select “End Process” to kill “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup.

How to remove “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup registry keys:

“Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup warning 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup registry keys, select “ Edit,” then select “ Find,” and in the search bar type any of “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup ‘s registry keys.
  4. As soon as “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup registry key appears, you can delete the “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup registry key by right-clicking it and selecting “ Modify,” then clicking “ Delete.”

How to delete “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup DLL files:

  1. First locate “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup DLL file is located. If you’re not sure if the “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup DLL file you removed, type “regsvr32 DLLJustDeleted.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 jl27script.dll”) into your command box, and press your “Enter” key.

Did “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup 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.

“Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup Removal Tip

Is your computer acting funny after deleting any “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup files? Download Spyware Doctor, let it find the “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup files for you, and then manually delete the “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup files.

How Did You Get “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup?

Wondering how “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup ended up on your PC? If you’re infected with “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup. 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup.
  • 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 “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup. I recommend you use Firefox web browser, if you don’t already.

Understanding “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup

If you’re infected with “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup, you should know what you’re fighting. I’ll explain some definitions related to “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup.

“Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup May Be Rogue Anti-Spyware

Rogue anti-spyware refers to anti-spyware/antivirus software of questionable value. Rogue anti-spyware may not be proven to protect your computer from spyware, may popup fake alerts or create many false positives about your PC being infected, or may use scare tactics to try to get you to purchase the application. Rogue anti-spyware software may be installed by a Trojan, come bundled with other software, or install itself through web browser security holes. While it is fairly rare, some rogue anti-spyware is created and distributed by known spyware or adware companies, and the rogue anti-spyware may install spyware or adware itself.

Often when you’re infected with rogue anti-spyware like “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup, you’ll see a false popup security alert like this:

“Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup  popup

Rogue Anti-Spyware Tactics

Typically, rogue anti-spyware such as “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup has one or more of the qualities listed below, which is why rogue anti-spyware is considered anti-spyware software of questionable value.

  • False positives/fake alerts: Rogue anti-spyware may produce a large number of false positives or use fake alerts, noting that your computer is infected with spyware parasites or other threats that do not really exist.
  • Copycat looks: Rogue anti-spyware may copy the look and feel of other legitimate or rogue anti-spyware applications. Often, rogue anti-spyware applications may appear as close clones of other rogue anti-spyware software.
  • High pressure marketing: Rogue anti-spyware may use scare tactics or other aggressive advertising and marketing tactics to try to trick you into buying the rogue anti-spyware application. Often, rogue anti-spyware may produce false positives and fake alerts about your computer being infected.
  • Poor detection/scan reporting: Rogue anti-spyware may produce poor reports when it scans your PC. For example, rogue anti-spyware may say your computer is infected 11 parasites, but not specify which spyware parasites or what type of parasites. Rogue anti-spyware may also report that your PC is infected with SafeAndClean, but not tell you which related files, DLLS, etc. were found on your computer.
  • Weak scanning/detection: Rogue anti-spyware may not only poorly report on computer infection, but rogue antispyware may also poorly scan your PC. Rogue anti-spyware may skip over important folders and files of your computer that should be scanned to detect spyware.

Did “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup use these tactics to trick you into buying “Your PC Is Not Protected” Popup?

Sources
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