How To Remove Antivirus 2010 The Easy (and free) Way

So, you forgot to renew the subscription to your anti-virus program and have found yourself infected with the "Anti-Virus 2010" scareware program. Antivirus 2010 represents new generation of rogue security tools that uses misleading advertisements to gain a purchase, but also it crashes a system and constantly pops up with reminders that you are infected and unless you buy the removal tool your pretty much out of luck. In addition, if you try updating your antivirus program or installing a different anti-virus or spyware removal program Antivirus 2010 typically crashes the installer or updater.

 

After doing a google search you will most likely find lots of sites where you need uber-geek skills to remove this nasty little creature by editing the registry. But, with some clever thinking, and plenty of experience dealing with these issues in the field, I found pretty much a free solution to squash this nasty little program and any other viruses / malware that has been introduced into the system.

 

SPECIAL NOTE

As of this article the below programs were used to successfully remove Antivirus 2010 along with other viruses, spyware and malware which infected a clients computer. At a later time there may be a single online scanner available to achieve the same results without having to use the two programs below. Note, you can run BOTH of these programs at the same time.

 

CUTTING OFF THE HEAD OF THE BEAST

First, head over to PC Tools and download a copy of PC Tools Spyware Doctor. I downloaded the GooglePack version where as you can get Spyware Doctor for free if you download it with at least one google tool, such as the google toolbar. If you have the cash on hand and don't want the free version with google tools you can also purchase it.

 

http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/google_pack/

 

Once downloaded, follow the installation instructions and let the program make any updates to itself. Next, start a full system scan and follow the steps to remove any nasty programs that it may find.

 

BURNING THE BODY OF THE BEAST

The second step of getting your system back on track is the need to scan your system and remove any viruses and trojans that have slipped into your system. As stated, above, AntiVirus 2010 will crash any attempts for you to update or install any new anti-virus program. The solution? Run an online scanner. An online scanner loads itself into a web browser, in protected computer memory, scan and also remove viruses and trojans without crashing -- even on an infected system.

 

In this case, I chose to use BitDefenders online scan and removal tool which you can find here.

 

http://www.bitdefender.com/scanner/online/free.html

 

FINAL WORDS

PC Tools Spyware Doctor worked wonderfully at removing the Antivirus 2010 program along with a dozen or more other threats. BitDefender took care of the rest with its online scanner by removing actual viruses and trojans, as I recall at least 20. Once both did their initial scan and removal I rebooted the computer and ran them again (just for safety) and the system was left clean and stable.

 

Legal Disclaimer

Intragenesis, LLC nor it's owner, contributors or writers will be held either directly or indirectly responsible for any loss or damage incurred by the user attempting any of the steps as outlined in this for educational purposes article. We recommend that all readers use their best judgment and contact a professional as needed.

 

About The Author

John Warren is a web designer, graphic designer and consultant with over 20 years in the computer software, hardware and repair industries.

 

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