Friday, August 20, 2010

Antimalware Doctor - A reason to torrent on a dedicated computer.

The instructions and the comments on Antimalware Doctor found on the Internet from confused computer users is "sad".

The removal of Antimalware Doctor is a pain in the neck and really does suggest a complete re-install of the operating system and all the software.


The first indication that something was a wrong was a fake software update dialog that even has an MS KB reference. Attempts at uninstall using the Windows Add/Remove programs is blocked as the Antimalware program starts to run.



The full uninstall is not trivial as vestiges of the infection remain after the fake scanner and browser hijacker are removed. Entries in the start menu and executable files, dlls were removed manually.

The computer that was infected now boots with a DLL not found error and VLC player terminates with a memory allocation error.

This infection of Antimalware Doctor suggests that it is a good idea to torrent on a dedicated computer or at least one that has a VM setup as an Immutable Virtual Machine.

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