XP-Shield Removal Process (remove XP-Shield 2.1)

May 15, 2008 – 9:22 am

XP-Shield Explanation

XP-Shield or XP-Shield 2.1 is a fake anti-spyware program that uses deviation to get computer users to purchase the full XP-Shield program. XP-Shield was reviled to be a complete fake because it does not remove any type of spyware from your computer. XP-Shield puts on a front when it scans your system for parasites. The scan results have a list of parasites that are not present on the scanned hard drive. With this finding it goes to show that XP-Shield is not a legitimate program and should not be used for your security needs.

XP-Shield may come from a Trojan infection or the www.xp-shield.com website that promotes rogue anti-spyware programs. One way that you can tell you have the XP-Shield program is if you start noticing a large number of popups alert messages that say you are infected with a parasite. Usually these messages look like legitimate windows alerts but they are not. XP-Shield cannot be trusted and should be completely removed from your computer.

Are you getting popups from XP-Shield? Have you identified that you have XP-Shield installed on your computer? Do you wish to remove XP-Shield completely from your computer?

Why should you remove XP-Shield?

If XP-Shield resides on your computer, it can potentially damage your personal files or you may end up losing data stored on your system. Research has shown that XP-Shield may have the ability to make your computer vulnerable to remote attacks which could result, initially, in loss of money, possibly identity theft, and, eventually, a painstaking XP-Shield removal process.

How can you manually remove XP-Shield

Manual removal of XP-Shield may not be for everyone. Each manual XP-Shield removal step must be followed delicately to completely remove all related files and registry entries from your computer. If you are unsure or have doubts about editing your system registry, then we recommend that you use the automatic XP-Shield removal process.

XP-Shield can be removed manually by following the steps below.

1. With all programs closed, click the Start Menu and go to the Control Panel.
2. Locate the Add/Remove Programs icon and double click it.
3. Locate XP-Shield in the list of programs. If you find it, select it and remove it. If you cannot find XP-Shield, you can continue to step 5.
4. Restart your computer.
5. Close all open programs and windows on your desktop.
6. Open your registry editor (regedit) program by going to Start Menu, type in regedit, and click OK.
7. Find all of the following registry entries and delete them. If you do not know how to do this, then you can read how to edit the registry in Windows.

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run “XPShield”
   1CAD29DF-1D6D-41A2-8C55-EAA2C7EDCDEB
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\XP-Shield
   CC628875-53FE-4DE3-9CA8-E61652820398
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\XPShield

8. You may need to return to this removal process for removing XP-Shield. You can do this easily by bookmarking or adding a favorite to this page by clicking here. If you are using the FireFox web browser you can press the keys Ctrl and D simultaneously to bookmark this page.

   Image 1. Bookmark PCHubs removal process

   

9. Delete all of the following files that are associated with XP-Shield from your computer.

   XPShieldSetup.exe
   XP-Shield Web Site.url
   %UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\XPShield\XP-Shield.lnk
   %UserProfile%\Desktop\XP-Shield.lnk
   %ProgramFiles%\XPShield\unwise.exe
   XP-Shield.exe
   XP-Shield Web Site.lnk
   XPShield
   %UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\XPShield
   %ProgramFiles%\XPShield\XP-Shield Web Site.url
   %ProgramFiles%\XPShield\install.log
   XPShieldSetup[1].exe
   XP-Shield.lnk
   %UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\XPShield\XP-Shield Web Site.lnk
   %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Temp\XPShieldSetup.exe
   %ProgramFiles%\XPShield\XP-Shield.exe
   %ProgramFiles%\XPShield

   If you need a better understanding on how to search for these files then you can read how to find and search for files and folders here.

   If you have issues deleting any of the previously listed files that are associated with XP-Shield, you can try rebooting your computer into safe mode. Booting into safe mode may allow certain malicious files to be deleted. If you are wondering how to boot into safe mode, you can read our process for starting a computer in safe mode here.

   Image 2. Select “Safe Mode with Networking”

   

10. After locating and deleting the previous files you must remove all directories associated with XP-Shield by going to the C:\ProgramFiles\XP-Shield folder, select it, and delete it. In some cases you may not be able to find this directory. You can still continue to the next step.

11. Restart your computer. You do not need to boot into safe mode at this point. You should have removed XP-Shield completely from your computer. If you find that XP-Shield is still on your computer, you can repeat the steps again or go to the automatic XP-Shield removal process.

Automatically Remove XP-Shield

Automatically remove XP-Shield for free. Free automatic XP-Shield removal process.

Do you wish to automatically remove XP-Shield from your computer? Are you looking for a free method to remove XP-Shield from your computer? If so, you can utilize the free automatic XP-Shield removal process below. Each step is designed to aid in the use of the program SmitfraudFix, which is a free tool created by S!Ri to remove parasites such as XP-Shield. Just so you know there’s no guarantee that SmitfraudFix or any other spyware remover will remove XP-Shield completely. These instructions are provided as a guide and are to be used at your own risk.

1. Download the SmitfraudFix tool to your computer by using our free download link here. Save the downloaded file to your desktop.

   Image 1. Save SmitfraudFix.exe

   

2. Restart your computer into safe mode. Safe mode will allow malicious files that are normally loaded into memory to be easily deleted by the SmitfraudFix program. Do you want to learn how to boot into safe mode? If so, you can follow our process on how to boot into safe mode here.

3. After booting into safe mode, double-click on the SmitfraudFix.exe icon that should be located on your desktop. Follow the on-screen instructions. Option number 2 should be selected once the program starts.

   Image 2. Click on SmitfraudFix.exe icon

   

4. After SmitfraudFix performs the initial removal processes it will ask you “Do you want to clean the registry?” Select Y for yes.

   Image 3. For “Do you want to clean the registry?,” select Y for yes

   

5. Once SmitfraudFix has finished the registry clean you can restart your computer now.
6. XP-Shield should be removed from your computer. If not, you can start the automatic removal process over. It may take more than one try in some rare cases.

There’s no guarantee that SmitfraudFix will remove all files due to the complex nature of new spyware files that are ever-changing. If necessary, you may need to get help from a person who knows about computer and spyware.

(Disclaimers: These instructions are provided to you for free and to be used at your own risk. The free removal process for XP-Shield is not guaranteed to work in all circumstances. We are not responsible for any damages.)