Essential Cleaner is the latest clone of MS Removal Tool and System Tool. This fake anti-virus client can be very hard for the average person to remove. The purpose of this guide is to help teach people how to remove Essential Cleaner.
Step 1. You first need to stop the main executable of Essential Cleaner from running. This is the executable or .exe file. You can stop this process by simply booting into Safe Mode. While in Safe Mode the program will not be running. You can also re-name the core Essential Cleaner executable and re-boot your computer after you re-named the file.
The problem is finding the executable. For EVERY computer the file name will be different. However it will only hide in a few locations. These locations are as follows:
XP
- C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\[random]\[random].exe
- :\Documents and Settings\USER NAME\Local Settings\Application Data
Windows Vista/7:
- C:\ProgramData\[random characters ]\[random characters].exe
- C:\Users\USER NAME\AppData\Local
- C:\ProgramData\[random characters]\[random characters].exe
To help identify the name of the file you can sort the files by data modified and see the date files were made. Chances are you will only have one or two files / folders that were created since you got infected. It will be one of those.
Step 2. Now delete the file. Keep in mind you can not delete a file while it is running. Follow STEP 1 first to stop the file.
Step 3. Run a full anti-virus Scan using Stopzilla. Don’t skip this step, you need to ensure you deleted everything and have no other viruses installed.
If you need advanced help you should go over to http://www.pcninja.com . This remote computer repair company can remove this virus for you as well as resolve all other virus issues.