Removing Malware from Windows XP

This is a simple trick to remove spyware or malware from Windows XP. I used it to fix my friend's computer. His PC was infected with bogus Anti-virus called System Security version 4.52. This malware reports virus infection and asks me to buy their software. It also disables other real anti-virus like AVG and blocks the user from accessing legitimate sites like Anti-virus vendors and the Microsoft site. Don't be tricked into giving them your valuable credit card number! This bogus malware is a scam. Just follow these simple steps to get rid of this kind of evil creatures.

1. Restart your computer and hold down the F8 key. You'll see a menu of boot options. Choose the Safe Mode with Networking so you can go online and download Anti-virus like AVG or Avast!
   
   
   
2. Once you're in the Safe Mode, launch the registry editor (regedit.exe).
   
3. Go to “HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run”
   
4. Find anything suspicious and note the location of the perpetrator. In my case, it looks like:
   
   

   10479844  "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\10479844\10479844.exe"

   
   
5. Remove it from the registry.
   
6. Open the explorer and remove the folder containing the malware/spyware/scumware from the system.