WinZip Registry Optimizer is basically not a malware, it is a legitimate registry cleaner. However, it is a troublemaker for most Windows users, it is not a recommended tool. A better registry cleaner could be CCleaner from http://piriform.com.
If you are infected by a copycat, fake WinZip Registry Optimizer, which is a malware, here are the things that you can notice or observe:
- WinZip Registry Optimizer is listed as an installed software in Control Panel => Programs and Features but you cannot uninstall it. Uninstalling only gives an error message.
- When your computdr starts, WinZip Registry Optimizer performs a fake scan and threatens you with problems being detected in your computer and then prompt you to buy the full software to remove the problems detected.
Do these sound familiar?
To completely remove the infection, here are the steps:
A. Boot your computer into Safe Mode with Networking
Step 1: Turn ON your computer or restart it when it is already running.
Step 2: Immediately tap the F8 key and keep tapping it until you see the Advanced Boot Menu options.
Step 3: Navigate the various options using the arrow keys and choose Safe Mode with Networking. In this mode, your screen may appear too huge or big because display drivers are not loaded to facilitate troubleshooting. The important thing is that, your computer can still access the internet to download the tools required to eliminate the problem.
Step 4: Press ENTER to choose Safe Mode with Networking.
Step 5: Press ENTER again to confirm and your computer shall boot in Safe Mode with Networking.
B. Download RKILL
If you are dealing with a malware, it could be running on the background already so you might notice that your antivirus software is already crippled and unable to detect the malware. RKILL is a free tool to detect and stop malwares running in the background process.
To download RKILL, click on this external links:
I suggest that you download all 3 files above since they are the 3 versions of the RKILL file. After downloading, double click the rkill.com file to run it. You shall get a black command prompt window showing the progress of the operation.
When done, you shall get a prompt indicating the process is finished.
If the first run of RKILL stopped several processes and malwares, please run the second file, rkill.exe and see if malwares are still running and stopped. Then run the third rkill file called rkill.scr.
When rkill operations are done, you can process to the next steps below.
C. Perform Malwarebytes Antimalware Cleanup
Malwarebytes Antimalware is a proven and world-trusted antimalware software. To get started with malwarebytes, you can click on this link to download it:
Download it, install it, update it, then perform a FULL scan. Restart the computer when prompted to finally remove the infections that Malwarebytes finds in the full scan.