Virus Removal Guru

Windows Tweaking Utility (WindowsTweakingUtility) Virus Removal Guide

Windows Tweaking Utility is a fake computer security application. The program is classified as a Rogue Security Application and we rate the threat level of this specific threat as a 8 out of 10. The program was released around May 15, 2023; this is just one day after the previous version of this threat which was called Windows Tasks Optimizer. This program is suppose to look and act like a real security application; these types of programs generally provide the computer security through programs such as antivirus and antispyware. The virus has two different looks; however, the functionality is the same. If you would like to learn more about the previous versions, they include Windows Work Catalyst and Windows Attention Utility.

Fake applications, like Windows Tweaking Utility, are generally downloaded and installed without user permission through the use of a trojan horse. A trojan horse is a malicious application which has the ability to download files from the internet. The best method to avoid getting infected by these types of viruses is to update software which uses the internet. Windows Tweaking Utility is similar in functionality to ThinkPoint and CleanThis, which are both previous versions. The program attempts to copy Microsoft Security Essentials, which is a legitimate program. The main executable for Windows Tweaking Utility is a series of random characters.

Below is our recommended removal tool for Windows Tweaking Utility. The removal tool has been rated 5 cows out of 5 by Tucows and was previously CNET’s Editor’s Choice. Feel free to download it below.

If you are unable to run the removal tool, or are unable to run any programs in general, you may need to stop the processes associated with Windows Tweaking Utility with task manager. If task manager has been blocked by Windows Tweaking Utility, try using Process Explorer.

Windows Tweaking Utility, like many other fake antivirus programs, will create a series of warnings and pop ups in order to scare the user into purchasing the fake program. The program will attempt to scare the user with viruses names like Backdoor.Win32.Rbot and Virus.Win32.Sality, which sound like bad viruses. Some of these warnings which are created by Windows Tweaking Utility can be found below.

“Warning!

Enable Protection – Click to activate antivirus and remove all infections.”

“Microsoft Security Essentials detected potential threats that might compromise your privacy or damage your computer. Your access to these items may be suspended until you take an action. Click ‘Show details’ to learn more.”

“The analysis of system data protection parameters revealed the low security level of system components. Potentially harmful software that may compromise your system integrity has been detected.”

It is recommended to use safe mode when removing the virus because Windows Tweaking Utility will generally not be able to load in safe mode. To enter safe mode, restart the computer and press F8 multiple times before the Windows screen to bring up the boot options.

The safe mode with networking option will allow the user to be able to use the internet in safe mode. Windows Tweaking Utility can be removed by using the

View Windows Tweaking Utility Files
View Windows Tweaking Utility Keys

The user comments for ThinkPoint and the user comments for CleanThis may provide insight into removing Windows Tweaking Utility since the viruses are similar.

Manual Windows Tweaking Utility Removal – In order to manually remove Windows Tweaking Utility, the processes associated with Windows Tweaking Utility must be stopped, the files associated with the processes must be removed, and the registry entries must be corrected to the previous state before Windows Tweaking Utility entered the computer.

Important: Before attempting to manually remove Windows Tweaking Utility, we recommend that the user read through comments posted by other users on how they removed specific fake antivirus programs since many fake antivirus programs are similar. These comments can be found by clicking here. These comments may provide additional information which may be useful in removing Windows Tweaking Utility. However, please use discretion since these specific comments pertain to other fake antivirus programs.

Stop Windows Tweaking Utility Processes (Learn How To Do This)
[random letters].exe

Remove Windows Tweaking Utility Files (Learn How To Do This)

Windows XP – C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\[random letters].exe

Windows Vista & Windows 7 – C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\[random letters].exe

Remove Windows Tweaking Utility Registry Keys (Learn How To Do This)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Windows Tweaking Utility
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Windows Tweaking Utility
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Windows Tweaking Utility

Remove Windows Tweaking Utility Startup Entry (Learn How To Do This)
[random letters].exe

Common Questions -
1. What is a computer virus? (Click Here To View)
2. How did I get this computer virus? (Click Here To View)
3. What common symptoms show that my computer may be infected? (Click Here To View)
4. What is a rogue security application? (Click Here To View)
5. What are some antivirus and antispyware programs which I can use to remove viruses and spyware? (Click Here To View)

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to comment below. If you need any help with any of the steps, please don’t hesitate to comment below. We recommend that you follow our safety tips so that you can keep your computer clean Please Click Here to View Our Safety Tips.

Your feedback is very highly valued by others so please feel free to comment below. Please feel free to share a solution that you may have used to remove Windows Tweaking Utility.

Posted in: Malware Removal

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 15th, 2023 at 6:57 pm and is filed under Malware Removal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.