Microsoft releases the MSRT on a monthly cadence as part of Windows Update or as a standalone tool. Use this tool to find and remove specific prevalent threats and reverse the changes they have made (see covered malware families). For comprehensive malware detection and removal, consider using Windows Defender Offline or Microsoft Safety Scanner.This article contains information about how the tool differs from an antivirus or antimalware product, how you can download and run the tool, what happens when the tool finds malware, and tool release information. It also includes information for the administrators and advanced users, including information about supported command-line switches.
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The MSRT does not replace an antivirus product. It is strictly a post-infection removal tool. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you install and use an up-to-date antivirus product.The MSRT differs from an antivirus product in three important ways:
The tool removes malicious software from an already-infected computer. Antivirus products block malicious software from running on a computer. It is significantly more desirable to block malicious software from running on a computer than to remove it after infection.
The tool focuses on the detection and removal of active malicious software. Active malicious software is malicious software that is currently running on the computer. The tool cannot remove malicious software that is not running. However, an antivirus product can perform this task.
You do not have to disable or remove your antivirus program when you install the MSRT. However, if prevalent, malicious software has infected your computer, the antivirus program may detect this malicious software and may prevent the removal tool from removing it when the removal tool runs. In this case, you can use your antivirus program to remove the malicious software.Because the MSRT does not contain a virus or a worm, the removal tool alone should not trigger your antivirus program. However, if malicious software infected the computer before you installed an up-to-date antivirus program, your antivirus program may not detect this malicious software until the tool tries to remove it.
If the tool finds malicious software, you may be prompted to perform a full scan. We recommend that you perform this scan. A full scan performs a quick scan and then a full scan of the computer, regardless of whether malicious software is found during the quick scan. This scan can take several hours to complete because it will scan all fixed and removable drives. However, mapped network drives are not scanned.
If malicious software has modified (infected) files on your computer, the tool prompts you to remove the malicious software from those files. If the malicious software modified your browser settings, your homepage may be changed automatically to a page that gives you directions on how to restore these settings.You can clean specific files or all the infected files that the tool finds. Be aware that some data loss is possible during this process. Also, be aware that the tool may be unable to restore some files to the original, pre-infection state.The removal tool may request that you restart your computer to complete the removal of some malicious software, or it may prompt you to perform manual steps to complete the removal of the malicious software. To complete the removal, you should use an up-to-date antivirus product.
Reporting infection information to Microsoft The MSRT sends basic information to Microsoft if the tool detects malicious software or finds an error. This information will be used for tracking virus prevalence. No identifiable personal information that is related to you or to the computer is sent together with this report.
The MSRT does not use an installer. Typically, when you run the MSRT, it creates a randomly named temporary directory on the root drive of the computer. This directory contains several files, and it includes the Mrtstub.exe file. Most of the time, this folder is automatically deleted after the tool finishes running or after the next time that you start the computer. However, this folder may not always be automatically deleted. In these cases, you can manually delete this folder, and this has no adverse effect on the computer.
You must log on to the computer by using an account that is a member of the Administrators group. If your logon account does not have the required permissions, the tool exits. If the tool is not being run in quiet mode, it displays a dialog box that describes the failure.
The MSRT is released on the second Tuesday of each month. Each release of the tool helps detect and remove current, prevalent malicious software. This malicious software includes viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Microsoft uses several metrics to determine the prevalence of a malicious software family and the damage that can be associated with it.
If apparently malicious software is found on the computer, the tool prompts you to send information to Microsoft beyond what is listed here. You are prompted in each of these instances, and this information is sent only with your consent. The additional information includes the following:
You can disable the reporting feature. For information about how to disable the reporting component and how to prevent this tool from sending information to Microsoft, see Deploy Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool in an enterprise environment.
A4: If you are a Windows 7 user, use Microsoft Update or the Microsoft Update Automatic Updates functionality to test whether you are using the latest version of the tool. If you have chosen not to use Microsoft Update, and you are a Windows 7 user, use Windows Update. Or, use the Windows Update Automatic Updates functionality to test whether you are using the latest version of the tool. Additionally, you can visit the Microsoft Download Center. Also, if the tool is more than 60 days out of date, the tool reminds you to look for a new version of the tool.
A5: No. The Microsoft Knowledge Base article number for the tool will remain as 890830 for future versions of the tool. The file name of the tool when it is downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center will change with each release to reflect the month and the year when that version of the tool was released.
A7: Yes. By checking a registry key, you can determine whether the tool has been run on a computer and which version was the latest version that was used. For more information, see Deploy Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool in an enterprise environment.
If you have already run the current version of the tool from Windows Update, Microsoft Update, Automatic Updates, or from either of the other two release mechanisms, it will not be reoffered on Windows Update or Automatic Updates.
A12: When you are first offered the Malicious Software Removal Tool from Microsoft Update, Windows Update, or Automatic Updates, you can decline downloading and running the tool by declining the license terms. This action can apply to only the current version of the tool or to both the current version of the tool and any future versions, depending on the options that you choose. If you have already accepted the license terms and prefer not to install the tool through Windows Update, clear the checkbox that corresponds to the tool in the Windows Update UI.
A13: If it is downloaded from Microsoft Update or from Windows Update, the tool runs only one time each month. To manually run the tool multiple times a month, download the tool from the Download Center or by visiting the Microsoft Safety & Security Center website.For an online scan of your system by using the Windows Live OneCare safety scanner, go to the Microsoft Safety Scanner website.
A15: No. Unlike most previous cleaner tools that were produced by Microsoft, the MSRT has no security update prerequisites. However, we strongly recommend that you install all critical updates before you use the tool, to help prevent reinfection by malicious software that takes advantage of security vulnerabilities.
A19: In some cases, when specific viruses are found on a system, the cleaner tool tries to repair infected Windows system files. Although this action removes the malicious software from these files, it may also trigger the Windows File Protection feature. If you see the Windows File Protection window, we strongly recommend that you follow the directions and insert your Microsoft Windows CD. This will restore the cleaned files to their original, pre-infection state.
The Citrix Optimizer Tool is a Windows tool to help Citrix administrators optimize various components in their environment - most notably operating systems with the Virtual Delivery Agent (VDA) installed. The tool is PowerShell based, but also includes a graphical UI.
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