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XPCleaner

Make your hard drive cleaner without XPCleaner

While it can't really be argued that Microsoft still dominates the world of personal computers, one of the wonderful things about the Internet is that regular folks can create and design software products that can be better than the ones offered by big companies like Microsoft. You simply download and install them, and your computer ends up running even better than before. However, not all personally-designed software is all it is cracked up to be. In the case of XPCleaner, many people realize that their computer ran better before they installed it. Take a look at exactly what XPCleaner is and how you can get rid of it for good.

What is XPCleaner?

XPCleaner is known as rogue anti-spyware. The point of this program, and the dozens of others just like it, is to convince you to purchase the full version to rid your machine of threats that don't actually exist. The process usually begins when you download a trial version of the software or an ad generator that is linked to XPCleaner is installed on your machine. Whether this occurs when a website automatically installs it or it is bundled with other software you downloaded, the ad generator will flood your desktop with pop-up windows and computer scan results windows that suggest your computer is infected with many scary-sounding viruses and adware programs. The implication is that the only way to solve the problem is by downloading and paying for the full version of XPCleaner.

What you might notice with XPCleaner

If you have come into contact with the XPCleaner program, you will notice several major changes to your computer. First, you may have difficulty using your computer as a result of all the pop-up windows and fake computer scanning windows. What makes ignoring them so difficult is that these pop-ups do a great job of looking exactly like the warning notifications that Microsoft gives you when there is a threat to your operating system. The best thing you can do if you find yourself flooded with these pop-ups is to rid yourself of the program for good. Keep reading for step-by-step removal instructions.

You may also notice a significant slowdown in your system's performance. This is because the ad generator program that comes with XPCleaner, and XPCleaner itself, are constantly running in the background of your computer. These processes take up valuable computer memory and slow down everything else you are looking to do while you're on your computer. If you notice a significant slowdown in your computer's performance, and you have also noticed some pop-up windows, you likely have XPCleaner or its ad generating little brother installed on your computer.

Finally, programs like XPCleaner are famous for performing browser hijacks. A browser hijack is when your web browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc.) gets sent to a web page you didn't ask to go to. This happens most often when you try to access your start page. You will get sent to the start page of XPCleaner instead. If you've noticed browser hijacks, then you may have XPCleaner installed on your machine.

How did XPCleaner get there?

People acquire XPCleaner in one of several ways. The most common way is that you were enticed to download a trial version of the software that is now difficult to uninstall. Don't feel bad; every year, millions of computer users make the same mistake with this program and hundreds of other programs just like it.

You may also have gotten the ad generating program as part of a bundle of other programs. Often times, when people download freeware or shareware programs, they will come bundled with other pieces of software, usually included by the manufacturer to help offset the cost of web hosting.

Finally, you may have gotten the ad generating program installed on your computer automatically from a untrustworthy website. In the future, try to avoid websites that ask to install software on your computer, because they usually aren't to be trusted.

Removing XPCleaner

The best thing you can do with XPCleaner is to uninstall it from your computer for good. You have two choices: an automatic uninstall with a trustworthy anti-spyware program like ParetoLogic's XoftSpySE , or a manual uninstall.

Please be aware that if you choose to manually uninstall a program, you will be asked to not only delete files permanently from your hard drive, but to also change your computer's registry, which can be very dangerous if you aren't an experienced computer user. It is highly recommended that you back up not only all of your computer files , but also your registry, so you can replace it if you delete the wrong file. Once a full back up of all of your files has been performed, then you can consider performing a manual removal of XPCleaner.

First, stop the following process:

XPC.exe

Next, delete the following files:

XPC.exe
XPC.lnk
XPC.url
Uninstall XPC.lnk

Finally, delete the following registry keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUninstal

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