If you are receiving an error code that is not discussed in this article, contacct Microsoft Customer Support Services or by contacting your local Microsoft subsidiary.
This article describes how to use the error codes provided by the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. Specifically, failures that are marked as a warning in the log are less serious than failures that are marked as an error.įor more information about this tool, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:Ĩ90830 The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool helps remove specific, prevalent malicious software from computers that are running Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, or Windows XP. Note Some of these errors are informational messages or minor issues and may not require additional action.
Then, if a friend's PC seems to be having virus troubles, you can pull out the Malicious Software Removal Tool and give their system a speedy health check.After you run the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, you receive a message that states that errors were found during the scan, and you are directed to this article for more information. Still, if you think your PC might be infected by something, but your current antivirus suite hasn't raised the alarm, then you can always try the Malicious Software Removal Tool for a quick second opinion (it won't clash with any existing security tools).Īnd because the program doesn't require installation, it's ideal for including on a USB flash drive as a part of your portable troubleshooting toolkit. And it only checks for some of the most common malware (see the full list here), currently around 150 specimens in total) - a good antivirus tool will detect hundreds of thousands of threats. The Malicious Software Removal Tool has no real-time detection features, for instance, so it can't stop you getting infected in the first place. While useful, this is no substitute for an antivirus package. Just choose the type of scan you need - quick (takes a few minutes), full (takes ages, usually) or custom (scan only the areas you specify) - then leave the program to check your hard drive for threats, and remove any that it finds. The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool is a quick and easy tool to uncover and eliminate malware from your system.