How to Remove Windows System Defender Malware

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Open Start.

   You can do this by clicking the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or by pressing the ⊞ Win key. , It's a circle-shaped icon with a line through the top.
   
   You'll see it near the bottom-left corner of the screen., The Restart option will appear above the power icon.
   
   Clicking it while holding ⇧ Shift will restart your computer and load the Advanced Options menu.
   
   You may need to click Restart anyway after clicking Restart.
   
   If so, keep holding ⇧ Shift while you do. , It's a blue screen with white text., This is the the middle option on the screen., You'll see it at the bottom of the screen., It's on the right side of the screen., You'll see this button toward the bottom-right corner of the screen., This will likely take a few minutes., This key corresponds to the "Safe Mode with Networking" option., Once it does, you should see the desktop load with larger icons than usual and a black background.
   
   If prompted, you'll need to enter your password before you can access the desktop. , This key is in the row of keys at the top of your PC's keyboard.
   
   When starting up your computer, you'll hold down F8 to enter the safe mode options panel.
   
   If your PC has an Fn key at the bottom-left side of the keyboard, you may need to press it and F8 at the same time to activate safe mode. , This will start your computer.
   
   If your computer was simply sleeping, press and hold the power button until the computer turns off, then press it again to turn on your PC. , Begin doing this as soon as your computer starts up.
   
   After a moment, this will launch the boot menu, which is where you'll find the option to start in safe mode.
   
   If nothing happens while holding F8, restart your computer, then press and hold Fn while repeatedly pressing F8. , This key should be on the right side of your keyboard., This will finish restarting your computer in Safe Mode., To do so, either click the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press your computer's ⊞ Win key., You should see the "regedit" icon appear near the top of the Start window., It's a group of blue cubes., To do so, click either the V (Windows 10) or the + (Windows 7) to the left of the folder's name., It's in the list of folders below the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" folder in the left-hand pane., You'll find this in the list of folders below the "Software" folder.,,, Doing so will display its contents in the right-hand section of the Registry Editor window., This file's name will vary, since System Defender randomly generates letters and numbers for the file in question; however, it should be the only file in the "Run" folder with a randomized name.
   
   For example, the file's name might be "kmqtv34td". , It's near the bottom of the drop-down menu., Doing so will delete the System Defender start-up file from the Registry., It's now time to delete the System Defender app file., Doing so will open your computer's local app data folder.
   
   You may first have to force your computer to display hidden folders before you can access this folder. , This file will likely have the same name as the Registry file you just deleted.
   
   If not, it will at least have a similarly randomized name.
   
   The virus file will likely be the only application in the AppData folder; everything else here should be a folder. , This will remove the virus file from the AppData folder., It's on your desktop., This option is near the top of the drop-down menu., This will remove the virus' files from your computer's Recycle Bin., To do so, open Start again, click the power icon (which resembles a circle with a line through it), and click Restart.
   
   Your computer will restart in regular mode, and the System Defender virus should be gone.
2. 2

   Step 2: Click the power icon.

3. 3

   Step 3: Hold down the ⇧ Shift key and click Restart.

4. 4

   Step 4: Wait for the Advanced Options screen to appear.

5. 5

   Step 5: Click Troubleshoot.

6. 6

   Step 6: Click Advanced options.

7. 7

   Step 7: Click Startup Settings.

8. 8

   Step 8: Click Restart.

9. 9

   Step 9: Wait for your computer to restart.

10. 10

    Step 10: Press the 5 key.

11. 11

    Step 11: Wait for your computer to finish restarting.

12. 12

    Step 12: Locate the F8 key.

13. 13

    Step 13: Press your PC's power button.

14. 14

    Step 14: Repeatedly press F8.

15. 15

    Step 15: Press the ↓ key until "Safe Mode with Networking" is selected.

16. 16

    Step 16: Press ↵ Enter.

17. 17

    Step 17: Open the Start menu.

18. 18

    Step 18: Type regedit into Start.

19. 19

    Step 19: Click the "regedit" icon.

20. 20

    Step 20: Expand the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" folder.

21. 21

    Step 21: Expand the "Software" folder.

22. 22

    Step 22: Expand the "Microsoft" folder.

23. 23

    Step 23: Expand the "Windows" folder.

24. 24

    Step 24: Expand the "Current Version" folder.

25. 25

    Step 25: Click the "Run" folder.

26. 26

    Step 26: Right-click the virus file.

27. 27

    Step 27: Click Delete.

28. 28

    Step 28: Click Yes when prompted.

29. 29

    Step 29: Re-open the Start window.

30. 30

    Step 30: Type %localappdata% into Start and press ↵ Enter.

31. 31

    Step 31: Locate the virus file and right-click it.

32. 32

    Step 32: Click Delete

33. 33

    Step 33: then click Yes.

34. 34

    Step 34: Right-click the Recycle Bin.

35. 35

    Step 35: Click Empty Recycle Bin.

36. 36

    Step 36: Click Yes when prompted.

37. 37

    Step 37: Restart your computer.

Detailed Guide

About the Author