W32.Printlove
If your computer is infected with W32.Printlove, you may follow the procedure on this page to contain this threat. Remove the Trojan at once before it can further harm the system.
W32.Printlove is a worm that propagates by infecting removable drives it may found on attached to a computer. This threat may steal sensitive information and send it back to a remote attacker though a specified web address. The worm may occasionally communicate to a remote server in order to download other malware.
This worm will immediately drop certain harmful .DLL files when executed. It hides these files under Temp folder of Windows. Next, it will tweak Windows registry to demote security settings of Microsoft Word. Please refer to technical section for a complete list of components dropped by W32.Printlove.
Then, this threat will run Microsoft Word program and inject a macro code into it that may execute harmful .DLL files it dropped earlier. Once loaded, it will proceed with other actions that may cause multiple damages to the infected computer. It can endanger the private data of user or cause the system to slow down. Moreover, the threat may corrupt system files and hides folders from an infected drives.
W32.Printlove will then search the PC for attached removable drives and directly infects them with a ‘thumb.exe’ file. To be able to execute this, it will also drop ‘autorun.inf’ file. Autorun will take advantage of Windows auto-launch function of Windows whenever user accesses the drive.
Next, the threat will collect the following data from the affected machine:
- Computer name
- Country of origin
- Current language settings
- Operating system version, build, and service pack installed
Lastly, W32.Printlove will try to establish a connection to a remote computer to download and execute another malware.
Damage Level: Medium
Systems Affected: Windows 9x, 2000, XP, Windows Vista
[cf]regis[/cf] [cf]files[/cf]How to Remove W32.Printlove
1. Temporarily Disable System Restore (Windows Me/XP). Click here for procedure.
2. Open your antivirus application and update the virus definitions. This method ensures that your antivirus program can detect even newer variants of W32.Printlove
3. Start Windows in Safe Mode with Networking.
- From a power-off state, turn on the computer and press F8 repeatedly.
- Your computer will display Windows Advanced Boot Options menu. Select Safe Mode with Networking.
- System will boot Windows loading only necessary drivers and system files.
4. Open your antivirus program and run a full system scan. After the scan, delete all infected items. If unable, better place them in quarantine. Once the scan is complete please proceed with the next step.
Online Virus Scanner:
Another way to remove W32.Printlove without the need to install additional antivirus application is to perform a thorough scan with free online virus scanner that can be found on websites of legitimate anti-virus and security provider.
5. Go to Online Virus Scanner list and run a virus scan. This may require plug-ins, add-on or Activex object, please install if you want to proceed with scan.
6. After completing the necessary download, your system is now ready for online virus scanning.
7. Select an option in which you can thoroughly scan the computer to make sure that it will find and delete entirely all infections not detected on previous scan.
8. Remove or delete all detected items.
9. When scanning is finished you may now restart the computer in normal mode.
Alternative Removal Method for W32.Printlove
Option 1 : Use Windows System Restore to return Windows to previous state
If W32.Printlove enters the computer, there is a big chance that Windows files, registry entries and other essential components are also infected. System Restore can reinstate clean system files by restoring the configuration to an earlier date. The method also replaces compromised files with a clean version. If you have a saved restore point before W32.Printlove infiltrates the PC, we highly encourage you to execute this procedure if none of the above works. You may proceed with Windows System Restore, click here to see the full procedure.
Option 2 : W32.Printlove manual uninstall guide
IMPORTANT! Manual removal of W32.Printlove requires technical skills. Deleting system files and registry entries by mistake may result to total disability of Windows system. We advise you to perform a backup of registry before proceeding with this guide.
1. Kill any running process that belongs to W32.Printlove.
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard.
- When Windows Task Manager appears, look for W32.Printlove files (refer to Technical Reference) and click End Process.
2. Delete all registry entries that belong to this malware.
- Press [Windows Key]+R on your keyboard.
- In the 'Open' dialog box, type regedit and press Enter. This will open registry editor.
- Find and delete registry entries as mentioned in Technical Reference section below.
- Close registry editor. Changes made will be save automatically.
3. Scan the computer with antivirus program.
- Connect to Internet and open your antivirus software. Please update to obtain the latest database and necessary files.
- Restart the computer in Safe Mode.
- Just before Windows logo begins to load press F8 on your keyboard.
- On Windows Advanced Boot Options, select Safe Mode and press Enter.
4. Delete all files dropped by W32.Printlove.
- While still in Safe Mode, search and delete malicious files. Please refer to 'Technical Reference'. Make sure that you execute 'End Task' first before deleting the file. Otherwise, the system will not let you perform this action.