If you are seeing a Serious Disk Error Writing Drive C:\ alert on your computer screen,then as you probably already suspect you’re computer has been infected with a rogue software.
The malicious software is known as Smart HDD,Data Recovery,S.M.A.R.T Virus or S.M.A.R.T Check and has changed your desktop background,hidden your files and shortcuts and it’s causing browsing redirects.
In addition the S.M.A.R.T Virus will display fake alerts, claiming that several hard drive errors were detected on your computer.In reality, none of the reported issues are real, and are only used to scare you into buying S.M.A.R.T Virus and stealing your personal financial information.
We strongly advise you to follow our S.M.A.R.T Virus removal guide and ignore any alerts that this malicious software might generate.Under no circumstance should you buy this rogue security software as this could lead to identity theft.
If you’ve got a S.M.A.R.T Virus infection , you’ll be seeing this screens :

Registration codes for S.M.A.R.T Virus

As an optional step,you can use the following license key to register S.M.A.R.T Virus and stop the fake alerts.
Data Recovery Rogue: 08869246386344953972969146034087
SMART HDD Rogue: 15801587234612645205224631045976
Please keep in mind that entering the above registration code will NOT remove S.M.A.R.T Virus from your computer , instead it will just stop the fake alerts so that you’ll be able to complete our removal guide more easily.

Removal guide for S.M.A.R.T Virus

STEP 1 : Start your computer in Safe Mode with Networking

1. Remove all floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs from your computer, and then restart your computer.
2. Press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts.Please keep in mind that you need to press the F8 key before the Windows  start-up logo appears.
3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode with Networking , and then press ENTER.
   
4. Log on to your computer with a user account that has administrator rights

STEP 2: Remove S.M.A.R.T Virus malicious proxy server

S.M.A.R.T Virus may add a proxy server which prevents the user from accessing the internet,follow the below instructions to remove the proxy.

1. Start Internet Explorer  and if you are using Internet Explorer 9 ,click on the gear icon    (Tools for Internet Explorer 8 users) ,then select Internet Options.
   
2. Go to the tab Connections.At the bottom, click on LAN settings.
   
3. Uncheck the option Use a proxy server for your LAN. This should remove the malicious proxy server and allow you to use the internet again.
   

If you are a Firefox users, go to Firefox(upper left corner) → Options → Advanced tab → Network → Settings → Select No Proxy

STEP 3: Run RKill to terminate known malware processes associated with S.M.A.R.T Virus.

RKill is a program that attempts to terminate any malicious processes associated with S.M.A.R.T Virus ,so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections.

As RKill only terminates a program’s running process, and does not delete any files, after running it you should not reboot your computer as any malware processes that are configured to start automatically will just be started again.

1. While your computer is in Safe Mode with Networking ,please download the latest official version of RKill.
   
2. Double-click on the RKill iconin order to automatically attempt to stop any processes associated with S.M.A.R.T Virus.
   
3. RKill will now start working in the background, please be patient while the program looks for various malware programs and tries to terminate them.
   
   IF you receive a message that RKill is an infection, that is a fake warning given by the rogue. As a possible solution we advise you to leave the warning on the screen and then try to run RKill again.Run RKill until the fake program is not visible but not more than ten times.
   IF you continue having problems running RKill, you can download the other renamed versions of RKill from here.
4. When Rkill has completed its task, it will generate a log. You can then proceed with the rest of the guide.
   

WARNING: Do not reboot your computer after running RKill as the malware process will start again , preventing you from properly performing the next step.

STEP 4: Remove S.M.A.R.T Virus malicious files with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware FREE

1. Please download the latest official version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware FREE.
   
2. Install Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware by double clicking on mbam-setup.
   
3. When the installation begins, keep following the prompts in order to continue with the installation process. Do not make any changes to default settings and when the program has finished installing, make sure you leave both the Update Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware checked. Then click on the Finishbutton. If Malwarebytes’ prompts you to reboot, please do not do so.
   
4. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start and you’ll be prompted to start a trial period , please select ‘Decline‘ as we just want to use the on-demand scanner.
   
5. On the Scanner tab,please select Perform full scan and then click on the Scan button to start scanning your computer for any possible infections.
   
6. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for S.M.A.R.T Virus malicious files as shown below.
   
7. When the scan is finished a message box will appear, click OK to continue.
   
8. You will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware has detected.Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.Make sure that everything is Checked (ticked) and click on the Remove Selected button.
   
9. Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware will now start removing the malicious files.If during the removal process Malwarebytes will display a message stating that it needs to reboot, please allow this request.
   

STEP 5: Double check your system for any left over infections with HitmanPro

1. This step can be performed in Normal Mode ,so please download the latest official version of HitmanPro.
   
2. Double click on the previously downloaded file to start the HitmanPro installation.
   
   NOTE : If you have problems starting HitmanPro, use the “Force Breach” mode. Hold down the left CTRL-key when you start HitmanPro and all non-essential processes are terminated, including the malware process. (How to start HitmanPro in Force Breach mode – Video)
3. Click on Next to install HitmanPro on your system.
   
4. The setup screen is displayed, from which you can decide whether you wish to install HitmanPro on your machine or just perform a one-time scan, select a option then click on Next to start a system scan.
   
5. HitmanPro will start scanning your system for malicious files. Depending on the size of your hard drive, and the performance of your computer, this step will take several minutes.
   
6. Once the scan is complete,a screen displaying all the malicious files that the program found will be shown as seen in the image below.After reviewing each malicious object click Next.
   
7. Click Activate free license to start the free 30 days trial and remove the malicious files.
   
8. HitmanPro will now start removing the infected objects, and in some instances, may suggest a reboot in order to completely remove the malware from your system. In this scenario, always confirm the reboot action to be on the safe side.

STEP 6: Unhide your files and folders

S.M.A.R.T Virus modifies your file system in such a way that all files and folders become hidden, to restore the default settings , you’ll need to run the below program.

1. Download Unhide.exe, to unhide your files and folders.
   
2. Double-click on the Unhide.exe icon on your desktop and allow the program to run.The whole process should not take more than 5 minutes to complete,and at the end this utility will generate a report.
   

STEP 7 : Restore your shortcuts and remove any left over malicious registry keys

S.M.A.R.T Virus has moved your shortcuts files in the Temporary Internet folder and added some malicious registry keys to your Windows installation , to restore your files we will need to perform a scan with RogueKiller.

1. Please download the latest official version of RogueKiller.
   
2. Double click on RogueKiller.exe to start this utility and then wait for the Prescan to complete.This should take only a few seconds and then you can click the Start button to perform a system scan.
   
3. After the scan has completed, press the Delete button to remove any malicious registry keys.
   
4. Next we will need to restore your shortcuts, so click on the ShortcutsFix button and allow the program to run.
   

STEP 8: Get your desktop look back!

S.M.A.R.T Virus changes your desktop background to a solid black color,to change it back to default one follow the below instruction.

• Windows XP : Click on the Start button and then select Control Panel. When the Control Panel opens, please click on the Display icon. From this screen you can now change your Theme and desktop background.
• Windows 7 and Vista : Click on the Start button and then select Control Panel. When the Control Panel opens, please click on the Appearance and Personalization category. Then select Change the Theme or Change Desktop Background to revert back to your original Theme and colors.

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