Remove Windows Performance Catalyst (Uninstall Guide)

What is Windows Performance Catalyst ?

Windows Performance Catalyst is a malicious software that will display fake alerts, also known as “scareware”, claiming malware has been detected on your computer.
The security alerts are professional looking pop-ups and when you click on them, you’re advised to buy this malicious software in order to remove the detected threats.
In reality, none of the issues are real, and are only used to scare you into buying this malicious software and stealing your personal financial information.To make matters worse, this malicious software actually installs malicious code that puts you at risk of attack from additional threats.

Because Windows Performance Catalyst is a malicious software which can severely damage your computer, compromise your credit card security and lead to identity theft,you are strongly advised to follow our Windows Performance Catalyst removal instructions below.

Am I infected with Windows Performance Catalyst ?

This is how the main screen of Windows Performance Catalyst looks:

Windows Performance Catalyst Removal Instructions

(If you experience any problems completing these instructions, please start a new thread in our Malware Removal Assistance forum.)

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. Do one of the following:
   • If your computer has a single operating system installed, press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts. You need to press F8 before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows logo appears, you will need to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears, and then shutting down and restarting your computer.
   • If your computer has more than one operating system, use the arrow keys to highlight the operating system you want to start in safe mode, and then press F8.
3. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode with Networking , and then press ENTER. For more information about options, see Advanced startup options (including safe mode).
   
4. Log on to your computer with a user account that has administrator rights.

---

STEP 2: Check your internet connection for proxies

Windows Performance Catalyst may add a proxy server which prevents the user from accessing the internet,follow the below instructions to remove the proxy.

1. Open Internet Explorer.
   • For Internet Explorer 9 : Click on the gear icon  at the top (far right) and click again on Internet Options.
   • For Internet Explorer 8 : Click on Tools, 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.
   

For Firefox users, go to Firefox(Tools) → Options → Advanced tab → Network → Settings → Select No Proxy

---

STEP 3: Perform system scan with Kaspersky TDSSKiller

Windows Performance Catalyst is known to be bundled with a TDSS rootkit infection which may cause browser redirects and other malicious behavior,to remove this rookit, please run a system scan with Kaspersky TDSSKiller.

1. Please download the latest official version of Kaspersky TDSSKiller.
   
2. Before you can run Kaspersky TDSSKiller, you first need to rename it so that
   you can get it to run. To do this, right-click on the TDSSKiller.exe icon and select Rename.
   Edit the name of the file from TDSSKiller.exe to iexplore.exe, and then double-click on it to launch.
   
3. Kaspersky TDSSKiller will now start and display the welcome screen as shown below.In order to start a system scan , press the ‘Start Scan’ button.
   
4. Kaspersky TDSSKiller will now scan your computer for Windows Performance Catalyst malicious files.
   
5. When the scan has finished it will display a result screen stating whether or not the infection was found on your computer. If it was found it will display a screen similar to the one below.
   
6. To remove the infection simply click on the Continue button and TDSSKiller will attempt to clean the infection.
   A reboot might require to completely remove the malware from your system. In this scenario, always confirm the reboot action to be on the safe side.

Note: IF you have rebooted your computer,please start again in ‘Safe Mode with Networking’ before proceeding to the next step.You can find details on how to start in ‘Safe Mode with Networking’ in Step 1.

---

STEP 4: Download and scan with RKill to terminate known malware processes.

RKill is a program that attempts to terminate any malicious processes associated with Windows Performance Catalyst,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 icon in order to automatically attempt to stop any processes associated with Windows Performance Catalyst.
   
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 5: Perform a full system scan 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 Finish button. 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 Windows Performance Catalyst 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 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 6: Perform a system scan with HitmanPro

1. This step can be performed in Normal Mode ,so please download the latest official version of HitmanPro.
   
2. Start HitmanPro  by double clicking on the previously downloaded file.
   
   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 start a scan for malicious software.
   
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. Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
   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 7 : Remove the residual damage from Windows Performance Catalyst

Windows Performance Catalyst may also modify your HOSTS file default settings, which can cause browser redirects or errors while trying to access antivirus and security websites.
To protect itself, Windows Performance Catalyst has changed the permissions of the HOSTS file so you can’t edit or delete it.

1. Please download the following batch file to revert your HOSTS file permissions:
     hostfix.bat (Size: 134 bytes)
2. Click on hostfix.bat and allow this file to run.Once it starts you will see a small black window that opens and then quickly goes away, then you should be able access your HOSTS file.
3. Please download and run the below file from Microsoft to revert your host file to its original settings.Please note that if you have added custom entries to your HOSTS file then you will need to add them again after restoring the default HOSTS file.
   

If you are still experiencing problems on your machine, please start a new thread in our Malware Removal Assistance forum.