Malicious Removal Tool

[Jay]

XP Pro

I do auto-update but I see what's going on first before
download/Install. A little while ago, there were three updates available
one of which was the Malicious Software Removal Tool. It downloaded and
installed. Ok, I give up, where is it, how to run it manually??

Thanks, Jay

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

The Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) is updated & offered by Windows
Update once a month. The tool simply downloads & runs. If nothing's found,
it just "goes away." (Believe me, if it found something, you'd know about
it!)

You can view its log (MSR.LOG) in C:\WINDOWS\Debug <=this folder.

 

[sgopus]

it runs itself upon download finishing and removes what it needs to, then
stops running, it resides in system 32

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...E0-E72D-4F54-9AB3-75B8EB148356&displaylang=en


Check this link and read all about it

 

[Shenan Stanley]

XP Pro

I do auto-update but I see what's going on first before
download/Install. A little while ago, there were three updates
available one of which was the Malicious Software Removal Tool. It
downloaded and installed. Ok, I give up, where is it, how to run it
manually??

It does run when it installs.

However...

Now is a great time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:

Search using Google!
http://www.google.com/
(How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )

Example:
http://www.google.com/search?q=How+do+I+run+the+Malicious+Software+Removal+Tool+in+Windows+XP

Finds:
Manually run the Malicious Software Removal Tool on Windows XP machines
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-5842421.html

and
http://www.pchell.com/virus/malicioussoftwareremovaltool.shtml

Which includes:
How to Run the Malicious Software Removal Tool Manually

1) Click on Start, Run
2) Type MRT and Press Enter

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Jay" <[email protected]>

| XP Pro

| I do auto-update but I see what's going on first before
| download/Install. A little while ago, there were three updates available
| one of which was the Malicious Software Removal Tool. It downloaded and
| installed. Ok, I give up, where is it, how to run it manually??

| Thanks, Jay


The utility is...
%windir%\system32\MRT.exe

Command line switches...

/? or /HELP = displays the command line switches
/Q = quiet
/N = detect only
/F = force extended scan
/F:Y = force extended scan and automatically clean infected files

The following is the resultant log file...

%windir%\Debug\mrt.log

 

[Jay]

On 14.01.2009 19:53, sgopus wrote:

--- Original Message ---

it runs itself upon download finishing and removes what it needs to, then
stops running, it resides in system 32

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...E0-E72D-4F54-9AB3-75B8EB148356&displaylang=en


Check this link and read all about it

Combined reply to all .. thanks, much appreciated.

Cheers, Jay

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Did I say it was removed or deleted? No.

No... it stays in the System32 directory.

It can be run again in a CMD window or from the "start search" box:

mrt.exe

Richie Hardwick

 

[Unknown]

Would you please give your definition of 'goes away'.

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Unknown" <[email protected]>

| Would you please give your definition of 'goes away'.

As in no user intervention or user attention.

 

[Bill Sharpe]

From: "Unknown" <[email protected]>

| Would you please give your definition of 'goes away'.

As in no user intervention or user attention.

....which is kinda dumb. Program should report that it found nothing, if
that's the case.

Bill

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

...which is kinda dumb. Program should report that it found nothing, if
that's the case.

It does, if you care to open MSR.LOG.

 

[Unknown]

You are quibbling now.

It does, if you care to open MSR.LOG.

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Bill Sharpe" <[email protected]>


| ...which is kinda dumb. Program should report that it found nothing, if
| that's the case.

| Bill

No I don't think so.

As a monthly downloaded On Demand scanner, it doesn't need to flag that nothing was found.

 

[Bill Sharpe]

It does, if you care to open MSR.LOG.

I realize that now. You'd think the programmers at MS would be able to
put up a message box saying all is ok without complicating the MRT
program at all.

Bill

 

[Bill Sharpe]

From: "Bill Sharpe" <[email protected]>



| ...which is kinda dumb. Program should report that it found nothing, if
| that's the case.

| Bill

No I don't think so.

As a monthly downloaded On Demand scanner, it doesn't need to flag that nothing was found.

Why not? My first impression was that the program wasn't running at all,
since there was no onscreen indication of it doing so.

Once I finally opened the log I discovered that MRT had run several
times in the past few months...

Bill

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Bill Sharpe" <[email protected]>


| Why not? My first impression was that the program wasn't running at all,
| since there was no onscreen indication of it doing so.

| Once I finally opened the log I discovered that MRT had run several
| times in the past few months...

| Bill

Because nothing was found when it ran via Windows Updates.

This would be a different story IFF you had manually executed the On Demand scanner.