Registry Doctor - "ScareWare" Cleaner

Registry Doctor (which also goes by a number of related names, like RegistryDoctor2008 and RegistryDoctor2009) is confirmed as a rogue application which markets itself as a registry cleaning application. This fake registry tool can infect your system through its website – www(dot)registrydoctor2008(dot)com, or through a Trojan infection. Its claim of being able to clean the registry of your computer’s system is false, and it spouts out warnings that it has detected a lot of errors critical to the system’s functioning. You are also urged to purchase the fully paid version to be able to take care of these problems!

The aim of such fake applications is only to frighten you into purchasing the fully paid versions. This is why they are commonly referred as "scareware." You shouldn't throw your good money down the drain on such tools. Our test team has verified that installation of Registry Doctor further infects your system with malware, such as spyware, adware and keyloggers, all without your consent.

This is what the fake Registry Doctor does:

• It exploits a security flaw in your system.
• Installs malware without your knowledge and consent.
• Distributes unwanted pop-ups and threats.
• Installs with uninstall procedures that are inadequate.
• Uses up your system’s resources excessively
• Connects to the Internet without your consent.
• Slows down the speed of your computer
• Could make your system crash.
• Makes false claims about detection and removal of malware.

Instructions To Remove Registry Doctor

The simplest and usually the most effective way to get rid of Registry Doctor is with the help of a good anti-spyware application. Good techies try to remove the infections manually, but we do not recommend it, unless you actually know what you are doing.

The following are the steps that you may follow to manually remove Registry Doctor from your computer. Just be warned: a wrong move here can cause a lot of problems, so don't do the things listed below unless you understand them.

Step 1: Close down all open programs and browsers and then create a backup of your PC.

1. To uninstall the Registry doctor from your PC, click on ‘Start’ and go to ‘Settings’ and then select ‘Control Panel’
2. Double-click on ‘Add/Remove Programs’
3. Look for Registry Doctor, and if present, select it.
4. Click ‘Remove’ to start the removal process.
5. Follow the screen instructions to complete the uninstallation.

To create a backup of your PC, you may choose to backup all your files, emails and favorites to another computer or external media, such as external hard disk or pen drive. You may also use the backup features that come with Windows to perform the task.

Step 2: Next, stop the Registry Doctor processes by performing the following steps:

1. Click on ‘Start’ and then select ‘Run’
2. Type ‘taskmgr’ in the Open box and then press Enter.

Note: You can alternately open the Task Manager by right-clicking on the taskbar and then selecting the ‘Task Manager’ command. Key combinations Ctrl + Alt + Del or Ctrl + Shift + Esc can also be used to lunch the utility.

3. When you open the ‘Processes’ tab, you will see a list of programs running in your PC.
4. Search for:

-   registrydoctor.exe

-   rgd_freeinstaller.exe

5. To stop these Registry Doctor processes, right-click on each of them and then click ‘End Process.’

Step 3: Un-register the registry keys of Registry Doctor

Warning: The registry is an essential component of your Windows computer. This is the reason why any incorrect changes to it may cause irrecoverable errors. This may even render your PC useless. To prevent this problem, it is recommended that you backup the registry before you make the changes listed below. To backup the registry, you may either use the Registry Editor tool that comes with Windows or opt for a genuine and efficient registry repair tool, such as Registry Easy and Registry Defense.

1. Click ‘Start’ and then select ‘Run’.
2. Type ‘regedit’ and then click OK to open the Registry Editor tool.
3. To back up the registry, on the ‘File’ menu, select ‘Export’.
4. Navigate to the location where you want to save your registry.
5. Type a name for the backup in the ‘File name’ box and then click ‘OK’.
6. Next, search for the following registry keys one-by-one:

·        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEsoftwaremicrosoftwindowscurrent

version un registrydoctor2008

·        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEsoftwaremicrosoftwindowscurrentversion internet settings5.0user agentpost platform 3p_urgd 1.0.6.0

·        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEsoftwaremicrosoftwindowscurrent

·        versionuninstallregistrydoctor2008

·        egistrydoctor2008

·        egistrydoctor2008 displayicon

·        egistrydoctor2008 uninstallstring

·        egistrydoctor2008 displayname

7. Right-click and the select the ‘Delete’ command.

Step 4: Restore your Internet Explorer settings.

The rogue Registry Doctor software may change the Homepage of your Internet Explorer. To return to your original Home page, do the following:

1. Click on ‘Start’, select ‘Settings’ and then select ‘Control Panel’.
2. Select the ‘Internet Options’ and click  ‘General’.
3. Select ‘Use Default’ in the Home page section, or add any other homepage you wish to.
4. Click ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’
5. Just check the browser to ensure you have the home page you wish.

You may also use a reliable registry tool, such as Registry Easy that ships with IE tools feature. These features enable you to load the default settings of Internet Explorer in a single click.

Step 5: Remove the Registry Doctor directories from your system.

1. Click ‘Start’ and then select ‘My Computer’ or click ‘My Computer’ directly on the Desktop.
2. Click ‘Local Disk (C:)’ and then click ‘Program Files’.
3. Click ‘Show the contents of this folder’ and then search for, and delete, the following directories:

·        C:\ProgramFiles\RegistryDoctor2008

·        C:\ProgramFiles\Registry Doctor 2008

4. Right-click the Registry Doctor folder and then select the ‘Delete’ command.
5. Click ‘Yes’ when prompted to send the Registry Doctor folder to the Recycle Bin.
6. Select ‘Yes’ again when prompted: ‘Renaming, moving or deleting Registry Doctor 2008 could make some programs not work. Are you sure you want to do this?’

These steps will enable you to efficiently get rid of the Registry Doctor software. As a vigilant user, it is essential that you research well, go through various user reviews, and then select a genuine registry repair product for your computer. With the help of a good registry repair tool, you can not only fix problem in your registry, but also optimize your PC for error-free, high speed performance.

Useful Links:

http://www.411-spyware.com/remove-registrydoctor2008

http://freepcsecurity.co.uk/2009/01/16/list-of-known-malicious-sites/

http://www.spywareremove.com/removeRegistryDoctor.html

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