Microsoft toolkit malware software#

Specific prevalent malicious software is a small subset of all the malicious software that exists today. The tool removes only specific prevalent malicious software. It is significantly more desirable to block malicious software from running on a computer than to remove it after infection. Antivirus products block malicious software from running on a computer. The tool removes malicious software from an already-infected computer. The MSRT differs from an antivirus product in three important ways:

Microsoft toolkit malware install#

Therefore, we strongly recommend that you install and use an up-to-date antivirus product.

It is strictly a post-infection removal tool. The MSRT does not replace an antivirus product. It also includes information for the administrators and advanced users, including information about supported command-line switches. This article contains information about how the tool differs from an antivirus or antimalware product, how you can download and run the tool, what happens when the tool finds malware, and tool release information. For comprehensive malware detection and removal, consider using Windows Defender Offline or Microsoft Safety Scanner. Use this tool to find and remove specific prevalent threatsВ and reverse the changes they have made (see covered malware families).

Microsoft toolkit malware update#

Microsoft releases the MSRT on a monthly cadence as part of Windows Update or as a standalone tool. If the operating system language is not supported, MSRT uses United States English (en-us).The Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) helps remove malicious software from computers that are running any of the following operating systems: To learn more about the latest MSRT detections, read the posts about MSRT in the Microsoft Malware Protection Center blog.

Data collected during errors and detectionsДЇor detailed information about deploying MSRT, IT administrators can read KB891716.

Release information, including the complete list of covered malware families.

Visit this KB entry for more information about: This KB entry contains information about MSRT and provides links to related topics. Information for IT administrators and advanced users (KB890830)ДЇor advanced information, read KB890830 at. It also generates the following log file:

The standalone version available on this page is delivered at the same time.ДЄfter the standalone version of MSRT scans the computer and removes threats, it displays a report that lists the threats. Microsoft generally delivers MSRT with Windows Update the second Tuesday of the month. If you would like to run MSRT on demand, run the standalone version. The integrated version automatically runs in the background. For comprehensive malware detection and removal, consider using Microsoft Safety Scanner.Д®nable automatic updates to regularly get MSRT with Windows Update. MSRT targets prevalent malware families only. This tool does not replace full-fledged antimalware such as Windows Defender Antivirus.

To complement your antimalware product.

If you suspect an infection from prevalent malware families ( see covered threats).

Windows Update automatically downloads and runs MSRT in the background.

If you have automatic updates for Windows turned off.