Member Avatar for catwithoutahat

Hello. My computer is infected with a thing called Windows Accelerator Pro. It looks like an antivirus program, but I'm sure it's a virus, because I did not install it and I do not have any other antivirus protection on my PC. I thought I wouldn't need one, but I guess I was wrong. I tried to deal with this thing on my own and I searched for some help in Google. I found several removal guides and I did exactly as they said(mostly I followed those steps). Now the hard part is to decide which antivirus program to download. They are so many.. how do I choose a good one, that is actually helping? Every removal guide ends with a suggestion, but how to tell if it is a good software? Can anyone recommend something? Thank you.

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Dani AI

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Windows Accelerator Pro is not a legitimate product — it is scareware from the FakeVimes family that fakes scan results, blocks real tools and can alter startup items and the Hosts file to keep itself alive. Do not pay for it; if a payment was made, contact the card issuer to dispute the charge. Removal usually needs an offline or Safe Mode cleanup plus a follow-up sweep, not just one quick install of any random AV. (Background: BleepingComputer maintains a detailed removal guide and family description.)
BleepingComputer: Windows Accelerator Pro removal guide

Suggested removal workflow (concise and practical):

  1. If the rogue blocks programs, reboot into Safe Mode (Safe Mode with Command Prompt or Networking). If nothing will run, use a second, clean PC to download tools and copy them to a USB drive.
  2. Run an offline scan (Microsoft Defender Offline or similar) to detect/root out the resident components before Windows fully loads.
  3. Use Autoruns (Sysinternals) to inspect and disable/delete suspicious autostart entries, services and scheduled tasks the rogue added.
  4. Reset the Hosts file to the Windows default and reset/clear browser extensions/caches to fix redirects.
  5. Reboot, run a full online scan again, change all passwords you used on the infected machine, and back up important data — if the infection persists or the system is unstable, prepare for a clean OS reinstall.

Helpful references for the steps above:
Microsoft Defender Offline documentation
Autoruns (Sysinternals)
How to reset the Hosts file (Microsoft Support)

If you prefer not to DIY, get a forum-assisted removal (logs from tools like FRST are commonly used) or a reputable repair shop. was right to point to a removal scan; is correct that security should be layered (real-time AV, firewall, updates, and user caution). Be cautious about one-click “removal” tools mentioned by others (including ) — verify reputation first — and limit other users’ privileges on the PC (a little common-sense hygiene will prevent repeat infections).

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for gerbil

Hi, cat.
If you are able to log into windows now without the Windows Accel Pro screen, then running malwarebytes will clean it from your system completely.
http://www.malwarebytes.org/ -the free version will do it. At completion of installation, let it start and update, then do the quick scan. Set it to delete what it finds.
An antivirus may not have protected you from this threat... it's classed as a ransomware/spyware - a trojan. A good firewall would have.... anyway, a good, free AV service is Panda's Cloud AV Free. Rated the best free AV atm. The paid version includes a firewall.
I should add Comodo Free and Avast Free. It's difficult to choose between the three, really. Maybe Panda wins.

Edited by gerbil
Member Avatar for JorgeM

Yes, Panda is actually great.

In addition, i would like to mention that good security is implemented in layers. There is a misconcepcion out there that if you have antivirus software, you are fully proteted. That's not the case.

In addition to your antivirus client, a good security plan will also include...

  • user eduction about malware, social engineering techniques, etc..
  • perimeter firewall
  • content filtering
  • url filtering
  • keeping up with OS and application security patches
  • complex passwords
  • data loss prevention
  • encryption
Member Avatar for supriya.sinha.106

Unfortunately my system got infected with this fake anti-spyware Windows Accelerator Pro and since then it was causing serious performance issues within, so i had to look for the right tool to remove the same, finally coming across this automatic removal tool made my work all easy and my system is now safe, properly working once again. Hope, this helps any one looking to get rid of this rogue program -

Edited by supriya.sinha.106 because: minor issues
Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

If you let anyone else use your computer then I suggest one other layer of protection. A great big stick. It won't save you from one infection, but it will likely prevent a repeat infection. I've had great success with this tool :)

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