Manual Removal Guide for PU.AQ.RegistryFirstAid

The following instructions have been created to help you to get rid of "PU.AQ.RegistryFirstAid" manually.
Use this guide at your own risk; software should usually be better suited to remove malware, since it is able to look deeper.

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Threat Details:

Categories:

  • pups

Description:

PU.AQ.RegistryFirstAid is a registry cleaner that finds and repairs errors to speed up the computer. A user must register to remove the errors and to get the full functionality. License fees start from $14.99 (April 2017).

Links (be careful!):

: ww.avanquest.com/Deutschland/software-online/registryfirstaid-120472

Removal Instructions:

Autorun:

Please use Spybot-S&D, RunAlyzer or msconfig.exe to remove the following autorun entries.

  • Entries named "rfagent" and pointing to "?<$PROGRAMFILES>\RFA 11\rfagent32.exe?".

Files:

Please use Windows Explorer or another file manager of your choice to locate and delete these files.

  • The file at "<$COMMONAPPDATA>\Registry First Aid\Filters.ini".
  • The file at "<$COMMONAPPDATA>\Registry First Aid\RFA.ini".
  • The file at "<$COMMONAPPDATA>\Registry First Aid\RFA_exclusions.ini".
  • The file at "<$COMMONAPPDATA>\Registry First Aid\Searches.ini".
  • The file at "<$COMMONDESKTOP>\Registry First Aid 11.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Actions\Contact support.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Actions\Open Backup Folder.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Actions\RFA Full Registry Backup.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Actions\RFA Full Registry Restore.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Actions\RFA Registry Backup Restore.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Actions\RFA Registry Defragment.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Actions\RFA Registry Manage.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Actions\RFA Registry Scan & Fix.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Actions\RFA Registry Search.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Actions\RFA Registry Snapshot.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Registry First Aid 11.lnk".
  • The file at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Registry First Aid Help.lnk".
  • The file at "<$PROGRAMFILES>\RFA 11\reg1aid32.exe".
  • The file at "<$PROGRAMFILES>\RFA 11\rfagent32.exe".
  • The file at "<$PROGRAMFILES>\RFA 11\sysrep32.exe".
  • The file at "<$PROGRAMFILES>\RFA 11\unins000.exe".

Make sure you set your file manager to display hidden and system files. If PU.AQ.RegistryFirstAid uses rootkit technologies, use the rootkit scanner integrated into Spybot-S&D 2.x or our Total Commander anti-rootkit plugins.
You will have to use a global search for files without a name specified. Be extra careful, because just the name might not be enough to identify files!

Important: There are more files that cannot be safely described in simple words. Please use Spybot-S&D to remove them.

Folders:

Please use Windows Explorer or another file manager of your choice to locate and delete these folders.

  • The directory at "<$COMMONAPPDATA>\Registry First Aid".
  • The directory at "<$COMMONAPPDATA>\RFA_Backups".
  • The directory at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11\Actions".
  • The directory at "<$COMMONPROGRAMS>\Registry First Aid 11".
  • The directory at "<$PROGRAMFILES>\RFA 11".

Make sure you set your file manager to display hidden and system files. If PU.AQ.RegistryFirstAid uses rootkit technologies, use our RootAlyzer or our Total Commander anti-rootkit plugins.
You will have to use a global search for files without a name specified. Be extra careful, because just the name might not be enough to identify folders!

Registry:

You can use regedit.exe (included in Windows) to locate and delete these registry entries.

  • Delete the registry key "RFA" at "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\KsL Software\".
  • Delete the registry key "RFA11_is1" at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\".

If PU.AQ.RegistryFirstAid uses rootkit technologies, use our RegAlyzer, RootAlyzer or our Total Commander anti-rootkit plugins.

Final Words:

If neither Spybot-S&D nor self help did resolve the issue or you would prefer one on one help,

  1. Please read these instructions before requesting assistance,
  2. Then start your own thread in the Malware Removal Forum where a volunteer analyst will advise you as soon as available.
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