Windows Genuine Advantage virus Removal Guide

The Windows Genuine Advantage virus is a ransomware infection imitating notifications by the legitimate Windoes Genuine Advantage program, which informs the owner of Windows about a fail in the WGA validation process if he/she has a counterfeit version of Windows XP. Windows Genuine Advantage asks the user to validate his/her Windows, and, unlike the Windows Genuine Advantage virus, does not lock the screen of the computer. If you are reading this report, you have probably received a suspicious notification claiming that you have no access to your data because you are using a counterfeit or outdated version of Windows and that you have to pay a sum either of €50 or €100 to regain access to your data. The warning resembling the authentic warning of Windows Genuine Advantage is one example of how ransomware infections operate.

Ransomware infections are installed without user interference; they lock the screen or encrypt files and display so-called ransom warnings every time the user logs on to the computer. Ransom pop-ups are designed to look authentic, i.e. they may resemble Windows alerts or police warnings in order not to arouse suspicion. Neither Windows nor any law enforcement institution would ask you to make a payment using Ukash or Paysafecard, which is the case with the Windows Genuine Advantage ransomware infection.

In order to make a Ukash or Paysafecard money transaction, you must to buy a specific voucher with a unique code and provide it to the receiver. If you want to save your money, you should disregard the fake warning and remove the Windows Genuine Advantage virus from the computer as soon as possible. The Windows Genuine Advantage warning claims that you will regain access to your compute within 12 hours after paying the money required; unfortunately, it is impossible to know whether the payment would work because the warning is a scam.

It is also worth noting that the Windows Genuine Advantage virus displays notifications in different languages including German. Here is how an excerpt from the deceptive warning looks like:

Um den Zugang zu Ihrem PC und den darauf befindlichen Daten wieder zu erlangen, können Sie über das Bezahlfeld eine neue Original-Lizenz erwerben. Um eine Lizenz zu erhalten, erwerben Sie bitte einen Code eines unserer offiziellen Partner Paysafecard oder ukash und geben Sie diesen in das unten vorgesehene Fenster ein und bestätigen Sie mit "OK".

If the language of your operating system is English, all Windows notifications are in the same language. The Windows Genuine Advantage warning displayed in a different language should immediate alarm you, not to mention the fact that the computer becomes inoperable once the warning is displayed.

It is crucial to remove the Windows Genuine Advantage virus, and we recommend that you remove it manually. Manual removal requires a lot of knowledge and skills, so we recommend that you rely on a reputable spyware and malware prevention tool. Unfortunately, due to the lockdown of the screen, some additional steps have to be taken to install a malware removal tool successfully. Follow the below-given instructions to learn how to do it, and feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions.

Remove the Windows Genuine Advantage virus

1. Restart the computer.
2. Wait for the BIO screen to load and repeatedly tap the F8 key.
3. Select the Safe Mode with Networking option.
4. Open the Start menu.
5. Click Run.
6. Type in msconfig and click OK.
7. Open the Startup tab and click the Disable All button.
8. Open any Internet browser and go to http://www.411-spyware.com/download-sph to download SpyHunter. Install the program.
9. Restart the PC and scan the computer.