AntiVirus AntiSpyware 2011: what it is and how to remove it

The name Looker.exe is not enough to say. Malware often uses technical-sounding names, and harmless updaters often use odd ones. Check three things:

• the folder the file runs from
• the Digital Signatures tab in its properties
• the program that starts it (Startup apps, Task Scheduler or services)

A signed file from a company whose product you use is almost certainly fine. An unsigned file in a user folder that no installed program explains should be removed, and the PC scanned with Microsoft Defender in offline mode.

Ending an unknown process is safe in the sense that Windows will warn you before you close anything critical, and a restart brings back whatever Windows needs. Ending Looker.exe will not remove it, though: if a task or startup entry launches it, it returns at the next sign-in.

Use ending the process as a test. If something important stops working, it belonged to a program you use. If nothing changes and it comes back by itself, find and disable its starter, delete the file and scan the PC.

No. Real Windows Security notifications appear in the notification area and in the Windows Security app, use Microsoft's design and never ask you to call a phone number or pay to fix anything. What people report is an unfamiliar process called Looker.exe in Task Manager, drawn by a program that copies the look of a system message.

Open Windows Security from the Start menu to see the real status of your PC. If it shows no threats while the window keeps appearing, the window itself is the problem, and the plan in this guide removes the program that shows it.

No. Windows 11 and Windows 10 include Microsoft Defender in Windows Security, which provides real-time protection, scheduled scans, the offline scan and protection against unwanted apps at no cost. Keep it switched on and updated, and turn on Reputation-based protection under App & browser control.

If you prefer a third-party product, buy it from the vendor's own site after reading independent test results, never from a pop-up or a phone call. The lesson of AntiVirus AntiSpyware 2011 is that security offers which arrive unasked are the ones to avoid.

Only if the signs point to deeper access. Reset when you see an unfamiliar process called Looker.exe in Task Manager again after removal, when Windows Security cannot start or update, when remote access tools you did not install keep appearing, or when you simply cannot trust the PC any more.

Otherwise, the plan in this guide plus an offline scan is enough. If you do reset, choose Remove everything and Cloud download for a fresh copy of Windows, restore only documents and photos, and reinstall programs from their official sites. Change important passwords from the clean system afterwards.

Not until you check. While connected, the caller could install other programs, create a user account or look at saved passwords. Disconnect from the internet, uninstall the remote access program and anything else installed during the call, and run a full scan and the Microsoft Defender offline scan.

From another device, change your e-mail and banking passwords and turn on two-step verification. If the caller opened your online banking, call the bank today. A reset of Windows is the safest option if you cannot tell what was done.

End the call and do not let them reconnect. If they installed a remote-access tool, disconnect the PC from the internet and uninstall that tool from Installed apps. Change passwords for e-mail, banking and anything you typed during the call, using another device.

If you paid, contact the bank today for a chargeback. Report the number to the authorities in your country. The program behind an unfamiliar process called Looker.exe in Task Manager still needs removing: follow the plan in this guide, then run a full scan in Windows Security.

AntiVirus AntiSpyware 2011 is a rogue security program promoted through the use of Trojans and advertisements that pretend to be online anti-malware scanners. It uses misleading techniques to make it difficult to remove it.

The summary table at the top of this guide lists the type, the detection names, the symptoms and the damage of AntiVirus AntiSpyware 2011. Reading it first helps you decide whether your computer shows the same signs. The removal plan below it works in order, from the safest step to the more thorough ones.

Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.

For AntiVirus AntiSpyware 2011, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.

Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.