XP Antivirus 2014: what it is and how to remove it
XP Antivirus 2014 is a serious virus that can easily initiate problems on your computer. It belongs to a well known of rogue anti-spywares, which is called braviax.
Facts checked October 7, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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XP Antivirus 2014: summary
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | XP Antivirus 2014 |
| Type | Rogue antivirus |
| Symptoms | An unknown process in Task Manager |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 4 more facts
| Files and processes | hunter.exe |
|---|---|
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
| First seen | 26 April 2021 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
What XP Antivirus 2014 is
XP Antivirus 2014 is a serious virus that can easily initiate problems on your computer.
It belongs to a well known of rogue anti-spywares, which is called braviax. When having this rogue running on your computer, you may not only notice continuous system scanners reporting about different kinds of viruses. You may also see continuous offers to purchase its licensed version.
If you agree to do that, you may run into even more dangerous problems because your money, credit card details and other personally identifiable information will be sent straight to hackers. Please, don't fall for XP Antivirus 2014 alerts and NEVER pay for its licensed version because it's fake. In reality, this program is not capable of detecting any kind of threat.
All what it does is showing people identical notifications that try to scare them into thinking that their PCs are dangerously infected. However, the only real virus that is hiding in their computers is XP Antivirus 2014.. Please, do NOT let this rogue trick you. You should remove it as soon as it starts showing you its invented pop-up notifications.
Is XP Antivirus 2014 a real security program?
- File:
hunter.exe
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
How can XP Antivirus 2014 infect my computer?
XP Antivirus 2014 is spread just like many other rogues, such as Win 7 Protection 2014 or Win 7 Antivirus 2014.
That means that if you don't have a reputable anti-spyware installed on your PC, it is vulnerable and can easily get infected with this or other threats that belongs to Braviax. In addition, you should also try to avoid illegal websites, spam and misleading popups that may show up to you when visiting legal and illegal websites.
They typically say that computer may be infected and offer checking it for free. Of course, on you click on such notification, you download a trojan that installs this rogue. If XP Antivirus 2014 infects computer, it additionally drops its own registry entries and files. In addition, it starts its work as soon as you reboot your computer and displays such and similar notifications:
If you have been suffering from XP Antivirus 2014 ads that try to inform you about tens of different viruses, you should ignore them. If you fall for them, you can easily lose your money and personal information. The easiest way to get rid of those ads is to remove this rogue anti-spyware from the system. You can do that with a help of a guide that is given below:
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on XP Antivirus 2014
- System security threat was detected.
- Viruses and/or spyware may be damaging your system now.
- Prevent infection and data loss or stealing by running a free security scan.
- XP Antivirus 2014 has blocked a program from accessing the internet This program is infected with Trojan-BNK.Win32.Keylogger.gen Private data can be stolen by third parties, including credit card details and passwords.
How to remove XP Antivirus 2014
Nothing it reports is real.
These steps remove it and undo a payment if you made one.
Step 1: Do not pay, and undo a payment if you made one
XP Antivirus 2014 reports problems to sell a licence: the "threats" or "errors" it lists are invented or harmless leftovers. If you already paid, ask your card issuer to dispute the charge and cancel the subscription both in the seller's account and through your bank.
If you called a phone number it showed and let someone connect, treat the PC as remotely accessed and remove the remote tool. Uninstalling it from Windows 11 or Windows 10 does not cancel a subscription by itself.
Full procedure with screenshots: What to do after paying a scammer
Step 2: Uninstall programs you did not mean to install
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10, and sort the list by install date. Look at what appeared around the day the problem started and uninstall every program you do not recognise or did not choose.
Free converters, PDF and video tools, "system optimizers" and unknown browsers are the usual carriers of XP Antivirus 2014. If a name is unclear, search for it before you remove it, so you do not uninstall a driver or a Windows component.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 3: Remove it from startup
Whatever XP Antivirus 2014 installed usually starts with Windows.
Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, go to Startup apps in Windows 11 or the Startup tab in Windows 10, and disable what you do not know, starting with entries that have an empty Publisher column.
Open file location on the right-click menu shows the file, which helps you decide and tells you what to delete later. Disabling is safe: if something you need stops working, switch it back on.
Full procedure with screenshots: Stop apps from opening at startup On uGetFix
Step 4: Delete the folders left behind
What the uninstaller leaves behind is usually in the user folders. Open File Explorer, switch on View > Show > Hidden items (in Windows 10 View > Hidden items), and go through
%LocalAppData%,%AppData%, %ProgramData% and the two Program Files folders.Sort by Date modified and delete folders that appeared together with the problem and belong to no program you use. Folders with random names that hold
.exe,.dll, .js or .ps1 files are the strongest sign.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove what malware leaves behind in Windows
Step 5: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, run a Full scan and remove everything it finds. Then select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now: the PC restarts and scans before Windows loads, which finds files that hide while Windows runs.
Save your work first, because the offline scan takes about 15 minutes. Both scans are built into Windows 11 and Windows 10, and a second scanner from another vendor is a useful extra opinion.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files.
More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
How to remove XP Antivirus 2014?
The way how you can remove XP Antivirus 2014 from your computer is quite difficult because it uses randomly named files to hide its presence on the system.
Fortunately, you can select AUTOMATIC REMOVAL OPTION that requires just downloading a reputable anti-spyware, updating it and running a full system scan. If you need a detailed guide explaining how to do that, read this guide.
ATTENTION! If you can't download or launch any them, try these options:
1. USING SYSTEM RESTORE TO DISABLE VIRUS:
2. REBOOTING TO SAFE MODE WITH NETWORKING:
3. CREATING GUEST ACCOUNT FOR SCANNING COMPUTER:
If you have another user (guest) account, you can try to run a full system scan from it. You just need to log into it and download for a full system scan. You can activate your guest account with a help of these steps:
4. USING ANOTHER PC FOR DOWNLOADING ANTI-SPYWARE:
- Click Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore.
- Select Restore my computer to an earlier time and click Next.
- Choose the date and the specific restore point that you want and click Next.
- Wait until your PC reboots and click OK on the Restoration Complete window.
- Now download and run a full system scan after updating it.
- Restart your computer
- As soon as your computer becomes active, start pressing the F8 key continuously until you see Advanced Boot Options screen.
- Here, select Safe Mode with Networking (for that, use the arrow keys) and then hit Enter.
- Login as the same user as you were in normal Windows mode
- Now right click on IE or other browser's icon and select Run As or Run As administrator. Enter your Administrator account password (if needed).
- Enter this link to your address bar: https://www.2-spyware.com/download/hunter.exe and download a program on your desktop. Launch it to remove malicious files.
- Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel and select User Accounts.
- After a new window shows up, click on Guest -> Turn On Guest Account.
- Now wait until computer reboots and you see Windows log on screen
- Take another computer that is not infected by this virus and download or on it.
- After completing the procedure, transfer this anti-malware to the CD/DVD, external drive, or USB flash drive.
- In the meanwhile, kill malicious processes on your infected computer. For that you can use this tutorial.
- Stick the device you used for transferring anti-spyware program to your infected PC and launch it.
Questions about XP Antivirus 2014
Is hunter.exe safe?
It depends on where the file is and who signed it, not on the name. Open Task Manager, go to the Details tab, right-click hunter.exe and choose Open file location. A file inside Program Files or System32 with a valid digital signature from a known company is usually part of a legitimate program.
A file in AppData, Temp or ProgramData with no signature, especially one that restarts itself after you end it, is suspicious. If you cannot tie the process to anything you installed, uninstall recent unfamiliar programs and run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan.
Can I delete the hunter.exe file?
Only after you know what it belongs to. If hunter.exe is part of a program, uninstall that program through Settings instead, so its services and tasks go too. If it belongs to nothing and is unsigned, end the process, disable whatever starts it and then delete its folder.
Do not delete files from the Windows folder or files signed by Microsoft: those are part of the system, and removing them can stop Windows from starting. When in doubt, run a Microsoft Defender scan first and let it decide.
Should I reset my PC because of XP Antivirus 2014?
Only if the signs point to deeper access. Reset when you see an unfamiliar process called hunter.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.
I called the number from XP Antivirus 2014. What now?
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 hunter.exe in Task Manager still needs removing: follow the plan in this guide, then run a full scan in Windows Security.
I let a technician connect to my PC because of XP Antivirus 2014. Is it safe now?
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.
How do I know XP Antivirus 2014 is fake?
Three things give it away. It appears as an unfamiliar process called hunter.exe in Task Manager, a window from a program rather than from Windows Security. It pushes you to act quickly by calling, paying or downloading.
And the threats it reports never show up when you run a scan in the real Windows Security app. Microsoft does not put phone numbers in warnings or charge for removing threats through pop-ups. Close the window, do not call, and follow the steps to find and uninstall the program behind it.
Do I need to buy antivirus after removing XP Antivirus 2014?
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 XP Antivirus 2014 is that security offers which arrive unasked are the ones to avoid.
What should I do if I already clicked or replied to XP Antivirus 2014?
Stop all contact, do not click anything else and secure your accounts right away. If you typed a password, change it at once from a clean device, then turn on two-factor authentication.
If you gave card or bank details, call the bank on the number printed on your card and ask to block or replace it. If you installed something or allowed remote access, disconnect from the internet and follow the removal plan. Keep screenshots and the message, because they help when you report it.
Will Fortect remove XP Antivirus 2014?
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 XP Antivirus 2014, 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.
Sources
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 7, 2026)