Antivirus Security Pro 2013: what it is and how to remove it

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 notepad.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.

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 notepad.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.

Usually not. A thorough clean-up is enough when the offline scan finds nothing afterwards and you do not see an unfamiliar process called notepad.exe in Task Manager again. A reset is the safer choice if an attacker had remote control, if security tools were switched off, or if detections come back after every clean-up.

Windows 11 can reset itself without a USB stick under Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC. Copy documents and photos out first and scan the copies. A reset does not change passwords or undo stolen data, so the account steps still apply.

Because copying the design costs nothing and makes people trust it. The program behind an unfamiliar process called notepad.exe in Task Manager borrows Windows colours, icons and wording, sometimes even the name of a well-known security brand. None of that gives it access to real security information.

A real alert can be checked in seconds: open Windows Security from the Start menu and look at Protection history. If nothing is listed there, the official-looking window is fake, and the program that draws it is what needs to be removed.

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 notepad.exe in Task Manager still needs removing: follow the plan in this guide, then run a full scan in Windows Security.

Anything you could do. Callers working with fake alerts like Antivirus Security Pro 2013 typically show you Windows logs as "proof", install their own remote tool for later, and steer you to online banking or a gift card purchase. Some add a password to Windows or lock the PC if you refuse to pay.

Remove every remote access program you did not install yourself, check Settings > Accounts > Other users for new accounts, and change important passwords from a clean device. If you cannot be sure what was changed, a reset of Windows is the safe choice.

Treat it as exposed. The order page belongs to the seller of Antivirus Security Pro 2013, and you cannot know how the number is stored or shared. Ask your bank for a replacement card, which is usually free, and dispute the original charge as a misrepresented product.

Until the new card arrives, check your account daily for small or foreign transactions. If the bank offers alerts for every card payment, turn them on. Keep the receipt and screenshots, because they support the dispute.

Almost certainly not. Refund calls are a well-known second stage of scareware and tech support scams. The caller says you are owed money, asks you to install a remote access program to "process" it, then opens your online banking, makes it look as if too much was refunded and asks you to send the difference back.

Hang up. Real refunds go back to the card or PayPal account you paid with, through your bank or the payment provider, and never need remote access or a gift card.

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 Security Pro 2013, 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.