XP Home Security 2011: what it is and how to remove it
XP Home Security 2011 is a rogue anti-spyware program that simulates a system scan and reports false scan results just to scare you and make you think that your computer is infected with Trojans, worms and other malware.
Once installed, it will display fake security alerts or notifications and then inform you that you need to pay money to register the program if you want to remove the infections and computer threats, which of course do not even exist.
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 Home Security 2011: 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 Home Security 2011 |
| Type | Rogue antivirus |
| Symptoms | An unknown program in Installed apps |
| 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
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
|---|---|
| Program | XP Home Security 2011 |
| First seen | 26 April 2021 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
What XP Home Security 2011 is
XP Home Security 2011 is a rogue anti-spyware program that simulates a system scan and reports false scan results just to scare you and make you think that your computer is infected with Trojans, worms and other malware.
Once installed, it will display fake security alerts or notifications and then inform you that you need to pay money to register the program if you want to remove the infections and computer threats, which of course do not even exist.
Do not pay for this software and get rid of XP Home Security 2011 form your computer upon detection using the removal stated guide below. XP Home Security 2011 displays warnings and notifications about serious security threats and privacy issues. It will also state that it has detected many critical spyware objects and that these objects can expose private information.
Of course, that's not true. This is just a part of whole scam. Besides, no matter what you decide to do, it will ask to pay for a full version of the program to protect your computer from malware and possible attacks from the Internet.
Just ignore all of this and read the removal instructions carefully. Remove XP Home Security 2011as soon as possible! SPECIAL NOTES FOR XP HOME SECURITY (2011) REMOVAL: 1. Firstly, type this registry code into its manual registration section to disable alerts interrupting when trying to remove malware: 1147-175591-6550 .
2. If this fails, reboot machine into Safe Mode with networking with a help of F8, launch task manager and stop all 3-letter named processes, also processes named like garbage. 3. Search for malware files on hard disk and delete them, edit registry.
You can also use automatic removal program or Spyware Doctor for the last action. 4. Reboot, update your antivirus programs (preferably to internet security versions) and scan again. Make sure you got all the trojans out.
How to remove XP Home Security 2011
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 Home Security 2011 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 XP Home Security 2011
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10.
Sort the list by install date and find XP Home Security 2011, then choose Uninstall from the three-dot menu next to it (in Windows 10, click the entry and then Uninstall).
Remove anything else installed on the same day that you do not recognise, because such programs usually arrive together in one installer. If the uninstaller opens a browser page with an offer or a survey, close it: the program is removed either way.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 3: Remove it from startup
Whatever XP Home Security 2011 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
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Questions about XP Home Security 2011
Is XP Home Security 2011 a virus?
Most programs that appear the way XP Home Security 2011 did are not viruses in the strict sense. They are potentially unwanted programs:
- real software that arrives bundled with other downloads and then shows offers
- changes browser settings
- starts with Windows
Some are harmless, some are annoying and a few carry adware. What makes it worth removing is that you did not choose it.
Uninstall it from Installed apps and check the startup list and the browsers for anything added the same day. If it refuses to uninstall or returns after a restart, treat it as more serious and run a Microsoft Defender offline scan.
XP Home Security 2011 came back after I uninstalled it. Why?
Something else is reinstalling it. Common causes are a second program from the same publisher, a scheduled task that downloads it again, or a browser extension that keeps prompting for it. Sort Installed apps by install date and uninstall each entry from the same day that you did not choose.
Then open Task Scheduler and look in the Task Scheduler Library for tasks with updater-style names that you do not recognise. Check Startup apps in Task Manager too. If XP Home Security 2011 still returns, start Windows in Safe Mode, uninstall it there and run a Microsoft Defender offline scan, which looks for loaders that ordinary scans can miss.
XP Home Security 2011 has no uninstaller. How do I get rid of it?
Some scareware does not register an uninstaller, or its uninstaller only opens another sales page. In that case, end the program in Task Manager, then go to Task Manager > Startup apps, right-click its entry and choose Open file location to find its folder. Disable the startup entry, restart in Safe Mode and delete the folder.
Check Task Scheduler for tasks with the same name. Finally, run the Microsoft Defender offline scan, which removes remaining files that Microsoft knows about. Restart afterwards and check that nothing named after XP Home Security 2011 starts again.
Will the seller of XP Home Security 2011 refund me if I ask?
Sometimes, but do not depend on it and do not let them steer the process. If you contact the seller, do it in writing and keep the replies. Never install software, share your screen or give banking details to get a refund.
The more reliable route is your card issuer or PayPal: a chargeback or dispute for a product sold with false claims. If the seller or anyone claiming to represent them calls you first about a refund, treat it as a scam and hang up.
What is XP Home Security 2011?
XP Home Security 2011 is fake security software, sometimes called a rogue antivirus or scareware. The program, XP Home Security 2011, shows invented or exaggerated problems to make you pay for a licence, and some versions send you to phone "support".
It does not protect the PC, and the threats it lists are not a reason to pay. Fake security programs usually arrive through fake virus warnings on websites, extra offers in free installers or ads for faster PCs. Uninstall it and use the free protection built into Windows instead.
Do I need to buy antivirus after removing XP Home Security 2011?
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 Home Security 2011 is that security offers which arrive unasked are the ones to avoid.
Why does XP Home Security 2011 look so official?
Because copying the design costs nothing and makes people trust it. The program behind XP Home Security 2011 in the list of installed apps 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.
Did XP Home Security 2011 steal my information?
Not by itself, as far as reports show. Programs that display XP Home Security 2011 in the list of installed apps are built to scare people into paying or calling; they rarely take data on their own.
The risk comes from what you did in response: typing card details into the program, or letting a caller connect to your PC. If you did neither, uninstalling the program is enough. If you did either, treat that information as exposed:
- block the card
- change passwords from another device
- remove any remote-access tool that was installed
Should I reset my PC because of XP Home Security 2011?
Only if the signs point to deeper access. Reset when you see XP Home Security 2011 in the list of installed apps 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.
Will Fortect remove XP Home Security 2011?
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 Home Security 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.
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)