How to Remove “StartupGuard.exe”

What is StartupGuard.exe?

Originally developed by IOIO Technologies, StartupGuard.exe is a legitimate file process. This process is known as System Mechanic Startup Guard and it belongs to System Mechanic. It is located in C:\Program Files by default.

StartupGuard.exe virus is created when malware authors write virus files and name them after StartupGuard.exe with an aim to spread virus on the internet.

Affected Platform: Windows OS

How to check if your computer is infected with StartupGuard.exe malware?

If your system is affected by StartupGuard.exe malware, you will notice one or several of the symptoms below:

  • StartupGuard.exe occupies an unusually large CPU memory
  • Erratic internet connection
  • Your browser is bombarded with annoying popup ads
  • Computer screen freezes
  • PC's processing speed suffers
  • You are redirected to unknown websites

To pinpoint the virus file location, take the following steps:

Step 1: Press CTRL+ALT+DEL keys at once to open Task Manager.

Step 2: If you notice the file located outside C:\Program Files, you should run an antivirus scan to get rid of the malware.

How to remove StartupGuard.exe malware from system using Comodo Cleaning Essentials?

You can either choose to remove StartupGuard.exe and other malwares using Comodo Antivirus, or Comodo Cleaning Essentials (CCE) – both of which are absolutely free to download! CCE is a set of computer security tools designed to help you identify and remove malwares and unsafe processes from an infected computer.

To remove malwares using CCE, take the following steps:

1. Check the system requirements and download the feature-rich CCE suite for free.

2. After installation, choose the type of scan you want to perform. CCE offers 3 scan options to get rid of malwares from a PC:

  • Smart Scan: Does a scan on critical areas of your system.
  • Full Scan: Does a complete scan of your system.
  • Custom Scan: Does a scan only on selected items.

The process to initiate the above mentioned scans are self-explanatory and thus, easy-to-use. 
Additionally, it's recommended that you approve of any updates that the CCE will prompt you about to ensure it does a better job of identifying all the latest threats.

3. Click 'Next' to view the results.
Regardless of the type of scan you choose, the results will sometimes show false positive (flagging files that are actually safe), which has to be ignored. Only select the files you want to get rid of.

4. Click 'Apply' to apply the selected operations to the threats. The selected operations will be applied.

2

Malware Entries

Safe Entries
First Seen: 04 December 2009 at 7:14 pm
No. Company File Type SHA1 MD5 Malware
Name
Digitally
Signed
File
Version
Product
Version
Submitted
From
Malware Behavior
1 PrivacyRoot.com Executable f8d4c03ff22f36f0
1afc38ed1ac3c0b7
d58a9168
b0274615d5b36289
c23e25fb9ef464c0
Virus.Win32.
Sality.gen
No 3.25 3.25 France N/A
2 AjayWarez Executable fc1443f75c4d7720
a56251badec39a60
dd73b603
fb1969c43a684936
cf2ac9d2aca6c943
TrojWare.Win
32.Trojan.NS
PM.~gen
No 1.00.0019 1.00.0019 Internal Submission N/A
Display 4 items per page
  • 4 items per page
  • 8 items per page
  • 16 items per page
  • 32 items per page
14

Safe Entries

Safe Entries
First Seen: 15 July 2008 at 7:29 pm
No. Company File Type SHA1 MD5 Digitally
Signed
File
Version
Product
Version
Submitted
From
1 iolo technologies, LLC Executable 5c2eb0f6424d79d8
6c7551591f016708
bac08d76
7ff79490cb02b74d
96429f7ada9f3223
No 5.5.1.0 5.5.1.0 United States
2 N/A Executable 886e288eea7cce88
2efab0b00b6cc925
cca37874
b3b3d8fd1f9ccf62
b5d79fa353be7be6
No 1.0.0.0 1.0.0.0 United States
3 iolo technologies, LLC Executable 9802e53d4e4425c2
3b154444d1665352
061c8dc1
ac83b852e51ba11a
0881ab6bef837808
No 5.0.3.0 5.0.3.0 United States
4 PrivacyRoot.com Executable 800e591d0318a2c4
ede25bd6140ba344
9a52a211
7798799beb42522a
7af5b34845021054
Yes 3.25 3.25 Internal Submission
Display 4 items per page
  • 4 items per page
  • 8 items per page
  • 16 items per page
  • 32 items per page
 
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