Microsoft Releases Updated Version of MSRT

Microsoft has released the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool to help remove specific, prevalent malicious software from computers that are running Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows 2000. The Malicious Software Removal Tool supersedes all virus-cleaner tools that were previously released by Microsoft. You can download the Malicious Software Removal Tool from the Microsoft Download Center. You can also run an online version of the tool from the Malicious Software Removal Tool Web site on Microsoft.com. To run the Malicious Software Removal Tool from either location, you must log on to the computer by using an account that is a member of the Administrators group. If you are running Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, or Windows 2000, you can also run the Malicious Software Removal Tool from the Microsoft Update Web site or by using the Microsoft Update Automatic Updates functionality. If you have chosen not to use Microsoft Update, and you are running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1), you may run the Malicious Software Removal Tool from the Windows Update Web site or by using the Windows Update Automatic Updates functionality.

Information on the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool can be located here.

Known issues
1. Typically, when you run the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, the tool creates a randomly named temporary directory in the root drive of your computer. This directory will contain several files and includes the Mrtstub.exe file. Most of the time, this folder will be automatically deleted after the tool has finished running or after the next restart. Sometimes, this folder may not be deleted automatically. In these cases, this folder can be deleted manually and has no adverse effect on the computer.

2. A user may log on to a computer at the same time that the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool is running in the background. (The tool may be running as part of a deployment that uses Windows Server Update Services.) In this case, Windows may inform the user that the current user profile is corrupted and that a new profile is being created. To resolve this issue, the new profile can be removed. The user can logon to the system again at a time when the tool is not running. This issue is most likely to occur on a Windows 2000-based computer. More info…