Lists of frequently asked questions

The utility is not designed to be used as a main Dr.Web software uninstallation tool. Dr.Web Remover utility is a damaged Dr.Web version emergency removal tool. The anti-virus is recommended to be uninstalled with the standard Windows tools.

If the installed version of Dr.Web Anti-virus was damaged for some reasons and cannot be removed in a regular way — please use the Dr.Web Remover emergency removal utility. Run Dr.Web Remover, enter the code from the CAPTCHA (it is necessary in order to confirm that is the user, not application, who attempts to remove antivirus) and press Remove.

Like any other program, Dr.Web Anti-virus can be removed with standard operating system tools:

• In Windows 2000/XP: From Menu–>Control Panel–>Add/Remove programs.
• In Windows Vista/7: From Menu–>Control Panel–>Programs and Features.

If you were unable to remove the anti-virus in such a way, please use a special Dr.Web Remover utility, which can be downloaded here.

Dr.Web Remover is intended to be used to delete the results of incorrect/damaged installations of Dr.Web for Windows. The supported versions are 4.33, 4.44, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0. The utility can also be used with the same versions of Dr.Web Enterprise Suite client software when standard removal tools are not available or do not work.

If you are finding it impossible to uninstall Dr.Web using standard Windows tools, use the Dr.Web Remover emergency removal utility, which can be downloaded here:
https://download.geo.drweb.com/pub/drweb/tools/drw_remover.exe.

Run the downloaded file. Enter the CAPTCHA code (this is necessary in order for Dr.Web self-protection to be disabled) and click on Remove. After the process is complete, you need to restart your PC.

If the uninstallation fails after using Dr.Web Remover, please submit a request to our technical support service.

The Dr.Web Remover utility is not designed to be used as the main Dr.Web software uninstallation tool. This utility is an emergency removal tool used for a damaged Dr.Web version. It is recommended that the anti-virus be uninstalled with the standard Windows tools.

Dr.Web Remover is intended for removing incorrect/damaged installations of Dr.Web for Windows. The supported versions are 4.33 — 12.0. The utility can also be used with Dr.Web Enterprise Security Suite client software of the same versions in cases when standard removal tools are not available or won't work.

Doctor Web monitors new threats as they arise and promptly updates its products to ensure that they can protect against those threats. Many malicious programs try to hide deep in the bowels of the operating system at the driver level and launch while a system boots up in order to prevent security tools, including anti-viruses, from detecting them. To neutralise threats of this kind, Dr.Web’s drivers are installed on a layer below the system drivers and thus thwart all malware attempts to penetrate the system.

Windows is designed in such a way that a system restart is required to update a driver.

For detection routines to be updated or urgent updates that provide protection from brand new threats to be applied, a system must be restarted because new Dr.Web interception drivers can only be installed after the reboot.

The WannaCry outbreak is a good example of how a threat can be neutralised while it is being downloaded even on Windows PCs whose security loopholes are unpatched. The trojan wasn't able to exploit vulnerabilities because the anti-virus intercepted the malicious code on Dr.Web-protected machines.

IMPORTANT! Starting with Windows 8.0, turning off a PC and turning it back on is no longer enough—it is imperative that a system be restarted! This is critical because often after installing updates, users merely power off their computers for the night and power them on again in the morning. The update prompt pops up again, and users regard it as an error. In reality, Windows 8.0 and later versions behave differently—when Windows starts, it creates a system image and later on restores itself from the image whenever the computer is turned on. This significantly reduces a PC’s start-up time because the drivers (including those of the anti-virus) don't need to be loaded all over again.

Click on the anti-virus icon in the system tray: select the second menu item from the bottom — Update. The standard status is "Update is not required". There is also a button for a manual update (Update).