Win32 Virus Removal

Question: I like to play Diablo II online, and periodically I'll be playing and the game will lock up or my character will slow down so much I can't see what's going on around me. If I hit control-alt-delete and bring up the task manager, I see that VSSERV.EXE is using up 95 to 99 percent CPU and ungodly amounts of memory.

I found that VSSERV.EXE is part of my antivirus program (The Shield Deluxe). I called them and they told me that it had to be caused by virus activity on my computer (isn't that what the antivirus is suppose to prevent?), and they would be glad to fix it for $85. I indignantly told them to forget it.

I did the Security Tango and found no troubles beyond some adware items. Also, I do automatic updates through The Shield antivirus so I know that is updated. As a side note, I didn't have this problem with the older version of The Shield. It started when I updated my subscription with them and got the newest version.

This problem is still occurring, and I don't know where to go from here.

— Thomas, Rochester

Answer: The Shield Deluxe is known as a very restrictive program, Thomas.

There are a lot of other programs that it slows down or prevents from running, as it assumes they are viruses or has to thoroughly check every bit they get from an online server. A lot of people have come to the conclusion that it's not necessarily the best antivirus program for online gamers. In fact, there are those who say it's really a malware program in its own right. Luckily, there are equally effective but less strict antivirus programs out there. You might want to change antivirus programs after your subscription runs out. There are several mentioned on The Security Tango (securitytango.com) that are free and very effective.

Removing The Shield Deluxe isn't difficult. Here are the steps:

Click the "Start" button or the Windows orb in the corner of the screen, and then click "Control Panel."

Double-click the "Add or Remove Programs" icon in Windows XP or the "Programs and Features" icon or "Uninstall a Program" link in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

(Page 2 of 2)

Select "The Shield Deluxe 2010" on the list of programs, and then click "Remove" in Windows XP or "Uninstall" in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Click "Yes" to confirm that you want to remove Shield Deluxe. After a few moments, the uninstall utility completes its work and you are prompted to restart your computer. Click "Yes."

In most cases, the standard uninstall procedure works without a problem. In rare cases, however, you might experience an error message when attempting to uninstall the program using this method. If so, you'll need to use the Removal Tool:

Download the removal tool for Shield Deluxe (http://downloads.pcsecurityshield.com/software/2010/BitDefender_Uninstall_Tool.exe), and save the file to the desktop.

Double-click the file "BitDefender_Uninstall_Tool" when the download is complete. After a few moments, the tool finishes extracting and opens automatically.

Click "Uninstall." The tool deletes all files, folders and registry entries associated with Shield Deluxe. After a moment, the program prompts you that the uninstall process was successful.

Click "Close." Restart your computer.

When you remove The Shield Deluxe, be ready to install another antivirus program.