ScanUtilities - How to remove

ScanUtilities is a registry cleaner for Windows PCs. It promises to make the computer faster by repairing the registry. The installer for ScanUtilities is detected by many antivirus scanners as a deceptor, a PUP (potentially unwanted program), and as Adware. If this registry cleaner is on your computer, it would be best to remove it.

About ScanUtilities:

Type of threat	Optimizer, PUP.
Features of ScanUtilities	Registry cleaner, file cleaner, links to built-in Windows tools.
Problems and issues	ScanUtilities recommends deleting harmless and even helpful files, it promises to improve system performance even though it can’t, it’s paid and the price is presented a bit dishonestly.
How to remove ScanUtilities	Uninstall manually, remove PUPs with antivirus scanners, such as Spyhunter.

What does ScanUtilities do?

Registry cleaner

ScanUtilities is a registry cleaner. I tested it on an almost new Windows installation and turned up with a lot of errors and registry entries for removal.

But  registry cleaners are seen as preying on inexperienced PC users. They are regarded as snake oil. Not all of them are bad, but it’s generally better to avoid them. Programs such as Max Registry Cleaner, Tweakerbit Registry Optimizer, and others should be viewed with a lot of skepticism.

It can be necessary to make changes to some registry entries when you need to change a setting that doesn’t have another visual user interface. But letting a third-party program change and delete registry entries is usually a bad idea. Only the most reputable high-profile programs should be considered for this. Some people are anxious about unnecessary entries in their registry. But these items do not hurt performance and deleting them won’t have an effect.

File cleaner

ScanUtilities also has a file cleaner component. It scans system folders for files that can be deleted. The files it flags include Windows logs and browser cache, history, and cookies. ScanUtilities claims that deleting these files will improve system performance despite the fact that the reason why browser cache exists is to make browsers faster by saving frequently used data locally for faster access.

Why would ScanUtilities detect such helpful files and mark them for removal? One of the reasons could be that the makers of ScanUtilities know that these files are created and deleted automatically all the time. Flagging them is an easy and risk-free way to make ScanUtilities appear useful, even when it doesn’t really have anything to do.

Windows tools

Finally, ScanUtilities has a page where it just links to a bunch of built-in Windows tools, such as Disk Cleanup, Startup programs, Control Panel, Task Manager, and others. This is okay, although these programs can easily be opened without ScanUtilities, too.

Overall, ScanUtilities doesn’t appear to be useful at all. But neither does it seem to be very dangerous.

Problems and issues

Scanutilities.com is the home of ScanUtilities where it’s advertised as a registry scanner and cleaner. Supposedly, it will make the computer faster and cleaner. But as ScanUtilities is a registry and file cleaner that deletes some optional files, it likely won’t have an effect on the computer’s performance. If anything, its scans (ScanUtilities sets itself to perform a scan automatically with each login) take time and could potentially slow down the computer for the time.

ScanUtilities’s installer (Virustotal.com) is detected by antivirus scanners as a deceptor and a PUP. These detections don’t necessarily mean that ScanUtilities is malicious. ScanUtilities is not a virus and not malware, just a program that might cause some problems or annoyance.

For example, although ScanUtilities is unlikely to have a positive effect on the computer, it is still a paid program. Those who want to use it have to pay money. And the purchasing page presents the prices in a slightly confusing way. The monthly price, which is $1.67, is written next to the words “1 computer 1 year”. The yearly price, which is $19.99, is in smaller print. This can definitely be misleading. A good example of dark patterns.

And though there is a 60-day money-back guarantee, I saw no terms for it or any information for how it works. The terms could be very strict.

How to remove ScanUtilities

You can use an antivirus program such as Spyhunter to scan your computer for PUPs, adware, etc. Or you could remove ScanUtilities manually as described in the guide below.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove ScanUtilities using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like ScanUtilities install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to ScanUtilities . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make ScanUtilities easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.