System Check is a dangerous application that should be named ‘the fake PC defragmenter’. This tool is released by the same FakeSysDef malware creators who should be blamed for releasing Data Repair, System Fix and other scams that report about invented hard drive problems detected on your PC. Please, keep in mind that you must remove System Check from your computer and never fall into purchasing the license of this or any other scam. If not eliminated, it will continue ‘checking’ your hard drive for problems and will pop-up every time you start using your PC. In addition, being distributed by Trojans, it will make more havoc on the infected computer unnoticeably for the victim.
The reason why SystemCheck launches once the PC is rebooted is very simple – the same trojans that spread this malware additionally make some minor changes in the infected PC’s registry and malware is launched automatically each restart. These trojans come inside the system through security vulnerabilities and splits found, so make sure you have updated anti-virus and anti-spyware versions installed on your machine. Otherwise you won’t see any sign when System Check will get on your PC. As you can see, System Check is full of trickery when talking about the propagation methods.
Once System Check is successfully downloaded onto your PC, it will be constantly reporting the detection of hard drive, RAM memory errors and other issues.
Critical Error!
Damaged hard drive clusters detected. Private data is at risk.
Critical Error
RAM memory usage is critically high. RAM memory failure.
System Error
An error occurred while reading system files. Run a system diagnostic utility to check your hard disk drive for errors.
System Error
An error occurred while reading system files. Run a system diagnostic utility to check your hard disk drive for errors.
Critical Error
Hard drive critical error. Run a system diagnostic utility to check your hard disk drive for errors. Windows can’t find hard disk space. Hard drive error.
Critical Error
Hard drive clusters are partly damaged. Segment load failure.
These problems are completely fabricated though and should be simply ignored. Believing that you actually have those issues on your PC is that what hackers want you to do. They generate money by making users believe that they need to buy a fake licensed version of System Check if they want to fix their infected computers. However, you should be aware that paying for this threat is simply giving your money away and you must remove System Check before it downloads more viruses on your computer. System Check is accompanied with other malware usually, namely ZeroAccess rootkit, which causes google redirections. To remove it, you will have to run TDSS Killer from kaspersky or other anti-rootkit tool. Some of regular anti-malware programs include anti-rootkits as well. Because of rootkits, it is quite difficult to remove System Check manually only.Thus we recommend runing a full system scan with a reputable anti-malware programs, such as Spyhunter, Spyhunter, Hitman Pro and other, and get rid of this fake defragmenter for good.
In some cases System Check might hide user documents. Make sure you see both hidden and system files and folders, and look for them through windows search function. This malware does not delete any files or folders itself, but we do not recommend launching registry cleaner programs before all the files are recovered.
Video guide on anti-malware program installation for System Check infected PC
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My laptop has been infected with System Check. I installed Spyware Doctor to remove it, but whenever I open it something is surpressing it and making it close within a second.
Please help me.
Crystal: try fake-registering the malware first.
Crystal.,I am having the same problem as you.for about 4 hours, longest..and did what Crystal did..fake-registering..I think I know what it is, but not sure…?
I have this system check on my computer, my computer will not log online or anything. I have tried to system restore and that will not work. Is there a way I can do a system recovery from the command prompts?
System Check infected my computer too. I was able to delete the program (I think). When it infected my computer it looked like it deleted a bunch of my files. After reading about System Check it seems as though the files were just hidden. I seem to have unhidden some of the files but not all of them. Folders still show up as “empty” in my start menu. How do I fix this?! Please help!!!
I recently became the victim of the system check virus and while attempting a method of removal I found online my computer ended up in a blue screen loop… I cannot get into safe mode or regularly… I have booted from my windows 7 disk but the startup repair does not fix my problem. I have no system images to restore.. If I cannot do anything to remove the problem Please help me find a way to at least save my files before having to reformat. Thanks soo much to whoever can help!
Jacob : this is due to zeroaccess rootkit infection, that comes with System Check sometimes. Try using Avira Boot CD, and later do repair windows install.
Back again to this discussin..Managed to do a number of re-start steps, went to sleep, and finalkly the virus amnaged to go..and I clicked on in the Tools menu “Show Hidden”…for everybody’s information, and this was in my “Programs”—and saw the program that was cuasing it [clicked it..] “J7F54} something, checked the [and this is IMPORTANT!] “Date Modified” column [it was on January 19].
My computer is infected with System Check and I cannot get rid of it. It is telling me I have 4 My Computer errors, 1 System Drive error, 1 RAM Memory error and 2 System Registry errors. What can I do?
Bob: Try fake-registering it and then scan with anti-virus or anti-malware program.
How do u do a fake registery for system check
I am working to remove system check and have used the rkill and tskmngr methods to stop unwanted processes then ran malwarebytes/microsoft security essentials scans and have completed removals, all of this is done in safe mode with no interruptions to any of the services and when i restart my computer after all this i still have system check pop up. What do i do from here, the full scans take over an hour so its insane to do the same steps over and over again.
Robert
Do full system update. Try other programs, as there are multiple versions of System Check executables.
Thanks for this article. With this I was able to remove all the registry edits and other files. I’ll check back in a week or so to see if it was fully removed.
my laptop is now infected, cannot download anything due toa lock. i have tren micro titanium, but its still scanning, don’t know if its going to work, help me before i Du kill my self. really need help!!!
Jose Try fake registration code.
some help before i kill myself in 3 hours!!!!!!! not my laptops, is my dads!!!
but it needs a credit card, dont have one
You can enter fake registration code for that System Check – this does not requires any CC. Then use TDSS Killer ( http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208283363 ) and then try anti-malware programs to remove the trojan completely. It is likely, that they would run after TDSS killer.
have no clue whats going on!!!!!someone save me!1!
it won’t let me downdoad it
Try pressing on help and support and entering : 1203978628012489708290478989147 when asked for a key (on System check ).
Then run TDSS Killer, move it through an usb drive or so.
and this will get rid of this stupid malware thing and everything will go back to normal?
Jose: This would make a good start. You will be able to scan the hard disk with other programs afterwards and delete the parasites that are left.
ok, i hope i can get this befor my dad finds out and i am dead 🙁
Hi, I’m in the same boat – our computer got infected, I tried putting in the activation code you suggested, but still cannot get to IE or any programs. Any other suggestions?
Carol : run TDSS killer from USB drive.
Just got this blasted thing on my desktop and I couldn’t even get into the command prompt. It keeps sending a gazillion windows onto my desktop giving false warnings about infections and problems, as well as in the task bar. There are absolutely no icons on my desktop. I cannot access “run” from the start button either, it tells me there is nothing there. I piggybacked the drive onto another computer to transfer my files that System Check claims are no longer there. Once I have them all moved over to the other machine, I’m formatting the drive and reinstall windows. I tried using the USB drive method to run TDSS killer but it won’t work, it’s being blocked, just like everything else. The fake registration code says it’s invalid. I think a deep level format and reinstalling everything is the only option.
@Siggy
Ditto symptoms. ughh. Used the avira rescue disk twice to no avail. May the worms of a thousand mongrels infest the perpetrators ringpiece.
All this program does is move everything to an smtmp folder…and makes all your files as hidden. Use Malware bytes to stop the application, then use an application called unhide.exe. It will restore most of your hidden files.
Update: I have successfully reformatted the drive and reinstalled XP Pro as well as all my other programs. That is the advantage of having the operating system and all programs on backup CDs. I don’t trust recovery partitions, if something happens to the drive itself (physical damage), then you will lose the restore partition as well. I don’t buy computers that do not come with hardcopy software. That way, if your boot drive goes belly up, you can buy a new one and install the OS from disc.
That being said, I had the daunting task of un-hiding all the personal data on my external drive, which was connected and running at the time of the attack by System Check and was affected as well. During the attack, System Check claimed that these files were corrupt and unreadable, that the drive had failed or that the file folders were empty (all bogus of course). Once I went into Folder Options and set it to make hidden files visible, voila! everything was there but opaque. From there on I only had to go through the folders one by one and uncheck the Hide box for each. It takes a little longer to do this manually, but I really don’t trust installing any unfamiliar software. I am moving all my pictures, music and videos to another external drive (which was not running at the time) and will then reformat the first external drive to make sure there is nothing lingering on there that could compromise the system again.
@lollipop
How do you access the smtmp folder? Where can I find unhide.exe?
THANK YOU!
I battled this demon on my Sisters computer. I was able to fix her computer using your excellent advice. I told her the 31 digit code you had posted and that got the computer going. Then I had her do a virus scan; but it still was acting a little weird. So, I had her do a “System Restore” and then the virus scan ran fine and everything else appears to be fine now to.
Thanks again!
After rebooting my computer numerous times I finally was able to get into my Avast antivirus program and had it do a pre-boot scan which is where it scans my hard drive before Windows starts up (and before System Check can do it’s evil stuff).
It found and quarrantined three different Sun Java files. I remember that right before the whole System Check issue, I was on a website that said that Java was blocked because it needed to be updated so I clicked on the Update Now box.
Anyway, I also downloaded TDSS Killer and ran that, it found some hard drive rootkit thing and quarrantined it. I also ran Unhide.exe and got most of my desktop links back. I think everything is OK now but I’m super paranoid because I had both Avast and Advanced System Care running and neither of them caught this. Also, I’m pretty darn careful of what I download so it’s hard to understand exactly what went wrong.
I went right to Oracle and downloaded the latest Java so I know I have the real one from the source. I shall have to do that from now on, just ignore whatever pop ups I see and go straight to the verified source to see if I really need an update or not.
Scary stuff, thanks for the help!!
I can’t get System Check off my computer. I have tried restoring to an earlier time, using my anti-virus, and various methods I found online to remove the spyware; I went into safe mode and fake-registered and then used TDSS killer and then my anti-virus and then system restore again.
At this point my anti-virus cannot detect any virus’s on my computer and TDSS Killer comes up with nothing as well. But System Check is still on my desktop and in my program files. How do I permanently remove this from my computer?
Becky: scan with anti-malware programs like Spyhunter ( http://www.2-viruses.com/reviews/spyhunter ) or mbam
@admin
mbam is the anti-malware program I’ve been using.
Becky: Try other anti-malware programs. None is 100%
If these thugs are paid through a Credit Card, why has no one tried to stop them through the authorities (Police, FBI, etc…)with the help of the CC companies. They certainly know who gets your hard earned cash, and if they do not cooperate, then they are being accomplices to the thugs crimes.
Nearly got heart attack at the beginning.
Put the fake serial in but TDSSKiller is not picking this up when scanning, neither does spy doctor 🙁
Has to be fresh version, try spyhunter : http://www.2-viruses.com/review/spyhunter or malwarebytes.
for that fake-registration thingy, you registrate with your name or something, and this code: 1203978628012489708290478989147. That ‘ll help you delete it. It makes stop some anoying processes
Sorry for my bad english, because i’m dutch
I tried spyware doctor and it did not find the system check what should I do now?
I think I now have the system check removed but the icon is still there. I have all of my programs back and can search without too much trouble but still shows up in my programs. How do I completely get it off of everything?
Lynne: Scan with malwarebytes ( http://www.2-viruses.com/reviews/malwarebytes-anti-malware ) or spyhunter ( http://www.2-viruses.com/reviews/spyhunter ). Malware changes quite often, so you might have to scan with couple tools to see which one detects.
Hello, I’m hoping someone can help me out regarding this menace. I picked up the System Check virus on an older machine that is due to be replaced anyway, but my biggest worry was the missing/hidden files that I had in my documents folder. Not being very computer savvy I had to muddle through it, but I plugged in an external drive that was not connected and running at the time of the infection. I used it as a backup and managed to transfer the entire contents of my C-drive over to it. I then connected the external to a second computer and was able to retrieve the missing files and also deleted everything else that wasn’t the actual documents folder. My biggest worry now is that the virus could have been able to hitch a ride over to the second computer via the external drive?? It’s an important machine and I would hate for it to get infected with anything. Strange that the recovered files are visible when the external is connected to the second computer, but still are invisible and unreadable when it is connected to the original infected computer, BUT newer files more recently added to the external are visible on both computers. Thanks in advance.
Would reformatting get rid of it?
Yang : yes. Though you might get reinfected again.
i have aquired this virus but it will not allow me to access my c:drive at all my computer isn’t even registering it…
Thanks wil03 the code worked im back on the internet
and now I’m doing the scan
I had an attack of the SYSTEM CHECK virus on my Toshiba laptop with Windows XP SP3. While I managed to get rid of it (a lot easier than I thought, actually) using Eusing, Sysbot Search & Destroy, AVG, Spyware Doctor and Malwarebytes, this virus left behind some nasty after-effects that I cannot get rid of. First of these is the Google Re-direct virus and secondly it has done something to my USB ports. The re-direct virus is self-explanatory, I’ve tried tinkering with the registry, doing searches, blocking the sites themselves, and a host of other solutions found on the web, with NO success so far. The other problem is with my USB ports, can’t get anything recognized, flash drives, iPods, iPhones, iPads. Keeps telling me the device is corrupt and do I want to format it. Formatting is unsuccessful and does not solve the problem. One thing I have found is that by plugging in the device and rebooting the laptop, the device is recognized until I remove it, then it’s back to square one. Simply won’t recognize anything newly plugged, like the Plug & Play feature is missing. Again, I’ve tinkered with the registry and reset the USB controllers, to no avail. Is there something else I can try that I may have missed?
Jon: First thing, scan with spyware hunter (more generic anti-malware program, but ok against popular rootkits : http://www.2-viruses.com/reviews/spyhunter ) and Tdss killer (specifically, against rootkits).
Next, check this guide for other possible redirect issues: http://www.2-viruses.com/how-to-fix-google-results-hijacker-google-redirect-virus-problem