Remember how much fun we had a couple months back with rogue spyware application Personal Antivirus? Well, we’re in luck, because it’s back, thanks to browser hijacker Best-Antivirus03.com.

I was skimming NYTimes.com’s review of Jay-Z’z latest when my browser was hijacked by Best-Antivirus03.com’s popups:

“Warning!!! Your system requires immediate anti-viruses scan! Personal Antivirus can perform fast and free virus and malicious software scan of your computer .”
“Your computer remains infected by threats! They might lead to data loss and file structure damage, and needed to be heal as soon as possible. Return to Personal Antivirus and download it secure to your PC.”
“Potentially dangerous software. These programs may damage your computer and steal your private information. Online Security Checker needs Personal Antivirus components to repair your computer. Please click Ok to download and install Personal Antivirus tool.”

Best-Antivirus03.com also runs a fake system scan to alert you that your system is infected with a bunch of made-up threats, and then it tries to get you to download an antispyware application, which turns out to be—you guessed it, our old, fake friend Personal Antivirus.

Let’s get you back to NYTimes.com — or whatever you were really reading. Let me show how to block Best-Antivirus03.com.

Do You Have Best-Antivirus03.com?

When you’re infected with badware — whether it’s Best-Antivirus03.com, spyware, adware, a Trojan, or a virus — there are a few key symptoms. Have you noticed…

• Slow computer performance: It just takes one parasite like Best-Antivirus03.com to slow your computer dramatically. If your PC takes longer than usual to reboot, or if your Internet connection is unusually slow, you may be infected with Best-Antivirus03.com.
• New desktop shortcuts or switched homepage: Badware like Best-Antivirus03.com may change your Internet settings to redirect your homepage to another site. Badware can even add desktop shortcuts to your PC.
• Annoying popups: Badware can bombard your computer with popup ads, even when you’re not online. Through these popups, you may be tricked into downloading more spyware.

How to Remove Best-Antivirus03.com Manually

Before we get started, you should backup your system and your registry, so it’ll be easy to restore your computer if anything goes wrong.

To remove Best-Antivirus03.com manually, you need to delete Best-Antivirus03.com files. Not sure how to delete Best-Antivirus03.com files? Click here, and I’ll show you. Otherwise, go ahead and…

Remove Best-Antivirus03.com files:

Delete Best-Antivirus03.com files:

Get rid of Best-Antivirus03.com registry keys:

Note: In any Best-Antivirus03.com files I mention above, “%UserProfile%” is a variable referring to your current user’s profile folder. If you’re using Windows NT/2000/XP, by default this is “C:\Documents and Settings\[CURRENT USER]” (e.g., “C:\Documents and Settings\JoeSmith”). If you have any questions about manual Best-Antivirus03.com removal, go ahead and leave a comment.

How Do You Remove Best-Antivirus03.com Files?

Need help figuring out how to delete Best-Antivirus03.com files? While there’s some risk involved, and you should only manually remove Best-Antivirus03.com files if you’re comfortable editing your system, you’ll find it’s fairly easy to delete Best-Antivirus03.com files in Windows.

How to delete Best-Antivirus03.com files in Windows XP and Vista:

1. Click your Windows Start menu, and then click “Search.”
2. A speech bubble will pop up asking you, “What do you want to search for?” Click “All files and folders.”
3. Type a Best-Antivirus03.com file in the search box, and select “Local Hard Drives.”
4. Click “Search.” Once the file is found, delete it.

How to stop Best-Antivirus03.com processes:

1. Click the Start menu, select Run.
2. Type taskmgr.exe into the the Run command box, and click “OK.” You can also launch the Task Manager by pressing keys CTRL + Shift + ESC.
3. Click Processes tab, and find Best-Antivirus03.com processes.
4. Once you’ve found the Best-Antivirus03.com processes, right-click them and select “End Process” to kill Best-Antivirus03.com.

How to remove Best-Antivirus03.com registry keys:

Because your registry is such a key piece of your Windows system, you should always backup your registry before you edit it. Editing your registry can be intimidating if you’re not a computer expert, and when you change or a delete a critical registry key or value, there’s a chance you may need to reinstall your entire system. Make sure your backup your registry before editing it.

1. Select your Windows menu “Start,” and click “Run.” An “Open” field will appear. Type “regedit” and click “OK” to open up your Registry Editor.
2. Registry Editor will open as a window with two panes. The left side Registry Editor’s window lets you select various registry keys, and the right side displays the registry values of the registry key you select.
3. To find a registry key, such as any Best-Antivirus03.com registry keys, select “Edit,” then select “Find,” and in the search bar type any of Best-Antivirus03.com’s registry keys.
4. As soon as Best-Antivirus03.com registry key appears, you can delete the Best-Antivirus03.com registry key by right-clicking it and selecting “Modify,” then clicking “Delete.”

How to delete Best-Antivirus03.com DLL files:

1. First locate Best-Antivirus03.com DLL files you want to delete. Open your Windows Start menu, then click “Run.” Type “cmd” in Run, and click “OK.”
2. To change your current directory, type “cd” in the command box, press your “Space” key, and enter the full directory where the Best-Antivirus03.com DLL file is located. If you’re not sure if the Best-Antivirus03.com DLL file is located in a particular directory, enter “dir” in the command box to display a directory’s contents. To go one directory back, enter “cd ..” in the command box and press “Enter.”
3. When you’ve located the Best-Antivirus03.com DLL file you want to remove, type “regsvr32 /u SampleDLLName.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 /u jl27script.dll”) and press your “Enter” key.

That’s it. If you want to restore any Best-Antivirus03.com DLL file you removed, type “regsvr32 DLLJustDeleted.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 jl27script.dll”) into your command box, and press your “Enter” key.

Did Best-Antivirus03.com change your homepage?

1. Click Windows Start menu > Control Panel > Internet Options.
2. Under Home Page, select the General > Use Default.
3. Type in the URL you want as your home page (e.g., “http://www.homepage.com”).
4. Select Apply > OK.
5. You’ll want to open a fresh web page and make sure that your new default home page pops up.

Best-Antivirus03.com Removal Tip

Is your computer acting funny after deleting any Best-Antivirus03.com files? I recommend using a program like File Recover from PC Tools. File Recover saves deleted files that otherwise can’t be recovered by Windows operating sytem.

Want to save time finding Best-Antivirus03.com files? Download Spyware Doctor, let it find the Best-Antivirus03.com files for you, and then manually delete Best-Antivirus03.com files.

How Did You Get Best-Antivirus03.com?

Wondering how Best-Antivirus03.com ended up on your PC? If you’re infected with Best-Antivirus03.com or other badware, perhaps you were using…

• Freeware or shareware: Did you download and install shareware or freeware? These low-cost or free software applications may come bundled with spyware, adware, or programs like Best-Antivirus03.com. Sometimes adware is attached to the free software to “pay” developers for the cost of creating the software, and more often spyware is secretly attached to free software to harm your computer and steal your personal and financial information.
• Peer-to-peer software: Do you use a peer-to-peer (P2P) program or other application with a shared network? When you use these applications, you put your system at risk for unknowingly downloading an infected file, including applications like Best-Antivirus03.com.
• Questionable websites: Did you visit a website that’s of questionable nature? When you visit malicious sites that are fishy and phishy, badware may be automatically downloaded and installed onto your computer, sometimes including applications like Best-Antivirus03.com. I recommend you use Firefox web browser, if you don’t already.

Understanding Best-Antivirus03.com

If you’re infected with Best-Antivirus03.com, you should know what you’re fighting. I’ll explain some definitions related to Best-Antivirus03.com.

Best-Antivirus03.com May Be a Browser Hijacker

Browser hijackers can change your web browser settings. Browser hijackers may change your home page to or redirect your searches through a pay-per-click site to make money, and browser hijackers may also monitor your web activities. Often, resetting your web browser to its default settings will not remove or stop the browser hijacker from working.