ProduKey Threat Level:

ProduKey is freeware that shows your product key and product ID for various software. ProduKey can be installed and used for legitimate reasons, but because ProduKey can collect the information on computers in your local network, ProduKey might also be misused to view information on remote computers.

You know, like you use your car to get to work, but also to do donuts in your neighbor’s lawn. Good vs. bad.

Do You Have ProduKey?

When you’re infected with badware — whether it’s ProduKey, 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 ProduKey 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 ProduKey.
• New desktop shortcuts or switched homepage: Badware like ProduKey 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 ProduKey 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 ProduKey manually, you need to delete ProduKey files. Not sure how to delete ProduKey files? Click here, and I’ll show you. Otherwise, go ahead and…

Detect and Remove ProduKey files:

Note: In any ProduKey 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 ProduKey removal, go ahead and leave a comment.

How Do You Remove ProduKey Files?

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

How to delete ProduKey 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 ProduKey file in the search box, and select “Local Hard Drives.”
4. Click “Search.” Once the file is found, delete it.

How to stop ProduKey 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 ProduKey processes.
4. Once you’ve found the ProduKey processes, right-click them and select “End Process” to kill ProduKey.

How to remove ProduKey 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 ProduKey registry keys, select “Edit,” then select “Find,” and in the search bar type any of ProduKey’s registry keys.
4. As soon as ProduKey registry key appears, you can delete the ProduKey registry key by right-clicking it and selecting “Modify,” then clicking “Delete.”

How to delete ProduKey DLL files:

1. First locate ProduKey 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 ProduKey DLL file is located. If you’re not sure if the ProduKey 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 ProduKey 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 ProduKey DLL file you removed, type “regsvr32 DLLJustDeleted.dll” (e.g., “regsvr32 jl27script.dll”) into your command box, and press your “Enter” key.

Did ProduKey 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.

ProduKey Removal Tip

Is your computer acting funny after deleting any ProduKey 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 ProduKey files? Download Spyware Doctor, let it find the ProduKey files for you, and then manually delete ProduKey files.

How Did You Get ProduKey?

Wondering how ProduKey ended up on your PC? If you’re infected with ProduKey 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 ProduKey. 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 ProduKey.
• 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 ProduKey. I recommend you use Firefox web browser, if you don’t already.

Understanding ProduKey

If you’re infected with ProduKey, you should know what you’re fighting. I’ll explain some definitions related to ProduKey.

ProduKey May Be Spyware

Spyware is any software or malware used to spy or track your computer activity. While some spyware is legitimately and intentionally installed by parents or employers to monitor Internet activity on a computer, spyware may be installed maliciously. Often spyware may come bundled with downloads of free software or come in the form of a cookie via a website, and this spyware may track your Internet activity or may steal secret account usernames and passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal and financial information.