The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool is a security program provided by Microsoft that scans computer systems for dozens of common malicious applications. This tool was never meant to replace an existing virus scanner but it offers a quick and easy way to scan and remove popular worms and viruses quickly.
Advanced users won’t rely on this software from Microsoft at all but I suppose it could be useful for inexperienced users. There is however one “feature” that cannot be turned off by normal means. The Malicious Software Removal Tool reports back to a Microsoft server whenever it finishes a scan of the system.
The only way to turn off this option is to create a new Registry key. Open your Registry first, click on Start, Run and type registry in the box. Hit enter and the Registry should appear. Now navigate to the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\MRT and check if it contains a Dword named DontReportInfectionInformation.
If this is not the case you can add it. Right-click the right pane and select New > Dword from the menu. Enter the string DontReportInfectionInformation as the name of the Dword. Double-click it afterwards and set the value of it to 1.
This ensures that the Malicious Software Removal Tool will not report back to Microsoft whenever a scan of the PC finishes.
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Why do I care if the tool reports back to MS? Too much paranoia methinks!
Because you don’t know what data the program sends to Microsoft ? Because Microsoft did not include such an option in the program ? Because you think it is your right to decide if you want to send a report to Microsoft ?
MS is an evil corporation that wants your firstborn ….lol
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\MRT
does not exist in my registry…i know i installed the malicious software removal tool update. could MRT be located elsewhere?
I know i install it every time and i don’t have it either. doesn’t it remove itself after it finishes with it’s scan?
Hmm I don’t have it on any of my computers either..
XP tablet
XP pro
XP home
I have the tool installed, last updated…
Windows XP Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool – December 2007 (KB890830) Wednesday, December 12, 2007 Microsoft Update
where did you find this at Martin?
The tool runs once a month after download – usually the on 1st login after the 2nd Tuesday. However, it will sometimes corrupt Windows profiles if a login occurs before it is finished scanning.
It does not get installed on the computer. It just runs and deletes itself. New versions are released monthly – if new virus signatures have been added. New releases are cumulative and contain all the signatures from previous versions.
The program is JUNK and uneeded if you have a good anti-virus program. It caused us to disable Windows updates while we searched for why our users were losing their Outlook settings.
More information: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=890830
Download Information: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AD724AE0-E72D-4F54-9AB3-75B8EB148356&displaylang=en&displaylang=en
From Microsft KB890830:
“A user may log on to a computer while the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool is running in the background. (The tool may be running as part of a deployment that uses Windows Server Update Services.) In this case, Windows may inform the user that the current user profile is corrupted and that a new profile is being created. To resolve this issue, the new profile can be removed. The user can logon to the system again at a time when the tool is not running. This issue is most likely to occur on a Windows 2000-based computer.”
For those running Vista x64 this entry is in:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\RemovalTools\MRT
Hope this helps.
On a Windows 7 Pro System, the Registry Path is:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\RemovalTools\MRT
Thanks for the Win7 reg key. One less Phone-Home annoyance for me.