Do you know what Winarcher is?
Winarcher is classified as a potentially unwanted program, and it is operated via a file called “Archer.dll”. According to our malware research team, this PUP is most likely to come bundled with browser hijackers from the Elex family, but the possibility of other threats infecting your PC should not be dismissed. If you find a running process associated with this file, the first thing you should do is examine your operating system with a legitimate malware scanner. Considering that Elex hijackers tend to spread via software bundles, there is a great possibility that the scanner will list a few different threats. Do not panic. Figure out which threats are the most dangerous and delete them first. Of course, you can get rid of all threats at the same time by installing a legitimate malware remover. Whichever option you choose, we can help you remove Winarcher. First, read the report to learn more about this strange potentially unwanted program.
If the suspicious Winarcher PUP came packaged with an Elex hijacker, which one are you dealing with? A few examples are Myhomepage123.com, Funnysite123.com, and Luckystarting.com hijackers. They can modify your browser’s settings to introduce you to different homepage and search provider tools. They display potentially unreliable search results and use tracking cookies to spy on their users. Notably, cookies can transfer the collected data, and that is exactly what Winarcher does as well. According to our research, the potentially unwanted program could silently monitor your activity, and, possibly, transfer data to a remote server. Also, it could be instrumental in the updating of the software. Overall, the DLL file does not offer services that are beneficial to users, which is why it is classified as a PUP. Of course, if you delete it from your operating system, the software it is associated with might stop functioning properly. On the other hand, if other components can be used for updates, the file could be downloaded again.
Although it is easy to delete Winarcher, you should not think that the worst is over. Since this PUP can be associated with unreliable and even malicious software, you need to eliminate it as well. Also, you should think about the problems that you might have already gotten yourself into while this malware was active. Have you interacted with suspicious ads or downloaded suspicious software? If you have, you might suffer the consequences for a long time. Therefore, after you delete all undesirable pieces of software and employ reliable security software – which is a step you should not skip under any circumstances – it is crucial that you act carefully. For example, you should be cautious about the emails (primarily, spam emails) that could be sent to your inbox by schemers if your email address was extracted and leaked.
If you are dealing with malware or undesirable programs associated with Winarcher – and we are sure that you are – you need to take care of them. If you want to eliminate them manually, look for guides on this website, or install an anti-malware tool that can erase them automatically. This software is also very important for keeping your operating system protected against malicious infections in the future. Though you can delete Winarcher manually using the steps below, we advise installing a trusted anti-malware tool to ensure that you do not have to worry about any suspicious software in the future.
Remove Winarcher
- Launch Task Manager by tapping Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys.
- Click the Processes tab and select the process associated with Archer.dll.
- Click End task/End process and then exist the utility.
- Launch Windows Explorer by tapping Win+E keys.
- Enter %PROGRAMFILES% (depending on your Windows version, you might have to enter %PROGRAMFILES(x86)%) into the bar at the top.
- Right-click and Delete the folder called WinArche.
- Launch RUN by tapping Win+R keys on the keyboard.
- Type regedit.exe into the dialog box and click OK to access Registry Editor.
- Navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\ (alternatively, HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\).
- Right-click and Delete the key named WinArcher.
- Empty Recycle Bin and then immediately perform a full system scan.
In non-techie terms:
It would be unfair to classify Winarcher as a dangerous threat, but it does not offer beneficial services, and it was created solely for the benefit of the creators of the software this PUP is associated with. Unfortunately, malicious programs and virtual security threats could employ this DLL. Therefore, if you find this file, you should immediately scan your operating system with a trustworthy malware scanner to learn which threats you might be dealing with. Of course, you should remove them immediately. To prevent undesirable software from slithering into your operating system in the future, we advise employing trustworthy security software and exercising caution when surfing online.