Below we answer many common frequently asked questions about Exterminate It!. For more information, read our complete Exterminate It! Review here.
What is Exterminate It! ?
Exterminate It!, by Curio Laboratories, is a program that detects and removes many types of malware. Exterminate It! uses a complex mechanism that thoroughly scans your system. Exterminate It! recognizes malware signatures and matches them with known threats in their large database. The software also comes with daily updates to keep your system protected against new and future threats.
How Often Is Exterminate It! Updated?
Exterminate It! is updated each day to keep your system protected from the newest threats. The trial version of Exterminate It! also includes full updating capability. You can update Exterminate It! manually, as well. Just click the Update” button in the left-hand menu of the main program window and an update will run.
What Viruses Does Exterminate It! Protect Against?
Exterminate It! handles these types of online threats:
- Malware
- Adware
- Trojans
- Spyware
- and more
Exterminate It! lists all malware activity detected by Exterminate It! users over the past 30 days on their site here. Below are some examples of malware programs which are removed by Exterminate It!:
- RUPRUP_3.1.x_Registrator.exe
- Funla.tst
- psv_U-job
- psv_Tree-Dox
- psv_Touch-Tom
- psv_Silzap
- psv_Lexilam
Exterminate It! also has a “Malpedia” on their site that gives details about each threat and how it handles them.
Is There An Exterminate It! Trial Version?
Yes. Exterminate It! has a trial version available on their website. Simply go to the Exterminate It! website and you will see the download link on the upper left side of the main page. Click this link to download the trial software.
To complete the trial version installation, you will need to provide an email address to receive the activation code. You will receive this code via email and can enter it in the next window.
Most features of the full version are included with the trial version of Exterminate It! These include:
- Scan and detect for malware
- Submit State
- Updates
However, Exterminate It! free trial is free only for malware scanning and detection. To have the software remove malware from your system requires the full paid Exterminate It! version.
The trial version is only for 7 days, after which you have to purchase the full version. You can also purchase the full version at any time before the trial version runs out.
How to Install Exterminate It!
Here are the steps in install Exterminate It! and run your first scan:
1. Download the file
Click the “Download Now” link on the main page.
This will download a file called “ExterminateItSetup.exe” which should appear in the lower left of your Windows screen. Click on this file and it will open.
It will ask “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?” Click “Yes”
2. Set up Exterminate It! on your PC
This will then open the Setup window. Click “Next” to continue. Feel free to view the Exterminate It! Privacy Policy and Return Policy.
Click “I Agree” once you have read the License Agreement.
Choose your desired installation location on your drive.
The next window will run the installation. Leave the “Run Exterminate It! box checked if you want it to run immediately.
Click “Finish”.
A software update may be available at this point. Click “Yes” to download it.
After the new files are downloaded, click “OK” to restart the program.
3. Scan Your System
Once the program is installed, you should immediately scan your system. The “Scan Parameters” window will appear that allows you to choose the scan type you want to run.
You can choose:
- Memory Scan
- Smart Scan
- Full Scan
- Custom Scan
You can also choose the folders for scanning. These can be selected in the area on the lower part of the main window.
To start the scan, click “Start Scan” on the left-hand side. Our first scan immediately picked up 14 threats our other antivirus program missed.
To have the scan start, you need to have either the trial version activated, or purchase an activation code for the full product. Enter your email to get the activation code.
Once the activation code is entered, it is recommended to restart your system before running your first scan.
This completes the installation of Exterminate It! If you are familiar with software installations, then getting started with this program should be fairly easy.
How to Get Exterminate It! Full Version?
IMPORTANT: Beware of any site that offers the Exterminate It! full version plus a patch for free. These may be scam websites that are trying to infect your computer with malware. The mantra “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is” is especially apt here.
To download Exterminate It! and sign up for the full version, there are two approaches:
Approach #1 – Purchase Exterminate It! Immediately
If you know you want the full version, go to https://www.exterminate-it.com/ and click the “Purchase” link at the top of the page.
On the Purchase page select the number of licenses you want and click “Buy Now!”.
Once your payment goes through, you will be directed to download the full Exterminate It! version. Go ahead and install the .exe file on your PC and launch it.
It will ask “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?” Click “Yes”.
This will then open the Setup window. Click “Next” to continue. Feel free to view the Exterminate It! Privacy Policy and Return Policy.
Click “I Agree” once you have read the License Agreement.
If you are asked to enter a license key, do that.
Choose your desired installation location on your drive.
The next window will run the installation. Leave the “Run Exterminate It! box checked if you want it to run immediately.
Click “Finish”.
Finally, scan your PC and remove any malware that Exterminate It! finds.
Approach #2 – Download Exterminate It! Free Trial Then Pay Later
To start with a free trial go to https://www.exterminate-it.com/ and click the “Download now” link on the upper left.
Next, install the file “ExterminateItSetup.exe” which should appear in the lower left of your Windows screen. Click this file to open it.
It will ask “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?” Click “Yes”.
This will then open the Setup window. Click “Next” to continue. Feel free to view the Exterminate It! Privacy Policy and Return Policy.
Click “I Agree” once you have read the License Agreement.
Choose your desired installation location on your drive.
The next window will run the installation. Leave the “Run Exterminate It! box checked if you want it to run immediately.
Click “Finish”.
Can Exterminate It! Remove Viruses?
Yes. Exterminate It! can detect and remove viruses from your system.
If your system is experiencing any of these signs of a virus, then Exterminate It! can most likely remove the problem.
- Major decrease in computer performance
- Lockout of some files and folders
- Mysterious programs and popups start to run
- Frequent computer crashes
- Unwanted emails sent from your account
- Homepage changes
Does Exterminate It! Protect Against Worms?
Yes. Exterminate It! is designed to detect and rid your system of worms. Once it scans a system and detects a worm, it allows the user to quarantine or completely delete it. It can also detect and remove threats with similar behaviors to worms, such as viruses and other malware.
Does Exterminate It! Protect Against Trojans?
Yes. Exterminate It! is designed to detect and remove Trojans. Examples of trojans that Exterminate It! prevents include (but is not limited to):
- Xafecopy
- Dridex
- GoldenEye
- NotPetya
Does Exterminate It! Block Spyware?
Exterminate It! is designed to detect and remove spyware. This includes:
- Adware
- Cookies
- Trojans
- System monitors
- Rootkits
- Web beacons
- Keyloggers
Exterminate It! can also detect and remove Trojans which are often used to launch spyware on user’s systems.
Does Exterminate It! Block Ransomware?
Exterminate It! does not directly block ransomware from entering a user’s system. However, it does detect and remove trojans, which are the main method for delivering ransomware.
As internet usage has grown, the quantity of ransomware has increased and will continue to do so. Today’s ransomware is highly sophisticated in its trickery and encryption technology, so it is very hard to detect and remove. Some ransomware will infect a system like a normal virus, silently and without any user assistance.
Does Exterminate It! Block Malware?
Exterminate It! is specifically designed to detect and remove malware from entering your system. However, because Exterminate It! does not come with a firewall, it does not block malware. It can only detect and remove it. Therefore, for maximum protection it is best to combine Exterminate It! with firewall software like Microsoft Defender.
Exterminate It! has a powerful anti-malware engine that thoroughly scans your system. They have an extensive database of threats which includes behavior signatures.
Exterminate It! can detect and remove the following types of malware:
- Trojans
- Rootkits
- Worms
These details are shown when malware is detected:
- Malware name
- Database or company source name
- Category
- Location
NOTE: For malware removal, you need to purchase the full version of Exterminate It! The free trial version only detects but does not remove malware.
An added bonus with Exterminate It! is their Submit State feature. If your system shows signs of a malware infection that is not detected by Exterminate It! you can submit a state of your PC to the support team. They will provide you with a customized fix within 24 hours.
Does Exterminate It! Block Popups?
There are two types of popups: 1) popups that occur on a user’s system due to downloading some sort of adware, and 2) popups that occur in the user’s web browser.
For adware-generated popups, Exterminate It! is designed to detect and remove adware installed on your system. So if you download adware unintentionally Exterminate It! will help prevent it from launching and clean it out of your system.
For browser-based popups, Exterminate It! does not block these popups. Instead it leaves it to your browser to handle — for a few good reasons.
Antivirus programs are usually not designed to block popups that occur in the user’s web browser. The reason for this is that security companies have left this responsibility up to Internet browser makers. For instance, if a user visits a website that opens another browser window with an ad, this is tied directly to the browser’s functionality.
Antivirus companies do not want to get too involved with the workings of the browser because it could potentially affect the user experience. If they go too far, they could alienate the users and browser makers from working with their antivirus software once it becomes known for potentially limiting the browser’s capabilities.
Can Exterminate It! Block Porn Sites?
No. Exterminate It! cannot block porn websites. However, it can protect your computer from malware and viruses delivered by these sites.
Will Exterminate It! Protect My Identity?
Yes. Exterminate It! can help protect your identity through several security features. Specifically, Exterminate It! detects and removes:
- Spyware used to observe your computer activity
- Keyloggers used to detect your keystrokes
- Malware used in phishing attempts
While Exterminate It! is not a complete identity protection solution, these core features protect access to your system that hackers can use to steal your identity.
Can You Use Exterminate It! on a PC?
Yes. Exterminate It! is designed to work on PCs running Windows. Exterminate It! comes with Windows 32-bit and 64-bit versions which are combined into the same installation.
Does Exterminate It! Work?
We did our own performance review of Exterminate It! and concluded that Exterminate It! is an effective and easy-to-use security program that can protect a user’s system from most online threats. See our Exterminate It! Review here>
Does Exterminate It! Run at Startup?
Yes. Exterminate It! can be set to automatically run a scan at startup by using the Windows Scheduled Tasks application.
How to Run Exterminate It! at Startup:
The easiest way to run Exterminate It! at startup is by using Windows Scheduled Tasks. With Scheduled Tasks, you can schedule Exterminate It! to run at the time that you specify.
In Windows 8 or 10 press the WIN key + Q and type “Scheduler” in the search bar. Click on the Task Scheduler icon.
Once Task Scheduler opens, go to the Action Menu and click “Create Basic Task.”
Type a name for the task, and a description (if you choose), and then select one of the listed options:
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- One time only
- When my computer starts
- When I log on
Click “Next.” Choose the day and time to run Exterminate It!, and then click “Next.” The day and time information available depends on the option you chose in the previous dialog box.
The selected user should have sufficient permissions to run the program. Click the Next button.
Review the choices that you have made and then click the Finish button. The newly created task will appear in the list. At any time, you can modify the parameters of the Exterminate It! task if necessary.
Optional command line arguments allow for other program functions
(only one command-line argument at a time is allowed):
- -runscan will only allow Exterminate It! to perform scanning.
- -scanremoveall will remove all dangerous elements found during a scan.
You can combine both of these commands with the following command line arguments:
- -silent will scan your system without notifying you
- -force-close will close the program after the scan
- -scan-log FilePath will save the scan results into the FilePath file.
How Long Does Exterminate It! Take To Scan?
In our Exterminate It! testing we calculated the time it takes to scan our test PC. Here are the results:
- A Full scan, which includes all memory and files on our system drive took 42 minutes with all the options selected.
- A Memory scan which only checks memory took 39 seconds.
- A Smart scan which checks memory and locations that are most at risk of malware infection took 7 minutes on our system.
- A Custom scan that scanned only the documents folder took only 48 seconds.
