4.0 / 5 - 844 Votes

File Size: 1.94MB

Developer: Bleeping Computer

Editors Review:

RKill terminates and removes the most stubborn malware infections, but it's not for beginners or for any user who isn't sure what it does or why they need it. RKill kills processes that prevent anti-malware tools from running, removes bad Registry entries, and fixes policies that prevent some anti-malware tools from running. It then stops and restarts Explorer so Registry changes will take effect and finishes by logging it all. RKill is portable freeware that downloads as a zipped file.

Pro-level power: RKill is capable of pulling the rug out from underneath malware by terminating processes that effectively shield them from cleaning with conventional utilities.

Fast and thorough: RKill scanned quickly and reported our PC's clean and healthy status. We expected no less, but users who turn to RKill to remove stubborn malware usually do so after trying the usual programs first.

Log: RKill's log file lists all terminated processes, including those terminated by the user. The data could help diagnose a deeply hidden infection.

No GUI: RKill is easy to use but lacks a GUI since running from the Command Line prevents some malware from running, which will intimidate some users (though arguably such users should think twice before trying RKill).

Though we lacked any deep-rooted malware for RKill to rub out, we're glad to know about this powerful portable freeware. We plan to keep it handy in our toolkit, just in case.

Publisher Description:

From Bleeping Computer: RKill is a program developed at BleepingComputer.com that was originally designed for the use in our malware removal guides. It was created so that we could have an easy to use tool that kills known processes that stop the use of our normal anti-malware applications. Simple as that. Nothing fancy. Just kill known malware processes so that anti-malware programs can do their job. So in summary, RKill just kills processes, imports a Registry file that removes incorrect file associations and fixes policies that stop us from using certain tools. Then it kills Explorer.exe so it will restart and enable some of the Registry changes. When done, RKill will then create a log listing all processes that were terminated while the program was running. Please note that this will include processes that were terminated manually by the user as well as RKill. Other than what is listed above, it does nothing else.

Most Read Reviews