Greetings!
In this detailed step-by-step guide, with photos, we will show you how to properly remove the WinRar application from your computer.
Using it, you will completely remove the WinRar application from your computer.
Uninstalling WinRar
To remove the WinRar program, you need to open the Windows system window called " Programs and Features».
In Windows version 8 , 8.1 , 10 it opens like this:
Hover over the menu Start and click with the right mouse button. A pop-up menu will appear, from which you can select Programs and Features.
If you have Windows version Vista or 7
, then the opening of this window is carried out in a slightly different way: 
Call up the menu Start and select the item Control Panel. In the window that appears, select the item Uninstalling a program(or Programs and Features).
As a result of these actions, the window " Programs and Features". In it, you can view a list of installed programs and applications, as well as remove from the system those applications that are no longer needed.
Find the WinRar application in the list. Right-click on it and choose from the menu that appears. Delete.
You will be asked if you really want to uninstall WinRar. If you answer yes, the program will be completely removed from your computer.
To uninstall WinRAR from a computer running Windows 10, 8, 7 or XP, just use the standard uninstall tool. There is no need to use special uninstaller utilities, since WinRAR does not leave behind garbage and unremovable traces.
Follow the instructions (shown on the example of Windows 10 64 bit, on other versions of the OS, the procedure is the same).
Step 1
First you need to open the control panel. Open start - in previous releases of the operating system, the link to the panel was here, but now, to find it, use the built-in search.
With the start open, just start typing the word "panel". When its icon appears, click on it.
Step 2
In the control panel, you need to go to " Uninstalling a program". Please note that "Category" is selected opposite the "View" inscription, otherwise the uninstall tool will be more difficult to find.
Step 3
In the window that opens, you will see a list of all installed programs on your computer. Find WinRAR among them. To make it easier to do this, sort the list by the column " Name by simply clicking on it.
After you find WinRAR, right-click on its line and click " Delete».
The system will ask you if you really want to delete, click on the " Yes».
Step 4
After a few seconds, WinRAR will be completely removed. To complete the process (so that some of the remaining temporary files of the archiver are also deleted), restart the computer.
The WinRAR archiver is just one of those few programs that, being positioned by developers as shareware, are nevertheless available for free use.
After the 40-day trial period expires, WinRAR starts pestering the user with notifications about the need to purchase a license, but without restricting access to the program's functionality.
If these constant reminders annoy you, you can try to get rid of them. There are several ways to do this, but we will describe only one. It is very simple and does not require the use of third-party utilities. Its essence is that every 40 days you will need to delete one database file and one registry setting. In order not to suffer and not to climb into the registry and directories of the archiver every time, open a text editor and paste these two commands into it:
reg delete HKEY_CURRENT_USER/\software/\winRar/\General /v verinfo /fdel %AppData%/\winRar/\version.dat
The first command removes the parameter verinfo in subsection General, the second deletes the database file in the WinRAR user directory.
Save the file under any name, but always with the extension cmd or BAT. Run this file from every 40 days, otherwise just register it in the Task Scheduler.
As soon as you do this, the archiver counter will be reset, and you will again have a 40-day trial period without any notification of the need to register.
There is another working method that would be worth mentioning, but it is so troublesome that we did not dare to give a description of it. Let's just say that the method involves gutting WinRAR using a hacker tool OllyDbg- 32-bit assembler level debugger for Windows. Also you would need a plugin OllyExt and a little time to do all the necessary manipulations, and as a result you would get about the same as when deleting the parameter and file DAT, except that you would no longer have to repeat the actions performed in the future.
You must download the setup file for this infection by accident. Experts agree on the two most important ones: First, users should be aware that it can be distributed via fake PDFs, since after running the winrar.exe sample it made it look like running an Adobe reader. In some cases, these files look like invoices or other official documents. Once this is completed, the malware starts the encryption. It doesn't make a copy of itself to hide deep in your computer's OS. The most important thing for these tricksters is that you save the attachment, and we feel the need to open the file, too.
How does malware enter your computer?
The easiest way to remove this malicious virus is to use automated software. As mentioned in the introduction, winrar.exe was designed to encrypt files, but the good news is that it is unable to do so. In addition, it creates a link to its own executable file and places it on the computer (there are several different directories it can be placed in). Moreover, there is a chance that the decryptor will evolve and you can download it for free in the future. USB modem) - this shows the importance of periodically backing up personal files. Last but not least download new apps from their official websites just because their versions on P2P pages can travel along with malware.
Once you know what you want to do with your personal files, you must winrar.exe. It is possible that this threat is no longer actively spreading. Also, you should be aware that the remnants of winrar.exe can act in a roundabout way. Now, when encrypting files, it will add them to the ".Horace-Ba" file extension. It seems that the malicious executable is copied to "C: to make things even worse, cipher.exe will be used to overwrite the deleted data. Infected files get ".epic extension".
How to remove Powerliks virus?
You don't need a special tool to erase winrar.exe from your computer; we promise to reply to you as soon as possible. The information in this ransom note is quite limited and even that in broken English type "if you want to get your date back" which probably means "if you want to get your data back" referring to the encrypted files. Instead, you must winrar.exe from the system and then restore the utilities yourself. However, we don't think it's a good idea to support online crime in this way.
Learn how to remove winrar.exe from your computer
Step 1: Remove winrar.exe via safe mode with network drivers loaded
b) Windows 8/Windows 10
Step 2: Remove winrar.exe via System Restore
a) Windows 7/Windows Vista/Windows XP
b) Windows 8/Windows 10
Step 3Recover your data
Below are three ways you can try to recover files. However, depending on some factors, they may not necessarily work for you. So, to ensure you don't lose your files, back up all your important files and store them safely.a) Method 1: Recover files using data recovery pro
b) Method 2: Recovery file through Windows of previous versions
If System Restore has been enabled, restoring files through Windows previous versions is possible.
c) Method 3. File recovery via Shadow Explorer
Shadow copies of files that your computer automatically creates in order to make sure you don't lose anything in the event of a computer crash. However, some ransomware is sophisticated enough to remove them. If the cyber-ransomware that has infected your computer, do not do this, there should be no problems with recovering the file.
The great physicist Albert Einstein once said: "There are two infinite things: the Universe and the forty-day trial period of WinRAR, and I'm not entirely sure about the Universe." In fact, Einstein died 40 years before the world-famous archiver - which is a pity, because with such a genius, humanity would have already populated 7 exoplanets in the Trappist-1 system.
With the genius who managed to split the atom, everything is more or less clear, but what about WinRAR? How can a paid program that first of all announces a limited trial period be used indefinitely?
In fact, this is the business strategy of the company. If you carefully read the detailed and boring user agreement (and not just check the box “I accept”), then in one of the paragraphs you will find an ornate wording that frees the user from legal liability, even if the money is not paid.
In 1993, Roshal Archive technology was introduced to the world, which soon became known as RAR. The invention of the Russian programmer Evgeny Lazarevich Roshal became the first modern archiver, the fundamental principles of which are still used today. But in order to create a business that can flourish for decades, you need not only a programmer, but also a businessman. They became the elder brother of Evgeny Roshal - Alexander. Which, by the way, owns the copyright.
Two years later, in 1995, as Windows spread, the family business brought WinRAR to the market, capable of creating archives with .rar and .zip extensions, as well as unpacking almost anything. From the very first days of its creation, WinRAR has been distributed according to the try before you buy model, that is, “try before you buy”.
According to the terms of the user agreement, after the trial period, the user should purchase a license. But all this is only in theory. There are over 500 million WinRAR users all over the world and you are very likely among them. Therefore, you know very well: after 40 days, the archiver does not self-destruct, and does not even blow up your computer. Not only that: the functionality of the trial and the purchased version is exactly the same. The only negative is a periodically pop-up window that politely but persistently asks to still purchase a license.
According to statistics, the vast majority of individuals never buy a license, because pressing the Close button silences the annoying window. Moreover, you don’t need to experience any guilt complexes (or, conversely, the adrenaline feeling of “cool hacking”): the company not only knows that you are using its product for free, but even encourages it.
In one of the official interviews, the General Director of WinRAR, Burak Kanboy, stated that the company is very liberal about the fact of purchasing licenses by ordinary users, and even advised to endlessly use the branded non-activated archiver, since pirated versions (without a pop-up window) may contain viruses.
In fact, the magical transformation of 40 days into infinity can be regarded as a very competent business strategy. This not only helps WinRAR fight piracy, but also makes it one of the most famous computer programs in the world.
Of course, all this is just wonderful, but here it smacks of altruism. A reasonable question arises: how the hell do they make money by giving away their software for free to everyone and everyone? The answer is simple: legal entities.
The terms of use for legal entities imply the following: a company can download WinRAR absolutely free from the official website. As for individuals, there is a forty-day trial period. During this period, all but three functions are available: show authenticity information, show log file, and delete log file.
If during the test phase the buyer (in this case, the business) is completely satisfied and is not going to remove the software, he - unlike the usual user - is already obliged to buy a license. Everything is logical here: if individuals often do not worry about the legal aspect (your PC is already smoking from torrents), then the business cannot afford this.
Of course, depending on scale, not all companies play by the rules. Some hope to pass under the radar of inspection bodies. But, as a rule, these days, businesses prefer to buy licenses for all the software they use, since piracy can be much more expensive.
Imagine that the company is being checked, and at the most inopportune moment, a reminder pops up on the screen of the chief accountant that WinRAR should be paid for. Here, the specifics of further events will depend on the honesty of the inspectors: either serious legal problems will begin, or you will have to pay a large amount to hush up the case. Both of these are extremely annoying.
The closest and most understandable analogy for a Russian reader is as if a police squad suddenly raided a store selling strong drinks to minors after 11 pm.
In fact, the army of users of free WinRAR also has its own important role - an equally free PR. Mentions on various sites, reviews, advice to friends, even criticism: all this does not allow the public to forget about the 1993 archiver against the backdrop of hundreds of newer programs of the same kind. Adherents of the endless 40 days create a kind of “background noise” around WinRAR, pushing many companies to purchase this particular product. Why understand the intricacies of a niche market when you can just take the most famous archiver?
In addition, a small percentage of users from the mentioned army still buy WinRAR, and this is also part of the business. These days there are a lot of crazy ways to spend money on the Internet: for example, buy a pack of emoticons for a VKontakte chat or transfer $20 to some streamer for a single mention on the air. In general, it is not surprising that people can purchase an archiver as well.
According to Softletter, the level of conversion of users from trial to full versions (in the market as a whole) is a maximum of 25%, and often much less. Other companies may worry about this - but not WinRAR. They just need the product to be constantly present on the market, and legal entities will generate the bulk of the profits.
In 2015 in China, WinRAR even released a completely free version for individuals - I mean completely free, even without pop-ups. In addition, there is an application for Android: here the business model is to periodically display ads, which is absolutely usual for mobile platforms. And money from the user, again, is not required.
Of course, WinRAR has a whole bunch of absolutely free alternatives, and some of them - like 7zip - have grown to unprecedented proportions. However, veteran status since 1993 and Interstellar-level space experiment to turn 40 days into infinity allow WinRAR to remain on the crest of the wave.
