ESET Knowledgebase

Solution

Use the solutions below to resolve the issue. Start with solution I and continue to the next solution only if your issue is not resolved.

I. Check if the ESET Service is missing

1. Windows Vista and Windows 7: Click Start , type services.msc and press ENTER on your keyboard.
   
   Windows XP: Click Start Run, type services.msc and click OK. Click Start, type services.msc into the search field and then click services.
    
2. Scroll down and look for the ESET Service entry in the "Name" field, which is sorted alphabetically. 

Figure 1-1
Click the image to view larger in new window

3. If the ESET Service is present (in either enabled or disabled state), continue to solution II below.
   
   If the ESET Service is missing, continue to step 4 to uninstall your ESET security product in Safe Mode. If you do not know how to start your computer in Safe Mode, please refer to the following Knowledgebase article:
   
   
   • How to start Windows in Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking
      
4. While in Safe Mode, click Start All Programs ESET Uninstall. Or for illustrated instructions, see the following Knowledgebase article:
   
   
   • Uninstall your existing ESET security product
     

5. Restart you computer in Normal Mode and reinstall your ESET security product by following the instructions for your product:
   
   
   • How do I Download and Install ESET Smart Security? (6.x)
      
   • How do I Download and Install ESET NOD32 Antivirus? (6.x)

 If you continue to experience issues after completing all of the steps above, please click here to contact ESET Customer Care.
 

II. Make sure the ESET Service is running

1. Open the Services window by following steps 1 and 2 above (see Figure 1-1).
    
2. Verify that the Startup type is set to Automatic and that the Service Status reads Started then click Apply OK.
   

   NOTE:

   If you do not see Started next to Service Status, click Start. After the ESET service initializes, click OK.

   
   
   Figure 2-1
   
3. Restart your computer.

If you still receive the error, you may need to remove a malware infection from your system. Continue with solution III below.
 

III. Ensure that your computer is clean

1. Win32/Sirefef (Zero.Access rootkit) – Visit the following ESET Knowledgebase article for detailed instructions on determining if you are infected with the Zero.Access rootkit.
   
   If you determine that you are not infected with the Zero.Access rootkit, follow the part b instructions below for the Win32/IRCBot.ANR stand-alone removal tool.
   
   How do I remove Zero.Access rootkit?

2. Win32/IRCBot.ANR – ESET has developed a stand-alone malware removal tool to remove this infiltration. Visit the following ESET Knowledgebase article for instructions:
   
   How to use the ESET Win32/IRCBot stand-alone cleaner from the Command Prompt window.