NPE WOULD NOT LOAD- SHOULD I RENEW

Hi Animish Kumar Malpan:

If you are happy using Norton 360 for real-time antivirus protection on your Win 7 SP1 machine I would suggest that you go ahead and renew your subscription and worry about the Norton Power Eraser (NPE) error later.  Please read my post <here> about the dangers of using the NPE .  This tool is a very aggressive scanner that is designed to be used as a rescue tool in emergency situations when your operating system becomes unstable or you believe you have deeply embedded malware that cannot be detected by a standard antivirus / anti-malware scan.  The NPE will often flag legitimate software for removal (i.e., false positive detections)  and has been known to damage Windows operating files during remediation of rootkits / bootkits and other malware that can hook itself deep into the Windows kernel. I don't recommend that users use this tool unless they are instructed to do so by a Norton malware removal specialist.

If you suspect you have a malware infection that was missed by a Norton Full System Scan, most users in this forum recommend you start with a second-opinion scan with Malwarebytes Free (for Win 7 SP1 and higher go to https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download/; for Win XP/Vista go to https://downloads.malwarebytes.com/file/mb3_legacy; hints for configuring Malwarebytes before running your your first Threat Scan are posted in BevStra's MyWay Search). Note that Malwarebytes Free includes an advanced option to "Scan for Rootkits" if the standard Threat Scan doesn't detect any threats (see the Malwarebytes Labs article Bootkit), but for serious infections like a rootkit or bootkit I generally recommend that users work with a trained malware removal specialist to ensure they don't damage their Windows system files during removal.  Rootkit scanners like the standalone Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit Beta often remove the dropper used to install the bootkit and inactivate the active infection but don't always clean up the last remnants - this is done deliberately if automated removal might damage the Windows system files.

Since you've already used the standalone Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit Beta to remediate your MBR bootkit I would strongly advise that you immediately post in the free Malwarebytes Windows Malware Removal Help & Support board and ask then to confirm your system is clean, since their posting guidelines I'm Infected - What Do I Do Now? note that it can sometimes take up to 48 hours before your diagnostic logs are reviewed.  I've used this forum, as well as the BleepingComputer and WhatTheTech sites reviewed in delphinium's 2013 thread Malware Removal Forum Recommendations and received excellent service with all three. If you post in one of these malware removal forums pick one site only and don't cross-post about the same problem on multiple sites.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Norton Security Deluxe v22.15.2.22 * Malwarebytes Free v3.5.1-1.0.365