Why Sophos Virus Removal Tool Will Not Scan My Dell 745 With Windows XP?

[halfback]

After the Sophos Tool was downloaded and updated, when I hit the scan button it said "The Sophos Virus Removal Tool could not be started. For more information, see the log file"

I don't know what log file it is talking about.

I have two other computers, one running Windows 10 and another on Windows 7,and so far I have not tried Sophos on either because RKill and Nora Scan works on them. Nora Scan does not work on my Dell 745 with Windows XP, along with some other programs for malware which say they run on XP. RKIll apparently stops a virus or Trojan from hiding, turning off the anti-virus software or otherwise defeating it, and does not itself get rid of the malware.

One possibility is that some files on my copy of Windows XP are corrupted and that is causing the problem of the anti-malwear programs not running scans or coming up with error reports. I have run SFC to try to solve that possible problem, but it does not solve the problem, which is that anti-malware programs will not scan or give error messages and shut down. Maybe it is Windows XP, now a problem for some strange reason in 2020 which did not exist in earlier years.

 

[SNGX1275]

Sophos probably just dropped support of XP, XP hasn't been supported by Microsoft in years, so its surprising Sophos held on this long.

Maybe a more important question is why do you need to run that software on an XP machine? An XP machine shouldn't really be connected to the outside world at all anymore.

 

[i8DRM]

After the Sophos Tool was downloaded and updated, when I hit the scan button it said "The Sophos Virus Removal Tool could not be started. For more information, see the log file"

I don't know what log file it is talking about.

I have two other computers, one running Windows 10 and another on Windows 7,and so far I have not tried Sophos on either because RKill and Nora Scan works on them. Nora Scan does not work on my Dell 745 with Windows XP, along with some other programs for malware which say they run on XP. RKIll apparently stops a virus or Trojan from hiding, turning off the anti-virus software or otherwise defeating it, and does not itself get rid of the malware.

One possibility is that some files on my copy of Windows XP are corrupted and that is causing the problem of the anti-malwear programs not running scans or coming up with error reports. I have run SFC to try to solve that possible problem, but it does not solve the problem, which is that anti-malware programs will not scan or give error messages and shut down. Maybe it is Windows XP, now a problem for some strange reason in 2020 which did not exist in earlier years.

Another possibility is that some malware with a self-protection component has already infested your rig. Try running Malwarebytes Free and/or Superantispyware, or downloading them if you don't have them. If they don't run right, or manage to download, it is more evidence of malware. If it was me, at that point I'd haul the PC in to a computer shop for a full-on malware SAD.