I just bought a new HP laptop that came with Windows 11, but it had a lot of unnecessary programs installed, like WebAdvisor and a cracked version of Adobe Acrobat. I used Bulk Crap Uninstaller to remove those, but then I saw a message about 'HackTool/Win32/AutoKMS' popping up. It disappeared from Windows Defender shortly after. Is it safe to have AutoKMS on my laptop? Should I be worried?
2 Answers
You should definitely do a clean install of Windows. It's not just about the KMS; the other pre-installed junk can be problematic. Fresh installs are always better for performance and security. Clean everything out and start fresh!
Honestly, I wouldn't trust that installation at all. It's best to wipe it and install a clean version of Windows. You never know what those pre-installed items might have left behind. A fresh install minimizes risks.
You can follow a guide online to reinstall Windows 10 or 11. Just make sure to back up everything before you proceed!