Will 'NetReg MFC' harm my PC?

Q I have a Windows XP Media Center PC. For some days now I have had alerts from Zonealarm saying that ‘NetReg MFC Application’ is trying to access the internet and an ‘Ad-watch Live Alert’ saying that a process is trying to make changes to the startup settings in the Registry.

I have been blocking them but they are a nuisance. What are they and would it do any harm to just allow them to get them out the way?
Jim Graham

A Bad news – the netreg.exe file that’s being stopped by Zonealarm has been identified as a worm-style virus by the name of W32/Forbot-EJ. The good news is that it’s not too harmful, but you will obviously want to remove it as soon as possible.

The Ad-watch Live Alert you mention is displayed by Lavasoft’s Ad-aware, a tried and trusted security tool. This should remove the virus, assuming it is fully up to date.

Launch Ad-aware and click the Update button to download and apply the latest virus definitions. Click Scan Now and allow Ad-aware to perform a full scan of your PC. Then follow the prompts to remove the infection.