Should I remove DownloadHQ?
What percent of users and experts removed it?
62% remove it38% keep it
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #42,341
United States Rank #31,188
Reach 0.0022%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 30.80 days
908.47 days >
Average installed length: 477.33 days
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- #42,340 MyScribe by Fourteen40
- #42,341 DownloadHQ
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DownloadHQ
from DownloadHQ Group
What is DownloadHQ?
DownloadHQ is a bundled installation using a download monetization platform. Installing the co-bundled software through the modified installer may not be optional. From the distribution site: "This product is totally free and offers the user additional bundle products that may include advertisements. The software can be installed without any additional software by opting out of the offerings.
Overview
It adds registry entry for the current user which will allow the program to automatically start each time it is rebooted. Upon being installed, the software adds a Windows Service which is designed to run continuously in the background. Manually stopping the service has been seen to cause the program to stop functing properly. It adds a background controller service that is set to automatically run. Delaying the start of this service is possible through the service manager. A scheduled task is added to Windows Task Scheduler in order to launch the program at various scheduled times (the schedule varies depending on the version). The software is designed to connect to the Internet and adds a Windows Firewall exception in order to do so without being interfered with. The primary executable is named DownloadHQ.exe. Many users end up uninstalling this after less than a month of it being installed. The setup package generally installs about 5 files and is usually about 4.22 MB (4,429,345 bytes).
- Malware detected in the program
- Starts automatically
- Adds a background Windows Service
- Displays unwanted advertisements
- The wisdom of the experts agree, if you don't use it you should remove it!
Warning, multiple anti-virus scanners have detected possible malware in DownloadHQ.
| DownloadHQ.exe (a500317c8443ff0e89028ec7304bf9f3) has been flagged by the following 3 scanners: |
| Anti-Virus software | Version | Detection |
| Comodo Security |
15156 |
Heur.Suspicious |
| Trend Micro |
10.465.08 |
ADW_KRADARE |
| TrendMicro-HouseCall |
7.2.220 |
ADW_KRADARE |
Program details
URL: download-hq.net
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\downloadhq
Uninstaller: "C:\Program Files\DownloadHQ\uninstall.exe"
Estimated size: 4.22 MB
Files installed by DownloadHQ
| Program executable: | DownloadHQ.exe (Malware detected) |
| Name: | DownloadHQ p2p for Windows |
| Path: | C:\Program Files\downloadhq\DownloadHQ.exe |
| MD5: | a500317c8443ff0e89028ec7304bf9f3 |
Additional files:
-
(Malware detected) DownloadHQ.exe - DownloadHQ p2p for Windows
-
chatServer.exe (by Ares Development Group) - Ares Chat Server
-
bass.dll (by Un4seen Developments) - BASS
-
libfaad2.dll
-
uninstall.exe
Behaviors exhibited
Scheduled Task
- chatServer.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{37D3EC0A-6273-4D20-8CE2-CC6294CAA141}' (runs on registration).
Service
- chatServer.exe runs as a service named 'Ares Chatroom server' (AresChatServer) "Hosts your chatroom on the Ares network.".
2 Startup Files (User Run)
- chatServer.exe is loaded in the current user (HKCU) registry as an auto-starting executable named 'AresChatServer' and executes as C:\Program Files\Ares\chatServer.exe.
- DownloadHQ.exe is loaded in the current user (HKCU) registry as an auto-starting executable named 'downloadhq' and executes as "C:\Program Files\DownloadHQ\DownloadHQ.exe" -h.
2 Windows Firewall Allowed Programs
- chatServer.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Program Files\Ares\chatServer.exe'.
- DownloadHQ.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Program Files\DownloadHQ\DownloadHQ.exe'.
Resource utilization averages
Show technical details
| DownloadHQ.exe |
| Memory: | 10.9 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.0004400009% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.00033194% | |
| User CPU: | 0.00010806% | |
| CPU cycles/sec: | 21,588,277 | |
| I/O reads/min: | 374 Bytes | |
| I/O writes/min: | 846 Bytes | |
How do I remove DownloadHQ?
You can uninstall DownloadHQ from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
- On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
- Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
- When you find the program DownloadHQ, click it, and then do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
- Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
- Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove DownloadHQ.
- If for some reason uninstallation fails, please install Microsoft's uninstall fixer utility which will help fix problems with programs that can't be uninstalled at support.microsoft.com.
OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 65%
Win 7 2%
|
|
WHEN IT STARTS
Auto-starting? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
|
|
USER ACTIONS
 |
Uninstall it 62%
Keep it 38%
|
|
Windows
Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
| Windows 7 |
67.44% |
|
| Windows XP |
13.95% |
|
| Windows 10 |
9.30% |
|
| Windows Vista |
9.30% |
|
Which OS releases does it run on? |
| Windows 7 Home Premium |
46.51% |
|
| Microsoft Windows XP |
13.95% |
|
| Windows 7 Ultimate |
11.63% |
|
| Windows 7 Professional |
9.30% |
|
| Windows Vista Home Premiu... |
6.98% |
|
| Windows 10 Home |
4.65% |
|
Geography
69.49% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
| United States |
69.49% |
| United Kingdom |
6.78% |
| Australia |
3.39% |
| Japan |
3.39% |
| South Africa |
3.39% |
| United Arab Emirates |
1.69% |
| Belgium |
1.69% |
| Canada |
1.69% |
| Germany |
1.69% |
| Israel |
1.69% |
| Mexico |
1.69% |
| Norway |
1.69% |
| Romania |
1.69% |
PC manufacturers
What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
| Acer |
30.56% |
|
| Hewlett-Packard |
19.44% |
|
| Dell |
16.67% |
|
| GIGABYTE |
8.33% |
|
| Intel |
5.56% |
|
| Toshiba |
5.56% |
|
| Sony |
5.56% |
|
| American Megatrends |
5.56% |
|
| Lenovo |
2.78% |
|
Common models |
| VMware, Inc. VMware Virtu... |
2.70% |
|
| Toshiba NB505 |
2.70% |
|
| TOSHIBA Satellite C655 |
2.70% |
|
| ThirdWave Corporation Pri... |
2.70% |
|
| Sony VPCF115FM |
2.70% |
|
| Sony VGN-NW270F |
2.70% |
|