A strange situation in my computer

system · 2007-05-27T02:50:12.000Z

Thanks for your help in advance.
This is really a strange situation going on in my computer.
I had AOL explorer in my computer and decided to
unistall it and so I did. Later on I decided to put it back
and mistakenly I started to download the AOL service
from a website. As soon as I realized it wasn’t what I wanted
I unistalled it.
This is the weird thing. I started to get a small pup-up on the
left down corner asking for AOL updates instalations.
I checked the add/remove programs and I didn’t see any
AOL program. I went to search and typed AOL and , boy,
the page was filled with hundreds of AOL files.
I started to delete them but the more I deleted the more
appeared. I’m afraid there must be a thousand at least.
The ones I could delete were moved to the Recycle Bin (148 files).
After emptying the Recycle Bin I went on deleting more from the search page
but it seems a never ending task. These are the messages I get when
trying to delete some of them:

“Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or disk”
“Cannot delete common.cls:It is being used by another
person or program. Close any programs that might be using
the file and try again”.
“Cannot delete AOL acsd.exe: Access is denied. Make
sure the disk is no full or write-protected and that the file is
not currently in use”.
What’s going on?

HELP!
haydee

FreewheelinFrank · 2007-05-27T07:57:38.000Z

Hi haydee,

A few options for you:

Reinstall the program over the broken installation letting the install complete normally, then look for an uninstall option in Add/Remove. (This sometimes fixes a broken uninstall option.)
Try this removal tool:

http://www.mrtech.com/news/messages/4617.html

Look through the AOL folders for an uninstall utility.
Go to Start>Run and type msconfig. Press enter. In the Services and Startup tabs, deselect any AOL enties and reboot. Delete all AOL folders. Use a startup utility to look for AOL startup entries and delete them:

http://www.snapfiles.com/Freeware/system/fwstartup.html

Reboot and AOL should be gone.

You could also run a registry cleaner to check for stray AOL entires. TuneUp Utilities has a free trial:

http://www.tune-up.com/products/tuneup-utilities/

system · 2007-05-27T11:41:38.000Z

Thank you,
I will try that. Will keep in touch.

system · 2007-05-27T19:21:48.000Z

Hi
Here again. I did everything and still when I go to search and type AOL a lot of files appear and even some of them have todays date as being modified. This is a nightmare. Now there are 218 AOL files instead of 178 yesterday. :o
What is this? Is this is a terrorist attack to my computer?

Example:
AOLSOFTWARE.EXE-2E60EB…C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch 44KB PF File 5/27/2007

AOLacsd C:\Program Files\Common Files.… 1,234 KB Application Extension 4/13/2007

Those are only two of the 218

Lisandro · 2007-05-27T21:58:22.000Z

haydee post:4:

What is this? Is this is a terrorist attack to my computer?
Example: AOLSOFTWARE.EXE-2E60EB…C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch 44KB PF File 5/27/2007

Files on Prefetch folder are generated on each exe file you run.
So, it’s normal that the number of files increase in that folder if you run more executables.

system · 2007-05-27T23:10:56.000Z

I still have no answer on how to get rid of all aol files since I deleted everything.
Thanks,
haydee

system · 2007-05-28T01:20:32.000Z

Correction to reply.
I still don’t get an answer in my head on how to delete those files
that keep on appearing in my search page. Some of them whem I try
to delete them it says is an empty file.
I have been thinking if the files has to do with the issue that I got
my computer from AOL. I had forgotten that completely.
So now I wonder if the ones I have deleted are important for
the computer performance.
I’m sorry to be anoying you all with this issue. I don’t know
anything about computers except the basics.
Thank you very much for all the help and for taking your
precious time to read my post and answer.
Very greatful,
haydee

Lisandro · 2007-05-28T01:33:10.000Z

haydee post:6:

I still have no answer on how to get rid of all aol files since I deleted everything.

To give you a proper answer, can you post the full name and path of each one of these files?

FreewheelinFrank · 2007-05-28T07:25:32.000Z

Did you really try everything I suggested previously?

In addition to the information Tech requested, please post a HijackThis! log as this may reveal the AOL entries causing the problem and allow us to let you delete them:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial42.html

system · 2007-05-28T20:50:50.000Z

Thank so much Tech and FreewheelinFrank
I really appreciate your help.
I was kind of impatient with the situation and before reading your replies
I kept looking around for a solution. I don’t know yet if I made
a mistake but I found this post in another forum titled
“I can’t delete file” where they gave the solution of downloading
fileassassin to delete locked files and files you can’t delete other ways.
I downloaded the fileassassin and went one by one of the 218 files except
two. One were “Pictures downloaded from AOL” C:\Documents and settings\Hay… File folder
I don’t understand why all my pictures can be “Pictures downloaded from AOL”.
The other one I didn’t delete it because it looked strange and I thought
it could be something important. This is the file F1308_hpqaol08.exe869B68… My documents
size 40B Type 869B6853_C7FE_1… Date Modified 4/9/2003

I then booted and went to search again and finally all the files were gone
except the two I had left of course, but then another file appeared
F1308_hpqaol.exe.869B68… C:\Temp\HP All-in-one Series W… size 40B
type 869B6853_C7FE_1… 4/9/2003

After I did all this I remembered that I had gotten my computer
directly from AOL. So I thought that probably all the files had
the aol in them.
So far the computer is working fine. I don’t know if I deleted something important.

I couldn’t copy the files from the search page. I right clicked on it
but it didn’t give me to copy it.
It was hard go typing one by one of the 218 files so that’s why I didn’t
send you the whole list.
I hope I don’t have to regret what I did.
I checked My Documents and I saw the file above mentioned and I clicked on it and
I got a message saying it couldn’t be opened because it has being damaged or file is not supported…
I probably deleted a lot of my saved information.
I will go to My documents now and check if all my saved files are still there.
I hope so otherwise I will have a seizure :o
I hope I don’t have to learn a lesson here the hard way.
By the way , what an interesting the hijackthis is, wow.
I don’t know about computer except the basics but I love to
learn and the hijackthis is a good tool to learn.
Be back after I check My Documents.
Thanks a lot to all of you :-* ;D

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