Unintentional User

system · 2007-01-13T22:31:17.000Z

Had power supply go out - local Tweaks by GEEKS (Savannah, GA) installed the pwr supply AND decided to among other things to install several program including Avast4 and uninstall my AOL Safety and Security Program. All without asking or telling me >:(. They were just to install pwr supply. Long story short - 1st day back AOL wouldn’t work at all. Returned to Geeks and asked that Avast be removed - no big deal for a computer repair shop right? WRONG! They SAID it was removed (they did admit to a little trouble with that). Now, I have spent alomost 2 days trying to find and remove the reminder of the program. My Windows Security Center states that Avast4 has been turned off (but it is detecting it) and the AOL Safety and Security Center states that it detects Avast4 and its turned off. I have use regedit to remove reg keys, etc for the three users on the computer. I have followed instructions to the letter from this forum on unistalling the program. All to no use.

To be honest, it might be the greatest program in the world, but the fact that it is so difficult to remove convinces me I don’t want to use it. I have read most of the threads on this forum and know the attitudes toward using AOL and even worse, its security features. That’s not the issue. The issue is I have a program on my computer and I can’t get the stupid thing removed! ??? >:(

igor0 · 2007-01-13T22:44:44.000Z

Sorry, but there’s nothing difficult about removing avast!. You just go to Control Panel / Add/Remove Programs and select avast! to be uninstalled. That’s it.

I don’t know what manual modifications you’ve done to registry etc… so it might not be possible anymore. Maybe the best you could do is to install avast! again and then uninstall it in the recommended way.
You may also try the uninstall utility - but I’m somehow worried that the changes you (or somebody else) have done may have done more harm than good.

system · 2007-01-13T23:02:43.000Z

Thank you for the reply. Our first attempt at unistalling it was using the Control Panel. However, it was still detected (seee the above post above). That’s why we took it back to the repair shop.

If it were just that easy…

system · 2007-01-13T23:03:41.000Z

By the way, we’ve tried the unistall utility too

system · 2007-01-13T23:21:39.000Z

I have had a number of problems with AOL in the past, usually resolved with a complete uninstall and reinstall of AOL. I have also had to uninstall avast, related to AOL trying to update AOL safety and security components I didn’t have installed in the first place, and had better luck uninstalling AOL (again), without saving settings for reinstallation, before using the avast uninstall utility, with reboots between each step. (I don’t use AOL’s Safety and Security Program because for me, it seems to cause more problems than it is worth. I still use AOL, somewhat reluctantly, for internet access.)

I don’t know whether this approach would help in your case, but it might be worth a try if you have an easy way of reinstalling AOL.

BTW, I have always appreciated having a reliable computer expert to help with hardware problems. Now I appreciate him even more. He has never rearranged my software!

system · 2007-01-13T23:29:38.000Z

Thank you for the help - tried the reinstall tactic… this time everything still works - AOL as a browser, the Avast4 is screening and all seems well in my world…

Thanks for the help and the lack of comments about AOL. For a multi-use, multi-computer household with one of us on the road almost constantly, it works for us.

I will admit, this forum is amazing and I appreciate the expertise it encompasses. Maybe we can use AOL and Avast.

Thanks again!

system · 2007-01-13T23:30:34.000Z

BTW - stay away from Tweaks by Geeks in Savannah. Maybe the original download was corrupt!

system · 2007-01-13T23:39:08.000Z

I’m glad it worked out for you. I have been using AOL and avast! together on 3 computers since last February, and they work well together (as long as I don’t install AOL’s Safety and Security Program). Avast! home is on 2 of the computers, and avast! Pro on one I occasionally use for work. I also use Firefox, which I find faster than AOL as browser.

Although avast! does not scan AOL mail, AOL does, even without the safety and security program, and I have had no problems with infected mail.

DavidR · 2007-01-13T23:41:06.000Z

I think the original install may have been bad, if the tweeks from geeks didn’t uninstall the AOL security first that could have cause a problem with the install and subsequent problem with uninstall.

Glad that you have it resolved though, welcome to the forums.

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