Author Topic: DESPERATELY NEED HELP UNINSTALLING AVAST!!!  (Read 24381 times)

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Offline lukor

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Re: DESPERATELY NEED HELP UNINSTALLING AVAST!!!
« Reply #30 on: June 17, 2005, 03:12:49 AM »
I might be wrong but I've thought that the CurrentControlSet\ENUM\Root (not mentioning the other ControlSet001,003 - as one of them is just another name for CurrentControlSet and the other one is the backup - last-known-good configuration) are generated dynamically from currently installed hardware (LEGACY and PNP) and drivers. The only key that should be manually edited in order to modify the ENUM\Root are in CurrentControlSet\Services. As you don't find any avast entries there (and that is also the only place where avast puts it's driver and service keys) it's properly uninstalled and the ENUM\Root key should be generated after the restart. If you don't find any traces of avast in either CurrentControlSet\Services and in System32\Drivers folder I believe it's all what can a well behaved program do for it's uninstallation.

I meant this in my previous post but lukor put it in much more plausible way.  Anyway, I know almost nothing about registry and it was simply based on my intuition.  Tech also seems to have been thinking in that way: it has been the problem with registry.  In any case, lukor, you finished all of this with a single post.

Seems like every one is happy now.  ;)

Just may add that if "name user" insist on editing this key, it is necessary to adjust the rights for those particular entries. In winXP it's in regedit / Edit / permission. By default only SYSTEM is allowed to modify them. If you add all access rights then it is possible to delete the keys too.

Name User

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Re: DESPERATELY NEED HELP UNINSTALLING AVAST!!!
« Reply #31 on: June 17, 2005, 05:09:07 AM »
Yes, I think I learned how to do that once, as per instructions I received for removing something else a long time ago lukor.

So I just go to regedit>Edit> Permission? Under Permission for Administrators I see that Allow is checked for Full Control and Read. Under Advanced I see both SYSTEM and Administrators defined as Full Control, although SYSTEM is listed at the top and highlighted.

The text to the right saying "This key and subkeys" tends to indicate that you have to have the exact permission you want to use highlighted for each deletion, is that correct?

This is the way the settings were when I tried to delete the keys before, and could not remove them. I think Tech was right in saying they have to be removed in the right order.

Umath

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Re: DESPERATELY NEED HELP UNINSTALLING AVAST!!!
« Reply #32 on: June 17, 2005, 01:22:29 PM »
Yes, I think I learned how to do that once, as per instructions I received for removing something else a long time ago lukor.

So I just go to regedit>Edit> Permission? Under Permission for Administrators I see that Allow is checked for Full Control and Read. Under Advanced I see both SYSTEM and Administrators defined as Full Control, although SYSTEM is listed at the top and highlighted.

The text to the right saying "This key and subkeys" tends to indicate that you have to have the exact permission you want to use highlighted for each deletion, is that correct?

Polonus posted http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=14363.0 about this.  In short,

1. Open a command prompt (Start>Run>cmd) and type at HH:MM /interactive cmd.exe (HH:MM should be 2 minutes ahead of the current system time in 24H format).

2. At the time you typed above, the new svchost.exe command prompt will appear, through which you can run programs of your choice with SYSTEM account right.  Type regedit to start registry editor on XP, of course.

dancerdog3

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Re: DESPERATELY NEED HELP UNINSTALLING AVAST!!!
« Reply #33 on: June 17, 2005, 06:24:57 PM »
 :o
Reformat and Reload.

It seems that the system may be having other issues too.  And, many things can be fixed by editing the registry.  But...  if you have a good backup of the data, reinstalling the OS and all the applications is easy and quick.

Reformatting and Reinstalling would take care of any Avast issues as well as any other lingering issues.  Of the people I know who are often adding and removing programs, they reinstall an a regular basis to keep things clean. 

One way to judge effectiveness os a resolution is to measure how much time and effort was spent on this issue as compaired to how much time and effort reformatting and reinstalling would take.

That is just my 2 Euros.  Your milage may vary.

Col Colt

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Re: DESPERATELY NEED HELP UNINSTALLING AVAST!!!
« Reply #34 on: June 17, 2005, 07:14:26 PM »
If you're running SP Pro you can go into safe mode by another method. Click Start>run and type msconfig. Then, click the Boot.INI tab and check Safeboot. You can do whatever you need then...click on avast icon (if available on desktop) and uninstall. To get back to normal mode, just click the Windows icon between the Ctrl button on keyboard and the Alt key and then type msconfig in 'Run' and it will take you back so you can uncheck the Safeboot box and hit ok and you'll be back into Normal mode. This is just one way beside the F8 tapping mentioned above. Both Windows XP Home and Pro work with the F8 mode. Just reboot and before it starts loading, continuously tap F8 and it will get you into Safe Mode. Hope I've explained this properly for you because I've been where you are and I've only had my own computer for 2 1/2 years.

.....UPDATE....
I guess I was behind the times! I didn't see page 3 :o
« Last Edit: June 17, 2005, 07:17:22 PM by Col Colt »

Name User

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Re: DESPERATELY NEED HELP UNINSTALLING AVAST!!!
« Reply #35 on: June 18, 2005, 04:28:24 AM »
Yes, I think I learned how to do that once, as per instructions I received for removing something else a long time ago lukor.

So I just go to regedit>Edit> Permission? Under Permission for Administrators I see that Allow is checked for Full Control and Read. Under Advanced I see both SYSTEM and Administrators defined as Full Control, although SYSTEM is listed at the top and highlighted.

The text to the right saying "This key and subkeys" tends to indicate that you have to have the exact permission you want to use highlighted for each deletion, is that correct?

Polonus posted http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=14363.0 about this.  In short,

1. Open a command prompt (Start>Run>cmd) and type at HH:MM /interactive cmd.exe (HH:MM should be 2 minutes ahead of the current system time in 24H format).

2. At the time you typed above, the new svchost.exe command prompt will appear, through which you can run programs of your choice with SYSTEM account right.  Type regedit to start registry editor on XP, of course.


Still having problems, even though the other night no Avast showed up with regedit>Edit>Find>Avast searches after managing to delete one key.

I played with the permission settings in regedit, and managed to get it set so I could remove one more of the Avast entries, but the rest won't remove.

This has got to be the most annoying program I've ever seen. To make matters worse, I'm still having net connection problems sporadically.

I tried your suggested HH:MM trick, and all I got was the black command prompt screen flashing instantly.

I guess I'll just format and reinstall, I have a lot of videos I made I'd like to save to disc first though, but I don't know if I can figure out how to do that. All I have are regular CD-R discs, and I don't even know if they'll store video data.

The videos have all been hosted via either a free hosting service I use, or a friend though, so I don't know if I should really be worried about it, as I can probably recover them there if needed, just a lot of more annoying downloading that's all.

I'm thinking I should probably format before I get too much more installed on my system though, as right now there's not terribly too much to reinstall.

I really can't see how anyone could possibly put up with a program that first limits access to the net, then leaves crap all over the registry you can't even remove, not to mention the tech guy emailing me back offering nothing other than a feeble apology.

I'm swearing off Avast, or any Alwil products for good, and I thoroughly resent the so called advice given by the guy that recommended it in the first place.

Offline lukor

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Re: DESPERATELY NEED HELP UNINSTALLING AVAST!!!
« Reply #36 on: June 18, 2005, 11:39:58 AM »

This has got to be the most annoying program I've ever seen. To make matters worse, I'm still having net connection problems sporadically.

We are talking about a few registry keys that:
1) are managed by windows and has nothing to do with ANY incorrect feature of avast! It is just how windows works
2) they are doing no harm, just wasting your time
3) eat no space, don't slow you computer any anything like that (if I disregard the disk space used to stored cached responses from this forum)
4) you have no idea why are you trying to remove them and how (e.g. why don't you show hidden devices in device manager a remove from there)

To sum up: There are thousands of tweaks you might do to your Windows installation. And thousands of registry keys that might even get read during the lifetime of your pc (e.g. what about all those Hungarian, Greek and Armenian code pages that gets analyzed on every process start). Perhaps you might put your effort to some of those.

Offline igor

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Re: DESPERATELY NEED HELP UNINSTALLING AVAST!!!
« Reply #37 on: June 18, 2005, 12:03:26 PM »
I played with the permission settings in regedit, and managed to get it set so I could remove one more of the Avast entries, but the rest won't remove.

OK, Name User, I think it's time to put it straight - you shouldn't mess up with things you don't understand. It will save you a lot of trouble and wasted time.

The keys you are referring to are not supposed to be removed, neither by the software, nor by the user. Period. They were not created by avast!, but rather by the operating system itself, as a kind of cache - and the operating system itself will remove them when the right time comes.

If you want to format and reinstall your system, you are free to do that, of course - but it doesn't have any sense.

Offline TedNelly

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Re: DESPERATELY NEED HELP UNINSTALLING AVAST!!!
« Reply #38 on: June 18, 2005, 12:20:05 PM »
Quote
by Name User***I'm swearing off Avast, or any Alwil products for good***

Quote
by Name User***I really can't see how anyone could possibly put up with a program that first limits access to the net, then leaves crap all over the registry you can't even remove, not to mention the tech guy emailing me back offering nothing other than a feeble apology.***

How to  Reformat a Hard Drive

Hope this helps

« Last Edit: June 18, 2005, 12:30:31 PM by P3t3rb0nn »
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Umath

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Re: DESPERATELY NEED HELP UNINSTALLING AVAST!!!
« Reply #39 on: June 18, 2005, 12:36:11 PM »
I'm swearing off Avast, or any Alwil products for good, and I thoroughly resent the so called advice given by the guy that recommended it in the first place.

I'd listen to the experts rather than to myself…especially in this case.  ;)

However, the choice is yours.  Some people even say that formatting and reinstalling once in a while is rather recommendable in terms of security but, of course, please make sure of backing-up important files.

P.S.  I recommend you to buy external HDD drive since they are quite inexpensive now.  Even not for re-installing, it is always nice to have backups.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2005, 03:06:38 AM by Umath »