A strange situation in my computer

[haydee]

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:
1. "Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or disk"
2. "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".
3. "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]

Hi haydee,

A few options for you:

1) 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.)

2) Try this removal tool:

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

3) Look through the AOL folders for an uninstall utility.

4) 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/

[haydee]

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

[haydee]

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. 
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]

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.

[haydee]

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

[haydee]

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]

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]

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

[haydee]

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 
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