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Specialty Anti-Virus Uninstallers

The complexity of today's security software does not always lend itself well to a full and complete uninstall. Thus, a computer user trying out a new anti-virus or security suite (or upgrading from an old version) may find, after uninstalling the software, that he suddenly has odd or serious glitches that were not present at all before the software removal - and one not uncommon occurance is for a computer to lose internet and network connectivity.

For a new computer user this can result in complete disaster since he losses the ability to go online to research a solution. He will typically find little solace in calling his computer manufacturer's technical support, since the recent installation will likely be blamed, and the user told to contact their technical support (not always the case but companies rarely want to fix the software problems of other companies). And if simple handlings such as System Restore don't remedy, all too often, the recommended solution may be to re-install your operating system, which of course means losing all of the data on your hard drive.

You may fare better by trying to contact the software company (whose product you tried), but quality of tech support including telephone availability, varies widely. And, support may need to send you the very type of specialty uninstaller tool listed below, but if you can't go online to get your email...well...you get the idea. Computer users prefer quick handlings they can carry out themselves.

So, here's some tips that can save your bacon in just such an instance. First of all, whenever you install a piece of software, keep the installation file handy, either on your desktop or in a special file for just such installations. If trouble develops after an uninstall (or a failed uninstall), you may be able to regain internet access simply by reinstalling the software. This doesn't always work but then again it often does, it's a simple solution to getting back on the internet.

Once internet access is regained you can research and sort out how to get rid of that particular piece of software without losing your connection. A common cause, by the way, for lost connectivity (in uninstalling anti-virus software), is a broken LSP. You can read about LSP's and get tools to repair broken LSP's in the LSP Section. But, as noted above, in a pinch, you can often fix the broken LSP by simply re-installing the software. Also, it's not a bad idea to keep LSP repair tools handy (stored in a 'Toolkit' file on your computer), just in case you need such a utility but can't go online to get it.

And, of course, the best solution of all is a backup strategy which provides for easy disaster recovery. See my Backup Section and take particular note of First Defense ISR, a truly powerful disaster recovery product - if you do a lot of installs and uninstalls or tweaking, it's a must, and will save you an untold amount of time.

And, don't forget to visit the Uninstaller Section, one definite utility for your 'Toolkit' is the free Microsoft Windows Installer Cleanup Utility.

Good luck and good computing.

McAfee Removal Tool  - MCPR.exe removes McAfee consumer products, (McAfee Consumer Products Removal Tool)

Trend Micro Uninstaller Tool  - PCCTool.exe, remove Trend Micro PC-cillin 2005 or 2006

Norton Removal Tool - Norton_Removal_Tool.exe, removes all Norton products from Windows Vista/XP/2000, there is another tool available at the same page for prior Windows versions

BitDefender Pro Uninstall Methods and Tool

BitDefender Standard Uninstall Methods and Tool

Panda Platinum 2005 Uninstaller

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 and Kaspersky Internet Security Uninstaller

Avast Uninstaller Utility

Anti-Vir Uninstaller Tool

F-Secure Uninstaller Tool

Zone Alarm Install Uninstall Problem