Gregory writes:

<< I have now removed the antivirus program
from the registry. I did not use a registry program to do this. I found the
antivirus under software and deleted it and all subkeys. The program nolonger
loads but remains in my add/remove program list. why? I also typed in the
antivirus name and did a search of my hardrive and delete most of the files.
Some of the files it said I could not delete.>>

What you have outlined here is not a good way to remove any software, and
is likely to lead to horrible conflicts later.  There will certainly be
unidentified remnants left in the registry (probably far more than you've
removed) and probably hidden system files. Is there any reason why you did
not uninstall in the normal way---ie via Add/Remove? As you have not named
the program, any help we can give is limited.

Reinstall the software, then uninstall it via Add/Remove. If that doesn't
completely remove it, go to the product's website for removal instructions
and follow them exactly. Some are easily uninstalled, others need to be
done manually. But not in the way you've outlined. You cannot delete those
files that are running. Some over-intrusive a-v programs (Nortons?) will
run certain files at startup despite the fact that you may have beheaded
the parent. They are designed to do this in an effort to prevent viruses
from disabling them. But this can have unfortunate consequences when you
try to eliminate them by force.

The danger is that if these files are dependant on others that no longer
exist, they may create instability and slow down your computer's
performance. Worse still, they may conflict or even incapacitate any later
a-v program you try to install.

Don Penlington

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