Stupido!

Hi there,

I have had a very bad habit of trying to uninstall things and when they didn't work I deleted the program files.. or even worse.. moved them.

Really, really need some advice on how to get rid of these things. Some relate to malware & related tools. I will need to go back to the relevant thread and ask those questions there.

However, for now.. I have downloaded Adobe InDesign free trial and then , as it didn't work, shifted it & tried again.. now I can't remove the darn thing. Want to avoid re-downloading as it is HUGE.

Thanks
:major

 

You might like to try Revo Uninstaller 1.71 at http://majorgeeks.com/Revo_Uninstaller_d5706.html

Almost perfect rating (out of 5.0) One of the best, IMO

It can really delve into "leftovers" if you select Option 4. Just use common sense. It also reminds / displays programs that you have forgotten about and now never use. Bazza

 

Thanks MT,

I originally started out in the malware forum but thought I should shift into software once my malware issues were resolved. Things are going much better now.. Tim basically rescued me from complete disaster twice. I did all the Basic Computer Maintenance guide.. the only things that won't work or uninstall are because I incorrectly uninstalled things. Also, last time I used onecare.live.com it completely trashed my system.. so don't think I'll go there again for a while. I guess the fact that it was so disastrous means I still have some software issues - making using it ‘unsafe’. Now that I know about how to uninstall programs correctly I shouldn’t have these issues in future hopefully.

Tim’s last lot of advice was:

For Ad-aware.....have you tried removing it using CCleaner? You can always just delete the whole folder. Then reboot and run CCleaner to remove any left-overs.

Same thing for HiJackThis....

For Combo ........you can delete the ComboFix.exe file (or whatever you renamed it) , C:\ComboFix folder, C:\QooBox folder, C:\WINDOWS\nircmd.exe, C:\combofix.txt and C:\ComboFix-quarantined-files.txt

These things did not work, probably because I moved or deleted something. Once the system files were revealed we did not realise they were system files and deleted a few before we realised.. Thinking they were viruses!

And thanks BB,
I will definitely have a look at Revo uninstaller. I’m not sure if it does the same job as Ccleaner? I’ll have another go at CCleaner.. But my head is spinning with so many new programs and which ones are which etc.

Also, I liked diskeeper lite, but somewhere along the line someone recommended I uninstall that. I am too much of a novice to use a registry cleaner, but at least that made me feel like my disk was properly defragged. And it did improve speed.

Currently on my system (not sure if anything is incompatable):
Startup.exe (Just disabled a lot of things I was unsure about - not sure what to enable)
SuperAntiSpyware Free
Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware
SpywareBlaster
SpywareDoctor (PC Tools)
Secunia PSI (RC3) - (this program identifies insecure programs but sometimes they are components of other programs so create issues if you delete them I’ve learned)
AntiVir PE Classic
ThreatFire
Ccleaner

My main latest problem today is that I downloaded a free trial version of Adobe InDesign but it ‘failed catastrophically’ to install. I had moved the exe file so that I would not have to download it again, however that meant I can’t uninstall it either. Also, I can’t remember where the original exe file should have been.

Any advice welcome.
Thanks

 

Well, actually it's not that simple MT -

I downloaded a trial version of CS3 and but it only partially installed. It may be because I saved it to the wrong place? Not really sure. It is a massive program and anything from a firewall to a virus protection program might have interfered. I usually save program downloads to my desktop before running them. After shifting folders around I have now managed to uninstall it ok, but then can not re-install in any way whatever. I have contacted the adobe rep here and am getting a CD instead. I am too scared to delete the file folder in case I stuff something else up. (By the way, the link you sent me is quite old and refers to CS2 version, and not to CS3 trial downloads.)

Sorry, but you are just a little condescending. It is nothing to do with discipline, but rather that programming is not my area of expertise. That is why I've called my thread 'STUPIDO'.. I am the first to admit I have no clue. I have another full-time day-job plus family. That is why I have joined this forum. I am not enough of an expert to say what screwed my system either time round, but OneCare Live Scanner definitely was the program I used that pre-empted the last meltdown. Norton Anti-Virus was the one before that.. and that was what EVERYONE in IT at work advised me to use when I got a virus: - uninstall all my freeware and get Norton instead crap).

I have run my own PC on freeware before this for more than 15 years without problems except for one similar disastrous encounter with Mcafee. Renewing my subscription with Mcafee simply ATE MY Computer's BRAIN! Thank goodness for the freeware that saved me!! I have never needed to be any kind of malware/programming expert before - I put that down to the increasing complexity of what is out there.

The state of my system prior to the last melt-down was pretty good as I had worked through all of the malware removal guides, the read & run me first, and the other things Tim had directed me to.

However, I was not forewarned that some of the recommended programs would reveal hidden files and thought I had been inundated with strange files. My daughter deleted a few in fright thinking they were viruses before we realised what had happened.

I do not know enough technically to understand or check system requirements (besides checking I have enough disk space & the right operating system) or compatibility of software I attempt to install, and rely on advice from others, especially here.

I do carry out DAILY maintenance of my system, and keep a backup, however I am not certain which program is best for system restore points. (I have become completely disenchanted with DELL support because they quite often suggest using a system restore rather than bother to investigate the actual problem, meaning I lose a day or two of data, not to mention hours on the phone.)

If I am a "frequent dabbler" with many programs, it is largely because of the massively conflicting advice I recieve from IT support people at work and also people on this site.

I have made up my mind I am not going to listen to anyone except for Tim as too many cooks only get me into trouble. I am content to wait for his response.

For now, I have listed all the system maintenance programs I have above and will wait for advice if any of them conflict. I could not uninstall some of the malware removal tools using ccleaner.. so if you think I should try the Revo uninstaller then I will if you please send link. (Again I remind you I do not know if this is wise as I don't know enough about program compatability.)

I am glad I have PSI Secunia as it has helped me to eliminate a number of insecure & end-of-life programs off my computer, however there are times when it asks me to get rid of an out-of-date program such as Adobe Flash Player or Sun Java, which are components of other programs. This can cause problems so it is a choice of 'live with the insecure program' or uninstall & reinstall the latest version of the program I've been running for ages. That doesn't always solve the problem anyway.

Finally, I do not know how to hide the 'hidden files' again now that I've got them showing.

Apologies to Tim, for not following through before on past advice.. I've been very busy and have not had time to fix things till now. I've unsubscribed all other threads and will follow instructions one at a time on this one.

Many thanks
:major

 

No hard feelings MT :-D I called this thread stupido because I have no idea what I am doing. L plates are firmly on. Had freeware for years.. no probs. Bought a new computer in a box 3 years ago, came with Macafee.. tried to renew my subscription after 12 months and everything went crazy. Macafee no help, Dell no help, Norton's the same. I've been having trouble ever since. I started in the malware section and Tim was awesome. I've moved into the software section so I can work through my issues one at a time.

I am hoping Tim can send someone to the rescue if he can't come himself!!

Question one - The Start up tool:
I've attached screen shots of the things I have in my startup menu. I unticked most things not long ago, but things have re-instated themselves. Also looks like there are a few duplications. I’m not sure what some of them are and I’d like to know if any of them are bad.

PS, Have had trouble with Avira failing to update when requested, so after uninstalling & reinstalling several times, I've downloaded Avast for the time being.

Thanks:major

 

Last screen shot

 

Hi, Is there anyone out there who can answer my question?

I know there is one guy who can give simple instructions, however this is not his forum.

Once I understand how to use the startup tool, I will ask about backing ups.

Thanks

 

Thanks Plodr,
That probably explains why Avast has so much trouble updating while ThreatFire is running. I thought I just downloaded PC Tools Firewall but Threatfire came along with it. I did not realise what it was. Maybe I can uninstall the Threatfire and keep the Firewall? Or do you think Threatfire is as good as Avast?

I was able to look at my startup menu using a program from Tim here at MG's - the program is 'startup.exe' but I'm still learning how to use it.

Thanks also for your next post, not sure I understand yet.. shall work on it a while & get back to you.

Glad to have your advice!