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how to uninstall mcafee from xp home? 2

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alidabiri

Programmer
Sep 30, 2005
300
US
hi folks,
anyone know how to uninstall mcafee in xp home?
add/remove complains about "some" components missing.
 
One way is to use the installation CD if you have one. That sometimes has an uninstall option. Failing that.

You should be able to force add/remove programs to do its best. Or is it simply refusing? If it is, then deleting the program from c:\program files\McAfee - or wherever it is installed may help. At worst you should be able to remove McAfee from the add/remove programs list.

Then you can delete the McAfee folders from the c:\programs directory. (and any contents) - Check any uninstall has done that properly.

Then you have to go through the registry searching for any references to McAfee and trashing all references. If you don't, you may not be able to install McAfee at a later date. Or if it does re-install it may 'remember' its last installation date and expire immediately!

You may want to empty the prefetch folder as well. Windows will rebuild it but I'm not sure that it will delete references to McAfee in there?

Make a restore point before you start and be extra careful about removing any shared dll's

Don't re-boot until the registry is clean or windows may moan a bit on startup.
 
You have to be an admin user.

You may need to take ownership of the folders.
 
i am the admin
it just wont let me delete it. and in dos, the long files names or files names with spaces can't be accessed
i put " around thoes, it doesn't like that
 
Your not on a domain are you?

Check the rights of the user you are using.
 
Give this program a try. Made for removing stubborn files.


You can end any task that are running for a specific file or location, and if for some reason it wont let you you can tell the program to delete the file on next reboot. If for some reason that does not work heres another program that will.

 
Is the Firewall still running? You may have to Disable, Stop, or Exit it, in order to perform any of the functions you are trying to do.

Have you tried Safe Mode.

I should point out that Deleting a program is a messy (and last resort action) as it will leave an unlinked mess in your Registry.

Have you tried using the CD from McAfee to either Repair (if available), Remove, or Re-install and then try the Uninstall in the correct and safe fashion?
 
thank you both linny, and elec...
what i finally had to do, is stop mcafee service.
then go to regedit, back it up, and delete any references to mcafee and it's brother. ( 45 minutes).
then i deleted the whole macafee file folders (after deleting each one's content) in dos.
it's working fine without any errors about not being able to find missing stuff on mcafee.
 
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