Go Back   Cyber Tech Help Support Forums > Operating Systems > Windows 7

Notices

Windows 7 Problem solving for the Windows 7 Operating System. Please remember to state which edition of Windows 7 you are using - Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate.

Reply
 
Topic Tools
  #1  
Old April 12th, 2019, 11:53 AM
solardave solardave is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 6
Removing antivirus safely

Hi,

I'm new here. Last December I bought AVG for a year. I'd been using their free version.
I went to do a scan and found that it had downgraded me to the free version. I got on their chat and the tech told me my problem is I still have McAfee,Malwarebytes, and another anti spyware I can't remember what it is. He told me that was the conflict and that he could remove them for a mere $79. I'm retired on fixed income so I declined.

So my question is: is there a safe way a "technotard" like me can straighten this mess out? Thanks in advance for your help.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old April 12th, 2019, 04:19 PM
Murf's Avatar
Murf Murf is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
O/S: Windows XP Pro
Posts: 17,424
Smile

Sure can..

Since you posted in Windows 7 I will assume that you are using Windows 7...

OK:

You can remove programs doing the following:

1. Click on the Windows Icon (Start button) lower left of screen
2. In the right pane click on Control Panel
3. Under Programs click on the item Uninstall a program

Windows then lists all programs that were installed using Windows installer.

1. Select the program you want to uninstall by Clicking on it
2. Click at the top on Uninstall/Change
3. In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Yes.

Yes you should only have one Anti-Virus program running, as they can conflict with others. AVG is a good one for Windows 7.

You can keep Malwarebytes, just don't let it run in the background. It is a good program, just double click the icon to run a scan once in a while. To stop it from running in the background, thus conflicting with other programs;

Double click the Malware Icon, probably down in your taskbar, usually a blue icon maybe looks like a bat.

1. Open the Settings in the menu pane
2. Under "Protection" tab, scroll down and disable the switch labeled "Start Malwarebytes at Windows Startup"
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old April 12th, 2019, 07:28 PM
solardave solardave is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 6
Quote:
Originally Posted by Murf View Post
Sure can..

Since you posted in Windows 7 I will assume that you are using Windows 7...

OK:

You can remove programs doing the following:

1. Click on the Windows Icon (Start button) lower left of screen
2. In the right pane click on Control Panel
3. Under Programs click on the item Uninstall a program

Windows then lists all programs that were installed using Windows installer.

1. Select the program you want to uninstall by Clicking on it
2. Click at the top on Uninstall/Change
3. In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Yes.

Yes you should only have one Anti-Virus program running, as they can conflict with others. AVG is a good one for Windows 7.

You can keep Malwarebytes, just don't let it run in the background. It is a good program, just double click the icon to run a scan once in a while. To stop it from running in the background, thus conflicting with other programs;

Double click the Malware Icon, probably down in your taskbar, usually a blue icon maybe looks like a bat.

1. Open the Settings in the menu pane
2. Under "Protection" tab, scroll down and disable the switch labeled "Start Malwarebytes at Windows Startup"
Thanks for getting back to me. I did a lousy job of explaining from the beginning. I am running Windows 7 and periodically check my programs to uninstall ones I don't trust,use or need. The problem is McAfee or Malwarebytes do not come up. I know they"re there because the tech from AVG showed them to me but I didn't pay close enough attention to what he did.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old April 13th, 2019, 02:19 AM
Murf's Avatar
Murf Murf is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
O/S: Windows XP Pro
Posts: 17,424
If it isn't in Programs then it is not installed. You may have a folder called McAfee.

Removing McAfee from a PC

The same for Malwarebytes, it may not show up, so do a search:

1. Open the Start Menu and type a search term in the search filed at the bottom. I.e., Malwarebytes

2. Click the See More Results link, the search Results in indexed locations window

Also Malwarebytes has a removal tool:

https://support.malwarebytes.com/docs/DOC-2674
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old April 13th, 2019, 09:18 AM
solardave solardave is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 6
Thanks for your help Murf.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old April 13th, 2019, 03:44 PM
Digerati Digerati is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Nebraska, USA
Posts: 2,562
Quote:
and that he could remove them for a mere $79.
Quote:
So my question is: is there a safe way a "technotard" like me can straighten this mess out?
Yes. First, the technotard is that AVG tech, not you! The proof is you refusing to fall for their scam. You are a wise man!

They should have bent over backwards to make you a happy customer and helped you get their program running for free, instead of trying to scam you out of $79. You are a paying customer already and you were seeking help with their program.

If me, after that, I would have demanded a total refund (especially since they downgraded you to the free version), removed AVG and told everyone I know not to use AVG products! At the very least, when your subscription runs out, that would be my recommendation.

But you still need a good security solution so I would uninstall McAfee (if not already gone - it is a good security program but does have a history of hogging resources). I would keep or reinstall Malwarebytes, and install the free Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). MSE along with Malwarebytes for a double check makes a formidable defense against the bad guys. That is the setup I used on all my W7 systems until I migrated to W10 (which you should do soon, BTW). Then I went with Windows Defender (the sibling program of MSE) which is already integrated with W10. And because everyone should have a secondary scanner just for double checking - regardless their primary scanner of choice - I use and recommend Malwarebytes for that.

For the record, since I switched all my systems to MSE in 2009, then Windows Defender in 2015, none of my systems have ever been compromised by malware. And I know this by double checking with Malwarebytes.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old April 13th, 2019, 04:02 PM
solardave solardave is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 6
I appreciate your help. The tech did set me back up with the paid version but that will be the last dime they get from me. I have "Windows essentials" showing up in my programs. Is that the same as MSE?
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old April 13th, 2019, 04:46 PM
Digerati Digerati is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Nebraska, USA
Posts: 2,562
Quote:
Is that the same as MSE?
No. Microsoft Security Essentials is not included with Windows 7. It has be downloaded from Microsoft here.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old April 13th, 2019, 08:36 PM
solardave solardave is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 6
Thanks.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old April 16th, 2019, 06:31 PM
shand3 shand3 is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 1
you still need a good security solution so I would uninstall McAfee (if not already gone - it is a good security program but does have a history of hogging resources). I would keep or reinstall Malwarebytes, and install the free Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE).
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old April 16th, 2019, 06:45 PM
solardave solardave is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 6
I already uninstalled McAfee.Thanks but I'm gonna stick with AVG until my year is up in December. I'll kick them to the curb after that and install Microsoft Essentials.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Topic Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Topics
Topic Topic Starter Forum Replies Last Post
How do I go about removing Norton AntiVirus 2003? Saussure Applications 4 May 3rd, 2008 10:15 PM
'Safely Remove Hardware' not removing external HD sometimes. andrewset Hardware 0 April 4th, 2007 07:26 PM
Safely removing flash drives tomopoco1 Windows XP 8 February 15th, 2007 04:23 PM
Removing Norton AntiVirus 2003 cleanly Saussure Applications 7 November 30th, 2005 11:11 PM
Completely removing Norton Antivirus 604Pilot Windows XP 3 August 13th, 2005 03:36 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:53 AM.