How do you uninstall AOHELL from the computer?

[corarose]

It's driving me nuts!

When you leave the INTERNET it tells you that it has an update and as soon as it updates you have more crap on your computer.

I didn't have pop-ups before and now I have tons of them and I don't want them.

Can I reinstall everything on the computer and will that wipe AOHELL off completely?

Do I need to go in and remove any directories from the A drive before I reinstall everything on this computer?

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Just uninstall it

and get rid of the damn thing entirely.

AOL is from the divvil himself.

[BlueJazz]

20. kick

.

[frylock]

2. remove any directories from the A drive before I reinstall?

are you using QDOS?! Sorry.. assuming you are using Windows, just go to Start>Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs. Select AOL, then remove.

[corarose]

3. AOHELL Installs files on your hard drive

I went to College for programming years ago and I know how to delete files but I don't want to mess anything up because computers have advanced so much since I studied Programming.

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. No, just do the start --> control panel --> add/remove programs

and get that damnable AOL off your computer. If AOL added files, they'll be deleted as well, or if they are left on, they won't do anything.

of course, to really and truly make sure you're good to go, you should start from scratch with a fresh new install of Windows and work from there, and never, ever, under any circumstances, unless you are forced at gunpoint, install AOL on your computer again. best not even to speak the letters AOL or the name of Steve Case in the proximity of your computer, either.

[SharonAnn]

4. AOL is like crabgrass, it grows everywhere on your disc drive

You can uninstall it but last time I cleaned up somebody's system it took me hours. After uninstalling AOL, I had to clean up directories, entries in the registry, virtual modem and some other connection(s) in the Dial-Up area.

I encourage people to never, ever install it on your system - not even for a free test drive. Go find someone else who uses it and try theirs instead. Cleaning up your PC if you don't want to keep it will cost you a lot of hours and/or money.

[corarose]

8. I am screwed!

I vowed never to install it because I know what it's like.

My Friend that I just go in touch with after 20 years well her nephew is a programmer and he builds computers. I am going to have to ask her for a favor and I will cook them dinner in return.

[Loonman]

5. You can't! Bwahahahahahaha!

No, you can, but if you do, your modem will be f*cked.

[corarose]

9. This I know for a fact

It f*cks you up when you uninstall all of their files and you have to reinstall AOHELL in order to get back up on the interent.

[Loonman]

10. Even then, whenever you go online

You are probably going to have to manually set your modem settings.

[Cleita]

6. I had to get a new AOLless computer.

Well, I needed a new one so I made sure AOL never got near it.

[corarose]

11. Someone should invent a computer package that removes AOHELL.

It's needed so bad and what do they say Find A Niche that needs filling and fill it.

[Enraged_Ape]

12. FORMAT C:

(just kidding)

But seriously, the AOL program is probably the most invasive piece of software on earth. I think you can Uninstall it, but it will leave chunks all over everywhere.

Someone really should come up with an AOL Uninstaller program. They would be instant millionaires, but I'm sure Mr. Case would try to sue them.

[corarose]

13. Let's make one

I still know a little about programming but I don't have the bucks.

[ArkDem]

14. Download Spybot, install and run often

.

[BlueJazz]

15. Well, the way I do it (on folk's computers)

...is to do a search on your drive first. (leave the spaces blank so you get all your files)
Delete anything that has to do with AOL.
After that:

Go to start...Run...Regedit...edit...find ...enter AOL (in the box) and delete any referances to AOL in the registry. (There's a LOT of them!)

[adamblast]

16. I think it's done by typing the following:

FORMAT C:\

:D

That, or taking a sledgehammer to your harddrive.


(Edit: OK, Next time I promise to actually *look* to see if an old joke has already been said before...)

[TreasonousBastard]

17. Hoo, boy...

I installed it a while back to see how a couple of things worked (people keep asking me...) and when I uninstalled it, I found it reconfigured a lot of my other software.

huh? What business is it of AOL's what my other stuff does?

Anyway, I unistalled it thorugh the Windows uninstaller, like other people told you to do, and after some reconfiguration, got the machine back to its normal Windoze crashworthiness. Had to reboot in Safe mode :scared: after uninstalling since my Start button disappeared.

If you know how to edit the Registry, there are likely bits and pieces in there, and there are dll's and other files spewed around the hard drive that are almost impossible to find. I doubt I got them all, but they don't seem to do much but take up space.

[corarose]

18. I should have printed a copy of the A drive before I used this computer

That's what I did in the past and I found AOHELLS files alot easier that way and deleted them.
I am also going to look at my files by the date that I installed AOHELL and that will help.

[BlueJazz]

19. I think you're confusing A drive with C drive:

Most operating systems are installed on C: drive.

"A" drive is your floppy
Aol wouldn't even BEGIN to fit on a floppy.

Either that or I'm not reading you right.
Your computer will boot to your Operating System..Right?

[corarose]

21. It's been a long time since I went to School for Programming

It use to be the A drive and now it is the C drive sorry.

[FlaGranny]

23. If you have XP, you can

uninstall AOL and then run "restore" to go back to a previously saved version of your OS. That would probably take care of your registry.

[FlaGranny]

22. When I installed AOL once, long, long ago,

I had to search my registry and delete every single entry that had the letters AOL in it. Uninstalling it just didn't work. I don't know if its still that way. I can tell you it took me a week to find and get rid of everything. That program was insidious.

[corarose]

24. I did the same thing

I hate AOHELL but I was desperate to get up on the INTERNET and I felt sick when I installed it.

[KoKo]

25. Corarose, what do you use for your browser, e-mail and internet connection

If you don't use AOL you don't need it, but if it's your only way of getting online then you just need some help with "pop up and ad corruption. I have AOL (old version 5.0 or something) MCSFT IE, Netscape 4.7 and 7.0 all on my computer and have not had a conflict. I use Earthlink as ISP and keep a $4.95 a month minimum with AOL just "in case something happens."

I haven't had AOL eat up any files or be a nuisance, but probably because I don't have a newer version. I don't get spam or stuff, either, but just installed one of the "spywatcher softwhare programs" because some "brown pop up thing" kept trying to show it's head above my bottom tray on Netscape. The "spyware" seemed to zap the thing.

I'm pretty computer clueless, but don't understand all this complaining about AOL being such a nuisance. I have "Netscape" as my "Default" setting though...maybe that helps counteract the AOL. Although, when I do go onto AOL for my minimum usage each month, I do always get a window asking me if I want to make it my "Default." I always click NO!

I was trying to figure out why you all are having so many problems trying to "beat back" AOL....I just haven't had that big a problem.