Can't unistall certain things...

user226 · Joined: Apr 17, 2008 Posts: 32

For whatever reason my DAEMON tools is in this limboic state of kinda uninstalled, but not really?

My boyfriend's little brother said to just delete the folder, but i know that isnt oging to fix it, because i've had this problem before a few years ago... and i deleted the folder and the shortcut, and it was still on my computer, beacause i tired to download an updated version, and it said i still had an old version, so i had to go into my regstry keys.

i have a feeling this is the same thing. but he is INSISTING for me to "shift delete" it. how do i properly get rid of this?

i have this problem with other things too...

when i turn on my computer a popup from daemon tools comes on saying something about "cannot start" "kernal debugger" blah. i dont even read it anymore. i dont know what it means. Sad

Baby_Tux · Joined: Mar 06, 2007 Posts: 1242

One thing that I've done with programs that have an uninstaller & don't seem to uninstall completely is to re-install them (the exact same thing) & then try the uninstall again.

If all else fails you CAN do as your boyfriend little bro. says & delete the folders. But as you stated, there will be things in the reg. that will need cleaned out. You COULD use a good reg. fixer & do the job that way. But the manual mode makes sure you've got it all.

Now if this is a program that just creates a folder & dumps the entire program in there & adds nothing nowhere else, then you CAN delete the folder & be done with it. - most of these will let you know in the docs. someplace or just won't have an uninstaller or obvious in the was they install.

pc7wizard

user226 · Joined: Apr 17, 2008 Posts: 32

for windoz im assuming you mean "windows" so yes, i have XP

but im going to try this out and edit the post if nobody else posts here.

but thank you so far! lets hope this works! Laughing

EDIT!

crap. i installed the program which did load very fast i must say... but then i remebered the stuff i couldnt uninstall i took it out of the list. Shocked

now what?

but atleast theres one thing i didnt remove and its that pesky coreal photoalbum. i finally can get rid of alteast that one Twisted Evil

EDIT! again.

eek! its asking me to delete regstry items in bold! is that safe?! Shocked

pc7wizard

user226 · Joined: Apr 17, 2008 Posts: 32

woah thats a hunk of information! Laughing

as of now i am downloading easy cleaner, and im running my ad-aware.

i have trend micro PC aaaannnddd to be compeletey truthful... i havent runned it since march Embarassed

but i did run it yesterday and it literally took 6hrs 43mins and 15secs as the timer said Shocked

it found 113 threaths!

but for some reason i could only delete 14, and the rest were lumped under a undeleteable group called "possible threaths"

meh.

my simPE isnt running either, but i posted that problem at the offical site.

oh! howd you find out i'm a girl? Laughing

is it the typing? XP hehehe!

but yes. i call myself user226 because of an inside joke with my sister. cause im TERRIBLE at screenname making i told her i'm just going to sign up on everything on the internet as "user" and "226" for my birthday Razz

EDIT!

sooo im running the easy clean up, and it found a whooping 353 invaild entries! should i delete them all?

pc7wizard

user226 · Joined: Apr 17, 2008 Posts: 32

ahhh! i see. Razz

i didnt remeber that i said my boyfriend's little brother Laughing

so yes. this easy cleaner thing is cools... butttt im a liiiitle afraid to use it. since its dealing with resgry keys, it makes me worry...

i did a start up inspection, and i got two funny things. one is yellow lighted and its called "NVHotkey" and the file is "rundll32.exe.nvHotkey.dll" is that a tojan or virus?

another thing is red (in this program it means "file doesnt exist") and its called "Kernal Fault Check" and then i put two and two together and i remebered that this is from the daemon tools pop up! so do i disable/remove it?

what about the other yellow thing?

and then theres some things in the "unessary" button. it found 170something unessarscy things. the only problem is, a few of these things are in my EA games sims 2 folder. is this safe to delete? or should i delete everything but this?

pc7wizard

user226 · Joined: Apr 17, 2008 Posts: 32

hello hello!

i've been dutifully using my scanner, and my computer is faster i must say Smile

but i am wondering... what are "temp" files? it finds temp files of my games, and i have no idea what they do. i dont deleate them because it may be bad... but do you think it would be?

also in the start up part i got another "yellow" file. this one is called "NvMediaCenter" the file is "runDLL32.exe NvMCTray.dll"

is this a killer? Shocked

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 2240 Location: Central FL, USA

What's a Temp file? Aw, c'mon!

Temp is short for "Temporary"...... like a grocery list. It's temporary till you get your shopping done.
Then it's garbage and should be thrown away, or do you keep yours?

As soon as you close a program that's just created a temp ( .tmp ) file, or you shut down your PC, that temp file is dead.
It will never be used again. Wink

It's considered CRAP, JUNK, Garbage, etc. and creates Hard Drive bloat.

I run a batch file called "XPCleanup.bat" in my "startup" folder, that deletes every temp file that was created the last time I used my PC.

I install it for all my customers so that temp files and other garbage files NEVER build up on their PC's. I even empty my Quarantine folders.

I just spent over eight hours cleaning up a man's little laptop. I had given him all my favorite security programs, but that was a year ago and he's never kept those programs up to date or run the scans.
I took several hundred pieces of pure CRAP off of his little PC, and several thousand temp files.
There were Viruses, Trojans, Dialers, keyloggers and tons of Adware/Spyware.
I finally had to load the FREE version of "SpyHunter" to get the last of it.
That was another 23 instances of "Zlob.xxxx".

SpyHunter is a really great program to find and remove Malware. That's why I got up off the plastic and bought it for $29.95.
Another Must-Have program for computer tech's.

It's so much easier to keep a PC 100% free of malware than it is to try to recover one that's already been infected.
It only takes a few minutes a week to check every Security Program for Updates. I try to do my updates at least three times a week.
AVG (Anti-Virus) and Trojan Hunter (Anti-Trojan) update every day, automatically.

Registry Cleaners don't remove malware and should only be used to clean up a registry after the Malware Removal/cleanup is done.
Like you don't wax your car, till you've first removed the dirt.

Registry Cleaning is like removing files from a HD...... it leaves holes in the data structure of the registry. A good registry cleaning, like with "Easy Cleaner 2" (the only SAFE registry cleaner that I will use) should be followed up with a program like NTREGOPT to re-compress the registry so it takes up less space in RAM.

WIZ, that long list of programs is somewhat out of date.
AdAware SE/Personal went out of date in January.
I found this, a little more up to date copy:
************************************
These are the programs I use every day to keep my own PC and the PC’s
of all my customers, spotlessly clean of malware.
I suggest every person having any Virus or Spyware issues get these programs and use them immediately.

Do check for updates to all your security software on a DAILY basis.

SPYWARE/Trojan BLOCKERS/REMOVERS:

Trojan Hunter, is a first class Trojan Horse Virus removal program.
The downloaded version is a 30 day, Fully Functional, free trial.
Use the Free Trial to clean up a Dirty system or buy the retail license to have a year of full service plus updates.
Download "Trojan Hunter" here:
http://www.misec.net/trojanhunter/

On the web page, just scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Download Free Trial Version 5.0"
It's a 15.4 meg download. A one year license is still only $39.95

Spybot Search & Destroy: Current Ver. 1.5.2 FREE
A great anti Spyware program, being constantly updated to cover even more forms of Malware.
Can be downloaded from:
http://www.filehippo.com/download_spybot_search_destroy/

For instructions on how to set up Spybot 1.5.2, for best operation,
get my Spybot Setup instructions HERE.

AdAware 2007 FREE:
Another top notch anti Spyware program.
A great companion program to Spybot S&D.
Can be downloaded from:
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
Click the Green button on right side of screen.

Spyware Blaster 4.0 *NEW*:
a great Spyware Blocker.
Protects both I.E. and Mozilla Firefox.
Can be downloaded from:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/SpywareBlaster_d2859.html

SpyHunter:
A Spyware Elimination Utility
Finds things the others don't.
A retail product, ($29.95 for a one year subscription)
but, the 30 day trial will let you know if you have any malware on your HD.
Download from:
http://www.enigmasoftwaregroup.com

ANTI-VIRUS PROTECTION:

World famous AVG FREE will keep your computer free of viruses,
trojans, dialers, etc.
By default, it updates and scans for viruses on a daily basis.
AVG 7.5 FREE, can be downloaded from:
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/lng/us/tpl/v5
(AVG 8.0 now available in a FREE version.)

Scroll down the page to "FREE Downloads" and then click on:
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.5
That takes you to the next page where you can select:
avg75free_519a1276.exe (or the currently posted version)
Save the file to your desktop and run the install from there.
If you have an older version of AVG free already installed,
use the 'Repair Install' option when installing v. 7.5.
Immediately get updates. More than one may be required.

Block Pop-Ups:
Many pieces of Spyware, Trojans, etc., get into your computer via
a pop-up on your screen, warning you that you may be infected, etc., ect., etc.
You can block almost all pop-ups by using Mozilla Firefox and its great pop-up blocker.
Firefox is absolutely FREE and as easy to use as any browser.
And with over a half a billion downloads, its quickly becoming world famous.
You can download the latest version here:
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

REGISTRY CLEANER:

"Easy Cleaner 2", the best Registry Cleaner I've found so far.
Can be downloaded from:
http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/ecleane.htm
Just scroll down to "Download & Installation" and click on the first floppy disk symbol.

Following a good registry cleaning, the registry needs to be 'Re-Compressed' to save space
and make it more efficient.
NTREGOPT.exe is the only program I trust to do this safely and efficiently.
Download NTREGOPT here:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/NTREGOPT_d4824.html
Just click the download site closest to your home,
then click on the downloaded file to start the installation.

***************************************

Things change so fast that keeping any such list up to the minute is almost a full time job.
Some companies like to change their web sites like I change my socks. Wink

If anyone finds broken links in the above list, please let me know BY PM so I can try to get it updated.

Cheers mates!
The Doctor Cool

pc7wizard · Last edited by pc7wizard on Wed May 14, 2008 6:04 pm; edited 1 time in total

Well, hello!

I was wondering if I had upset you...you didn't respond right away...now I know why...you're having fun with your faster computer!!! Cool

Ahhh, "temp files" these are temporary files the application creates to do certain things, hold data before it is written to the database, things like that...if it's a good application it will DELETE them when it closes...if, on the other hand, you abort a application, or the application closes unexpectedly, or it's a BAD application...it leaves the trash behind for someone else to throw out...so the answer is: Make sure YOU exit the application via the Menu Bar, usually the File->Exit path...if you do that, you have a better chance of the application cleaning up after itself. Then if you run the cleaner applications and they recommend deleting the "temp files", then go ahead and let them do it. Very Happy

So, 2 steps: Make sure you exit every application, and Windoze, don't just shut off your computer... And delete temp files that a BAD application leaves behind... remember, if you're unsure about any delete step, always do a System Restore point first!!! Laughing

Did we cover how to do that??? Click Start ->Accessories->System Tools-> System Restore then chose "Create a Restore Point" then enter a name like "Before I delete XXX" XXX equals the temp files name, just one file will do, then click Create...

Then rerun the cleaner app and delete all the "temp files" then rerun the application and be sure it works! Very Happy

Or you can be brave and just delete "temp" files cause they are "temp"orary files, not to be confused with permanent files...exe, dat, etc... Cool

Now on to the other issue, try this:

pc7wizard

Hello Doc!

Yes, it's a bit old, but I checked all the links and they still worked before I re-posted it here...

I see some new favorites in this list you have, I'll have to check them out...

As for the "Temp" files, we were once beginners too...I remember the first time I encountered temp files, I was looking at a lady's desktop, running Windoze 2.0 and she was unable to save a small text file on her 10 MB HD.

So I get into DOS and go looking for the problem, and found a directory full of 1KB files with weird filenames and ,tmp extensions on every one, turns out she had been turning OFF her machine in Windoze, NOT exiting via the START button!!!

After I deleted about 8 MB worth of "temp" files, we could save her text file just fine! Lesson learned!!! Shocked

I still tease her about it, too cute...accepted $0 for that job...just couldn't... should've charged $100 for it! That would have burned it into long-term memory!!!

Ok, I'll check these new programs out!! Cool

Later!

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 2240 Location: Central FL, USA

Every install of windows for the last 8 years, at least, has come with a little program called "Disk Cleanup", in: START>Programs>Accessories>System Tools >>>Disk Cleanup.

Right Click on it and "Send to Desktop". Then it will be there whenever you want to run it.
I'm appalled at just how few people even know that it exists Rolling Eyes

Defrag should be there too, with "Disk Cleanup" as a part of a weekly maintenance routine.
My little joke with my customers is, "Do it Weekly,,,,,, NOT Weakly!"

If a person NEVER ran any other cleanup program like my XPCleanup program, just doing "Disk Cleanup" once a week (at least) would go a long way toward keeping a PC clean and running more efficiently. Don't forget to do the Defrag. Wink

We never had to press the START button on our car to shut off the engine, but M$ in their infinite wisdom thinks we should click START to get to "Shutdown". That always just bugged the heck out of me! Twisted Evil

So, in Total Defiance of M$, I created my own "Quick Shutdown" icon for the desktop and put it right above the START button. (Where else? since people are already used to going to that corner of the screen to do their shutdowns.)

******************************************
Create a Quick Shutdown Icon for your Desktop:
This method of shutting down your PC will be much quicker than starting the process with the START button. It also forces stubborn programs to close. Create a New Shortcut on your desktop and call it "Shutdown" and put this line in the path box.
%windir%\System32\shutdown.exe -s -t 00 -f

Save the shortcut and you now have yourself a quick way to shutdown Windows.
On my own PC, using “Quick Shutdown”….Shutdown only takes five seconds.
********************************************************************

I also use a registry tweak to speed up shutdowns.
*******************************************************************************
Decrease Shutdown Time
Cut the amount of time it takes your computer to shut down to only a few seconds.
Click Start, click Run, and type regedit.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ Control

Click on the Control folder.
Right click "WaitToKillServiceTimeout" and click Modify.
Set the value to 1000 (One Second=Minimum setting)
***************************************************
Automatically Ending Non-Responsive Tasks:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop \

AutoEndTasks = Set the value to 1
HungAppTimeout = Set the value to 1000 (One Second)
WaitToKillAppTimeout = Set the value to 1000 (One Second)
***************************************************

If you're experienced with performing Registry Edits, you can download my entire registry tweak package Here.

Some are useful and some may not be, depending on your likes, dislikes and what type of computer you have.

A System Registry is NOT a playground for beginners.
Please don't do any registry edits unless you are experienced and confident that you can do it without causing yourself problems.
Just one registry edit gone sour, can render your PC UN-Bootable.

Only a computer with some serious problems should ever take 20 sec's or longer to perform a shutdown.

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor Cool

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 2240 Location: Central FL, USA

Addendum, On the topic of temp files:

My worse case was a Lawyers PC that would no longer function.
It was so loaded with junk that it was virtually DEAD.
I removed 106,105,000 temporary internet files from that PC.!!!!!
(Plus, several thousand other assorted junk files.)

Just last week, I worked on an old Windows 98 machine that would NOT send any email via Outlook Express. The problem turned out to be the 2850 emails in the Sent Items folder. They were getting an out of memory error when they would try to send an email. Question

There were emails still in that folder from the previous owner of the PC. Confused

To speed up the repair, I just deleted the "Sent Items.dbx" file (folder) and everything started working normally.
Outlook Express re-created the file the next time it opened.

So the point of my story is: If you use Outlook Express, keep your Sent Items and Deleted Items folders cleaned out on a regular maintenance schedule.

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor Cool

mommabear · Joined: Feb 20, 2003 Posts: 6325

pc7wizard

Mommabear, long time no hear...how've you been???

Gotta love that avatar...I said that before but it still 'bears' repeating, it is way cool!!! Cool

Outlook is full of all kinds of problems, least of which are HD bloat dbx's!!!

Disk Cleanup is good to use, someone @ Micro$haft was thinking ahead, for a change...garbage collection, what a gas!!!

I created me a Shutdown Icon, I too am tired of the same ole thing!!! Now if I could get the bugger to start up faster, it would be amazing...the network loads a bunch of crapware on startup, and I have a 15 minute wait while it sorts itself out...dumb...@ home it loads lightening fast!!!

Ok, well enough chatter, user226, let me know if I can help with anything else, someone is always around... Cool

Cheers!

user226 · Joined: Apr 17, 2008 Posts: 32

oh wow! i got a lot of information this time around! i still have to digest all of it...

well, i'll tell you what kind of computer things i do to keep this running.

i try to run my scanner atleast once every two weeks, because i never seen to rember XD;; i have trend micro, and i have ad-aware.

ummm i use easy cleaner a lot now XD;;

i've decided im going to defrag once a month... is that enough? i have this one mass of red that doesnt get defragged...

also, i dont do disk cleanup often, because i never know what i need or dont Shocked

i dont mind following computer cleaning regiments, but i never know what i need, and my uncle whos an IT, keeps telling me all i need is one scanner and im good.

he also takes me for a fool Embarassed

but i guess he could cause i didnt know what temp files did...

but i have edited regrsty before. my comptuer didnt blow up, so i guess im kinda confident in it Laughing

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 2240 Location: Central FL, USA

User226,
If 'uncle' said that one scanner (I'm assuming that you mean Anti-Spyware program, since you mentioned AdAware)
was all you need then he's the fool and not you.

We've written several million words on this very topic right here in LG Forums. And the subject is repeated in hundreds of other internet forums.
So anyone that doesn't know about it....JUST AIN'T LOOK'IN.

I've run AdAware and Spybot Search & Destroy as a set, for years, because neither one finds everything.
Think of it this way: AdAware finds "Adware" and Spybot finds "Spyware".
Two types of malware that differ greatly.

I used PCCillin for years, till they would no longer honor updates for the FREE version I was using. Rolling Eyes

That was several years back and I started using AVG FREE which a lady in Australia recommended to me and I've been a staunch AVG user ever since.

It's now even more powerful in the new version "AVG 8.0 FREE."
It finds Viruses, Trojans, Adware, Spyware, Dialers, Keyloggers and Rootkits.

I quit using AdAware with Version "AdAware 2007" because they just couldn't seem to get their "Update Manager" straightened out.
Of course, if you don't do updates, you wouldn't know that. Rolling Eyes

AdAware SE/Personal was a great program and I shared it with all my customers, but it's gone now.

NO, if you've been having problems, then doing your HD (hard drive) maintenance once a month is like washing your hair once a month.
(NOT nearly often enough) Wink

At the very minimum of once a week, run "Disk Cleanup" and "Defrag", to keep your hard drive clean and running at peak efficiency.
Every time you run Defrag, more and more of the red area will disappear. NEVER run 'Analysis'.....just run "Defragment".

You obviously weren't paying attention when I said "Do it Weekly, not Weakly".

In "Disk Cleanup" make sure every box is checked so you get rid of ALL of the junk.

Likewise, if you're running "Easy Cleaner 2", in "Unnecessary Files Removal" click on your C: drive then in the next column select everything.
Then click "FIND" and let it remove everything it finds by clicking on "Delete All". It WILL NOT remove any open files, so don't expect it to.

Keeping a PC clean and efficient isn't Rocket Science, it just takes a little dedication.

"Git'er Done"!

The Doctor Cool

pc7wizard