Removing @&$%#! AOL Junk

I'm not certain how to remove all the AOL sign-up junk that was pre-installed on my HP dv1000t. I can't find any of it in the control panel. I've discovered that some of it goes under other names, but I don't know them all and don't know what's connected to what, either. Sneaky *******s.

There is, at the least, sign up for AOL, sign up for AOL broadband, sign up for AIM and sign up for MusicNow (something from AOL). I don't want any of it, and I don't want anything from AOL on my computer. At all.

Should I just try to figure out what things are named and manually delete whatever I find that I am certain belongs to them?

 

Those items you are seeing are probably shortcuts that will launch the installation software. So if you right click on each one and choose Properties, you will see the location of the file. I doubt they are pre installed so that's why they do not show up in the CP.

 

So I can just go and delete them from those locations, then? Do you suppose they hid any other junk?

 

i would be leary of manually deleting stuff (unless you mean uninstalling). might i suggest you reinstall your OS?

 

Otherwise try using c r a pcleaner. That might work.
Tim

 

AOL is a very difficult program to get unstalled. Even if you uninstall it things will remain a mess. AOL is an evil little program that once it is installed, pretty much tries to manage and tweak Windows to optimize it for AOL to run its best. Screw what's best for everything else that's installed.Once aol is uninstalled and all these changes aol made are still in place. Windows can become unstabled. The only way to truly get rid of aol is to do a reformat.

 

OK, just to be clear: I did NOT install AOL. The computer came preloaded with options to sign up for AOL (among a bunch of other cr*p I'm sure I don't want). I just wanted to be sure I could get as much of its junk off here as possible.

Reformatting with the recovery disks I made would only put all that junk back on it anyway. Right?

 

Yeah, that should get rid of it. AOL is by far the worst company and has the worst software of ANY company.

Chaz

 

*ahem* realplayer *cough* *cough*

 

I have to agree with drumfu there. xD!

 

How are they allowed to get away with all the sticky spyware?

 

Another *ahem* .... *cough* ... *cough* ... Norton Antivirus.

 

I've never been sure. It seems pretty illegal to me Jonez. I've been an AOL user since 4.0 and knowingly choose to put it on my HD knowing that it will probably be AOL that causes me to have to reformat before anything else.

Nah, Can't hate Nortan. I'm cheering for Symantic against Sony. That's enough of a reason to temperarily like like the company atleast.

Heh. Theres nothing to like about AOL or Realplayer including the Companies. ><!

 

Hey Jonezart, have you tried going to run>msconfig>startup and disabling all of the **** you dont need? That will stop AOL from starting up. Also try CCleaner...its a good program that gets rid of all of the junk on your computer.

 

Yep, Flame X, I've done all that. Plus spyware programs, Ad Aware, ZA, AVG, etc... I was just trying to remove all traces. I think I'm pretty clean now, other than whatever little bits they leave here and there.

Now..... about all these pre-installed games......

 

see post #4

 

drumfu, if I reinstall, won't I just reinstall all that junk? I did not get OS disks, I had to make my own recovery disks. I was under the impression that the bloatware stays with the recovery.