FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions, general troubleshooting and issues while operating AppRemover

Show or hide the answer I finished uninstalling a security application, but there are still application files/folders/registry entries remaining on my computer. What should I do?
AppRemover may have given you a notice stating "Some files will only be deleted after you reboot". In this case, before exiting AppRemover, please reboot your computer and check if the files or registry entries are still there. If security application files/registry entries still remain, please send an email to appremoversupport@opswat.com and provide the following information:

Subject - Files left behind

  1. - Security application name
  2. - Security application vendor
  3. - Security application version
  4. - Name of files, folders and keys left behind
Show or hide the answer When I run AppRemover, why is my Antivirus / Antispyware not listed?

It is possible that AppRemover does not yet recognize your security application. Please report this issue (by pressing the "Report an Issue" button) and provide details about the security application such as exact name, vendor and version, and download location if applicable. We frequently update AppRemover and add support for new products.  We encourage you to check our blog for notices of newly supported security applications.

Show or hide the answer My security product appears in the "Select Products" screen but it is grayed out and can't be selected. How do I remove this product?
A grayed out entry means that AppRemover recognizes your security application, but is not yet capable of removing it. Please report this issue to us so that we may update our priorities for enhancing AppRemover capabilities.
Show or hide the answer I see a security application name with "WMI" before the vendor name. What does this mean?
WMI is the mechanism behind the Windows Security Center ©. Sometimes security applications leave some information in the WMI after being uninstalled from the computer. This may confuse the security center and cause it to believe there is an active security application on the computer although there is none. Also, some security applications will refuse to be installed on the computer until this data is cleaned. AppRemover can detect such stale data and clean it up for you.
Show or hide the answer AppRemover finished uninstalling a security application, I rebooted my computer, but still I can see the security application. How can I remove it?

Make sure you run AppRemover as an Administrator or as a user belonging to the "Administrators" user group.

Show or hide the answer Why can't I remove "Windows Defender Vista" from my PC?

We are not supporting a removal of "Windows Defender Vista" as it is an integral part of Windows Vista.

Show or hide the answer How do I use AppRemover?
Using AppRemover »
Show or hide the answer I used appremover to uninstall a security product, and now after I turn on or reboot my computer, the AppRemover Feedback page always appears. How do I fix this?

To fix this problem, open the start menu, browse to the folder called Startup, and look for the entry named as "openURL.vbs". You can remove the entry by right clicking on it and select “Delete”. This issue may impact users of AppRemover 2.1.0.4, 2.1.1.0 and 2.1.1.1 on Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008.

Show or hide the answer Can I use AppRemover to uninstall an application even if I have forgotten the access password?

Some applications, like Symantec can require an admin password to make changes. AppRemover can get around this even if you have lost the password. Check out our video page, which shows exactly this use case.

Show or hide the answer I tried to uninstall an application using add/remove programs, but I think it missed some files. Can AppRemover eliminate the remnants?

Sometimes, an uninstallation gets interrupted or is merely incomplete. AppRemover can do a scan of your file and registry system and eliminate any files left behind after an incomplete removal. There is an example of this on our video page.