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How can I get rid of unwanted AVG Free AntiVirus software

Anonymous
2018-01-26T21:50:46+00:00

Today I've installed software on my Win 10 laptop, resulting in the problem AVG Free AntiVirus was installed additionally on my machine. I've already tried removing it - but then an "Access denied" message appears. It says "Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropiate permissions to access this item." I've also tried deleting the folder containing the software but I can't seem to get write access to it. I also suspect that the program is secretly spying on my activities because it causes a quite high consumption of resources and I'm not able to end the processes related to the app.  I'm also very sure that this is not an actual AntiVirus program, since it doesn't run when I execute the shortcut for it. Is there a way to uninstall this garbage. I also want to comment that I'm familiar with the Linux and BSD terminal but not with the Windows command prompt - so please help me to fix this issue without using the command line, if possible.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Security and privacy

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  1. quietman7 MVP Alumni 19,735 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2018-01-27T00:44:20+00:00

    Then you may be dealing with a rogue security program.

    I would recommend performing scans with any (or a combination) of the following...

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-01-27T03:50:50+00:00

    Then you may be dealing with a rogue security program.

    I would recommend performing scans with any (or a combination) of the following...

    Thanks to you for this useful solution, I was finally able to remove this!

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  2. quietman7 MVP Alumni 19,735 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2018-01-26T23:55:42+00:00

    The correct way to remove most Anti-virus programs is from within its program group Uninstall shortcut in Start Menu > All Programs or by using Apps & features in Windows 10 or Programs and Features (Add/Remove Programs) in Control Panel as explained here. If it's not listed there, the next step would be to open Window's Explorer, manually navigate to the program's folder itself, look for an uninstaller file (i.e. uninstall.exe) and double-click on it to run. In other cases you may have to launch the antivirus setup (installation) file and in the menu there may be options listed to Reinstall, Repair, or Remove (uninstall). Be sure to reboot the computer when done.

    Sometimes the uninstall works more effectively if you first **stop and disable** the program's service (and associated processes in Task Manager) or perform the removal in safe mode so there are less processes which can interfere with the uninstallation.

    In some instances uninstalling may fail, not work properly or result in continued detection by another anti-virus program after removal. Most anti-virus vendors provide clean-up utilities (removal tools) on their web sites to remove remnants left behind after uninstalling, or for a failed uninstall or failed reinstall. Remnants include related registry entries, files and folders created in various areas of the OS. It's always best to download directly from the vendor's site to ensure you are using the most current version of the uninstall utility as it is not uncommon for third-party hosting sites to have outdated versions which may not work properly.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-01-27T01:13:39+00:00

    I'm curious to know exactly which software you installed that bundled AVG....?

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-01-27T00:34:31+00:00

    In some instances uninstalling may fail, not work properly or result in continued detection by another anti-virus program after removal. Most anti-virus vendors provide clean-up utilities (removal tools) on their web sites to remove remnants left behind after uninstalling, or for a failed uninstall or failed reinstall. Remnants include related registry entries, files and folders created in various areas of the OS. It's always best to download directly from the vendor's site to ensure you are using the most current version of the uninstall utility as it is not uncommon for third-party hosting sites to have outdated versions which may not work properly.

    I experience yet another issue: when running the AVG remover tool, it doesn't detect any AVG products; so the software that was installed in the first place, in fact caused the computer to become infiltrated with malicious code. Is there any option to combat this bull****? I also did scan the entire HDD for "AVG" after running the AVG remover tool anyway and Windows found 184(!) items matching the search term. That is so bad and I really have no idea at all on how to fix this highly developed infection!

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