How to completely remove Avast from your computer? - Three simple ways.
The process of removing any antivirus (not just Avast) from the Windows operating system has some specific specifics. Of course, you can uninstall a particular antivirus product using the standard tools of the operating system itself, but in some cases this removal method is not entirely suitable, since it does not completely remove the antivirus and the “tails” of the program remain in the system.
Usually, traditional way removal using the operating system or using programs specially designed for this is more than enough. Therefore, we will briefly consider it here.
In order to remove an antivirus, let's look at the example of avast! Free Antivirus, using the standard capabilities of Windows OS, you must follow the following instructions.
Go to the “Windows Control Panel”, where we are interested in the “Programs and Features” section. Depending on the version and edition of the Microsoft Windows operating system you have installed, you can get to this section in different ways.
For Windows 7 and Vista users. Go to the “Start” menu, then select “Control Panel”.
In the control panel, click “Uninstall a program”, as in the screenshot.
For Windows 8 and 8.1 users, to access this menu, simply move the mouse pointer to the lower left corner and right-click, select “Programs and Features” in the context menu that opens.
Select avast from the list! Free Antivirus and click “Uninstall\Change”.
A window like this will appear.
Click “Remove avast!”
Reboot the computer.
Avast Antivirus! Free Antivirus has been removed from your computer, but... not completely.
With such a deletion, traces (entries) still remain in the Windows system registry, which can, for example, become an obstacle to installing another antivirus after Avast. In particular, they can be accepted by the installation wizard (of a new protective antivirus solution) as a copy of the full-fledged Avast antivirus installed on the system, although, in fact, it is no longer there. As a result, the installation will be interrupted (or impossible) due to the presence of incompatible software on the system.
Removal “without tails” will also be needed if, for example, you updated your Avast antivirus to new version, and because of an error (bug) in it, your browser has stopped working, or you cannot get to your favorite sites or go to your VKontakte or Odnoklassniki page, or there are other problems. Then you will need to reinstall Avast antivirus or roll back to the previous version. IN in this case, it will also be necessary to carefully remove the antivirus from the system.
To completely remove Avast antivirus, you need to use a proprietary utility from the developer, which you can download from the official Avast website (or just click here).
Before running this utility (avastclear.exe), you must restart your operating system and go to “ safe mode"(Safe Mode). For Windows startup XP, Vista, Windows 7 in safe mode, you need to restart the PC, then (before the operating system starts) we often press the F8 key and get to the “Additional boot options” menu, where we select boot in safe mode. How to switch to safe mode for Windows 8 and 8.1 users.
However, if you try to run the Avast removal utility (avastclear.exe) immediately after downloading, you will see this message, just click “Yes”, after which the system will automatically restart in safe mode.
After the reboot, the Avast removal utility will start automatically, but if this does not happen, then run it yourself. The same window as in the screenshot will appear. Here you need to indicate that software, which needs to be deleted, so in the drop-down menu (marked with a red arrow in the screenshot) select: avast! Free/Pro/Internet Security/Premier.
The second arrow marks the folder (by default) where you have Avast antivirus installed. If you didn’t change anything when installing the antivirus, then leave it as is, otherwise, be sure to indicate your path to the folder with the program. Click “Delete”.
All that remains is to restart the computer, after which all Avast antivirus components will be permanently deleted from the computer’s hard drive.
Thanks to the fact that more than one million circulate on the Internet today malware, Windows users for the most part have finally realized that it is difficult to do without an antivirus. The winners today are Windows 8 users, which includes a good program in this class.
Some beginners even prefer to try a dozen other antiviruses in order to own experience evaluate their effectiveness. This often leads to the fact that multiple “tails” from old programs remain in the system, which makes it impossible to install a new “defender”. Today we will talk about how to remove Avast. The choice is not accidental: it is this antivirus (because it is free) that beginners most often install on their computers; it is the one that leaves behind many traces in the registry and on the hard drive.
The easiest way
However, there is no point in indiscriminately branding the program itself. Often, users themselves do such stupid things that it is impossible to do without reinstalling the entire system. For example, instead of normally uninstalling a program, they prefer to simply delete its folder from hard drive. Needless to say, the result of such “arbitrariness” is very sad. To remove Avast correctly, do the following:
The standard “Uninstall Wizard” will launch, which will remove the remnants of the program from your computer. To ensure that there are no traces of it left in the registry, we recommend using the CCleaner utility. Of course, it does not give a 100% guarantee, but it can still “improve” the system.
Uninstall in Safe Mode
Before you remove Avast-6 using this method, you should boot the system in safe mode. To do this, press the F8 button from the moment the BIOS logo appears. In safe mode, the deletion process is no different in its sequence from the one we described above. So what are the advantages of this particular method? The fact is that in this case the system launches only vital drivers and processes. There is nothing superfluous hanging in the memory, and therefore the likelihood of problems occurring is very low. Naturally, in such conditions it is much easier for the uninstallation program to do its job, completely clearing all traces of the antivirus from the registry and from the hard drive. Unfortunately, the simplest and most obvious method does not always give good result. It often happens that after a standard uninstallation it is impossible to install another antivirus, since its installer refers to the protection program remaining in the system. To prevent this from happening, we suggest using a special utility.
Revo Uninstaller Pro
The name of this program is known to many experienced users. It not only allows you to “correctly” remove other applications from the disk so that no traces are left behind, but also helps to remove their remains from the system after incorrect installation or uninstallation.
Before uninstalling Avast, download and install the trial version. It is valid for 30 days, so there is no need to purchase it for your purposes. You launch the program, after which in the window that opens you see a list of all applications (except OS updates) that are available on your system. You also look for “Avast” there, and then click on the “Delete” button, which is located at the top of the working window. Don’t worry: first, the standard “Wizard” for uninstalling the antivirus itself will open. After its completion, click on the “Reboot later” button, and then click on the “Advanced scanning / start” item. The application will scan the entire system, its registry and all directories on the hard drive, after which you will be given full list remaining files and registry keys. Select the “Select all” item, and then click on the “Delete” button. Reboot your computer.
We remove the remnants of the antivirus after it was removed incorrectly
But it often happens that you have already removed the antivirus software. How to remove its remains in this case? There is nothing complicated here. Launch Revo Uninstaller Pro again, and then click on the “Force uninstall” button. A dialog box will open in which you will need to specify the name of the program (Avast), as well as its location on the disk (the “Browse” button).
After you click on the “Scan” button, the utility will try to find a standard uninstall program. If it is not there, a full search will be carried out for all remaining files and paths in the registry based on the information received. Further - as in the previous case. The user will be shown a complete list of “tails” that need to be removed.
Special utility
Before uninstalling Avast, you can do it even simpler: go to the manufacturer’s official website, and then download from there a special program designed to remove the antivirus, as well as thoroughly clean the system of all its traces. Working with this utility couldn’t be easier: the downloaded file does not need installation, so right-click on it, select “Run as administrator,” and then once again confirm your intention to remove the program.
As a rule, in this case the uninstallation is truly reliable; there are no leftovers in the registry.
Cleaning the computer manually
Sometimes it even happens that even after all the above actions, some keys of this malicious antivirus continue to remain in the registry. Of course, you can simply reinstall the system, but not all users want to spend a lot of time restoring all programs and documents from “ clean slate" To manually clean the registry (we warn you right away that this is a long process), you need to open the “Start” menu, find the “Run” field there, and then enter the RegEdit command there. The “Registry Editor” will open, after which you will need to press the F5 button. A search field will open in which you need to enter the word Avast and press Enter. The program will search the registry for all keys that contain this value. A window with search results will open. Select the found values with the left mouse button, and then delete them by pressing the Del button. To move to the next key to delete it, you must press the F3 button.
By the way, are there any reasons why this antivirus can be so difficult to remove? After all, it is produced by a completely respected company, whose programmers should not make such gross miscalculations! Indeed, it is often better to resolve uninstallation problems before you decide to click the “Delete” button. To do this, go to the Avast settings and uncheck the “Enable Avast self-defense” checkbox.
This service, for unknown reasons, in other cases continues to remain on the computer even after its program has been removed. Of course, other antiviruses detect it and therefore refuse to install it.
Update
Finally, in the most severe cases, you can try updating the version of Avasta you are using. It happens that problems with correct removal appear only on the old version. Try installing a new one on top of it, and then delete the application using any of the methods that we have already written about above. This is how you can get rid of Avast. Removing it is not that difficult, but it doesn't hurt to follow the instructions exactly.
Many users are wondering how to remove Avast from their computer if it is not removed. The solution to this problem will be discussed later in this article.
When surfing the Internet, there is a high risk of ending up on an unscrupulous site or downloading a dubious file. In similar or other ways, you can easily introduce a virus onto your computer and thereby infect the operating system.
Viruses not only damage stored data, but also block the normal operation of programs and disable some functions. Thus, their treatment or removal is a priority task, which can be handled by special programs - antiviruses.
There are a lot of antiviruses, and therefore many users change them from time to time. One of the most common is Avast antivirus, which occupies a leading position.
However, even this, many users remove it in the desire to try more modern or advanced antiviruses. When uninstalling this program, a situation often arises that the uninstallation process was successful, but some antivirus elements remain on the computer and interfere in every possible way.
How to remove Avast from your computer if it cannot be removed
After removing the Avast antivirus program from your computer, some components may still remain unaffected. These are mainly registry entries, residual files or drivers.
This is explained by software, which monitors the security of the computer, can deliberately secure files too firmly in memory and the registry, using self-preservation mechanisms. A similar situation may arise if the removal was carried out using the standard program removal function provided in the operating system.
If, after uninstalling a program, some components remain on the computer, but the program itself has disappeared from the list of installed ones and displays an error when you try to uninstall it again, then there is a way to finally get rid of it.
The mentioned method involves the use of a special utility designed specifically for uninstalling Avast. This utility is called Avast Clear and must be downloaded and installed separately. You can find it on the official Avast website in the Support -> Downloads section.
It is preferable to run this utility through Safe Mode, which can be selected using Advanced Launch Options. This will ensure maximum efficiency of the program. In addition, in normal mode, complete removal may not be carried out or may cause a number of errors.
After running the utility, it should automatically detect the version and installation path of the antivirus, otherwise this can be done manually. Continuing the operation, the utility will completely remove Avast, and then you will need to restart the computer.
Those who are wondering how to remove avast from a computer if it is not uninstalled , They will be able to finally solve their problem with the help of the utility.
Avast removal methods for advanced users
In addition to the method discussed above, there are also methods that will help you permanently remove Avast from your computer.
One of them is associated with interference with the computer registry and the operating system file database. This is a fairly responsible and serious method that is more suitable for those users who understand what they are doing and representing possible consequences. These manipulations are carried out after disabling the self-defense module of the Avast program itself and removing it with a standard uninstallation tool.
Next, you need to enter a request through the Start menu and open a shortcut with the appropriate name in the program menu. This function is a registry editor, which you will have to work with within the framework of the method under consideration.
It will help remove from your computer all remaining system and registry entries that are related to Avast.
In the internal menu of the editor, select the “Find” button and enter the request in the column - “ avast" It is important to ask this request using the original name of the program in Latin letters. After the search operation is completed, the results will be displayed. All records that somehow contain the specified query in their title should be completely deleted.
In addition, if an antivirus installer is located on your computer’s hard drive, it is better to remove it using the standard context menu function rather than through the registry.
After carrying out this manipulation, you should ask the request - avast in the search line of the operating system explorer. Any residual antivirus files detected by the system should also be deleted, and then restart the computer.
There is another method that allows you to completely remove Avast antivirus files. It implies the use special programs intended purely for complete uninstallation.
Often, such programs automatically perform not only deletion, but also cleaning of the registry, as well as all related operations. This is a fairly universal solution that is suitable for users of any level.
Let's consider this method using the example of the “Revo uninstaller pro” program. Below is necessary order actions:
After launching the program, you should find the desired Avast antivirus in the list of programs;
- By right-clicking on the antivirus shortcut, select “Delete” from the menu that opens;
- Next, you need to confirm the deletion operation;
- At the end of the process, you should select the “Restart” command later;
- After this, an “Advanced scan” is carried out;
- All found items are selected using the select all button and then deleted.
Here is a general algorithm of actions using the example of a specific program, however, for all such uninstallers this procedure will be almost identical and will allow you to completely remove all Avast antivirus files from your computer.
Avast antivirus install antivirus from another manufacturer.
Therefore it is important to completely remove Avast antivirus before installation antivirus third party manufacturer.
To completely remove Avast antivirus
Microsoft Windows.
utilities…Instructions for removing Avast antivirus.
In some cases, after removal Avast antivirus using standard means and rebooting the computer, entries may remain in the system registry of the operating system due to which it is impossible install antivirus from another manufacturer.
Therefore it is important to completely remove Avast antivirus before installation antivirus third party manufacturer.
To completely remove Avast antivirus and entries in the system registry, use the following solutions:
* Removal using standard means Microsoft Windows.
* Removal using special utilities.
Solution 1: Uninstall Avast using Microsoft Windows
Step 1. In the lower left corner of the screen, click on the button Start.
For users Windows XP:
* Select menu item Control Panel.
* In the window Control Panel Choose a section Installation and removal of programms.
* In the list of programs, select Avast antivirus.
* Click on the button Delete.
For users Windows Vista/7:
* Select menu item Control Panel.
* In the window Control Panel Choose a section Programs.
* Left click on a partition Programs.
* Double-click the left mouse button on the program name.
Step 3. In the window avast! Antivirus setup select option Uninstall.
Step 5. In the avast!warning window, confirm that you really want to remove the antivirus Avast from your computer by clicking the button Yes (Yes).
Antivirus removal process Avast will take about a minute.
Step 6. To completely remove the antivirus Avast from your computer, you will be prompted to restart your computer. In the window avast! Antivirus setup a message will appear (on English language): \"The product was succesfully uninstalled. Some files may stay in their current locations until the next reboot, though\”. To restart your computer now, select the option Restart.
Step 7. Click on the button Finish.
antivirus.
If successful uninstall Avast antivirus from your computer, there is no need to complete the following steps. If any error messages appear or a message appears indicating that uninstall Avast antivirus was not completed successfully, follow the instructions below to manually remove the product from your computer.
Solution 2: Uninstall Avast antivirus using the aswclear5.exe utility
To completely remove Avast antivirus from your computer, use a special uninstall utility products Avast aswclear5.exe (ASWCLEAR5 (C) ALWIL Software). To do this, follow these steps:
Step 1. Download and save the aswclear5.exe utility (in English) in a convenient location on your computer.
Step 2: Boot your computer into Safe Mode.
Step 4. In the field Select product to uninstall select the product you want to remove.
Step 5. If you installed the product in a location other than the default, then specify the exact path to the folder in the field Enter path to folder where selected product is installed.
All contents of the folder you selected will be deleted by the utility!
Step 6. Click on the button Uninstall. The removal process will take about a minute.
Step 7. After completing the product removal process Avast a window will appear Question with a message (in English): \”Remaining items will be removed after restart. Do you wish to restart now?\”. Click on the button \"Yes\" to restart your computer now.
Step 8: Try installing another one again antivirus.
Article taken from open sources: http://support.kaspersky.ru/faq/?qid=208636499
Hello everyone Today we will talk about Avast antivirus, or rather about how to remove it. Today I will consider free version Avast Free Antivirus, for which you don’t need to pay, well, that’s it free antivirus, however, this does not save it from the fact that many users want to delete it. But why do they want to delete it? Well, to be honest, I don’t know, but I dare to assume that it’s because Avast is loading the computer, or maybe it’s blocking sites, I don’t know guys. But the fact is a fact: users on the Internet often search for how to completely remove Avast from their computer.
Today I will tell you how not only to remove Avast Free Antivirus from your computer completely, but also how to remove its remnants, that is, I will show you how to scan your computer for the presence of remnants, any garbage that remains from Avast. So what am I going to do, I tell it like it is. I have Windows 7, I installed Avast Free Antivirus there, that is, I downloaded it, installed it, everything is as usual. And now we will delete it. If you do everything as I write, then everything will work out and you will be able to completely remove Avast Free Antivirus from your computer. Here we go?
By the way, well, I think you already know, but along with the Avast antivirus, the Avast browser appeared on my computer, it’s called Avast SafeZone Browser, do you know what it is? This is a kind of secure browser, like you can do something in it and no one can intercept the data, like no one can hack you. Well, for example, in such a browser you can perform some financial transactions, pay for something there, well, in short, you understand. Look, here is the Avast SafeZone Browser shortcut on the desktop:
So, okay, something I’m talking about here isn’t quite what I need to talk about! We begin to remove Avast. I’ll just write a little more information, Avast itself works under processes such as avastui.exe and AvastSvc.exe, here they are in the task manager:
As you can see, the processor is not loaded by these processes, which is good. The processes themselves are launched from this folder:
C:\Program Files\AVAST Software\Avast
So, now about deletion. So, press the Win + R buttons, then the Run window will appear, you write the following command there:
Click OK, then the Programs and Features window will open, here you will have a list of all the programs that are on your computer. Here in the list you need to find Avast Free Antivirus, but usually this program comes first, well, there the letter A is the first in the alphabet. Well, in short, you found the program, right-clicked on it and then select Delete:
Then you will see a large Avast window where you can update your antivirus, fix it, change it, or, in short, that... And you can also activate a free subscription for a year, for fun! But if you are not interested in this and you still want to remove Avast, then click the Delete button here:
Then there will be such a security window from Avast, well, this is like a check, but do you want to remove the antivirus? This check is just like, what if it’s a virus that wants to remove the antivirus, such jokes also happen! Well, in short, in this window you click Yes:
The removal process will begin:
Below you see, there is another question, like why are you deleting the antivirus? You can answer this question, or you can not answer anything, I didn’t answer anything there. If you have HDD is on the computer, then Avast can be deleted in about three minutes, but I have an SSD and therefore Avast was deleted in a few seconds:
I pointed the arrow at the Restart computer button because I don’t recommend postponing this matter, it’s better to reboot right away! The fact is that there are certain files, well, there are libraries and other dregs, so in order for all this to be deleted, you need to do a reboot. It will be deleted even before the Windows kernel is loaded, well, something like this, that is, it will be deleted while Windows is not fully awake, in short, something like this! Therefore, it is better to reboot immediately
In general, we rebooted and Avast Free Antivirus was removed from the computer, but was it completely removed? Hmm, this question remains to be seen
So, here I want to tell you something else, it may be that Avast Free Antivirus will be stupid and will not want to be uninstalled. What to do in this case? Well, I don’t even know what to say. There’s such a joke here that it’s better to delete it correctly, because if you force it to be deleted, there may be bugs in the form of abandoned Avast drivers. Therefore, I advise you to visit this page, this is the official Avast website:
This page has clear instructions on how to remove Avast using their avastclear utility. I advise you to use this utility if Avast does not want to be removed normally. Just in case, I’ll also tell you that you can try deleting using the Revo Uninstaller remover, but you know what, it’s better to make a recovery point before deleting, well, just in case. I wrote about the Revo Uninstaller remover here, so you can take a look, by the way, the uninstaller not only removes, but also searches for and removes garbage in the system, well, the garbage that remains after uninstalling the program.
So, now let’s get back to the things that need to be done after removing Avast. These things are about removing leftovers. So, we have two types of leftovers, this is file garbage and garbage in the registry, let's start with the first. We need to open the system drive where Windows is installed. So I’ll show you a universal way to open a system disk so that absolutely everyone can understand it, although I understand that many already know how to do this, but still. So guys, hold down the Win + R buttons, then write the following command:
Click OK, then you will see a window where all your disks will be, here you need to select the system disk. Usually it goes under the letter C, and also has this flag, well, it’s like a Windows flag or something, in short, it’s different from other drives. I only have one disk, but it also has this flag, here it is in short:
In general, we went to the system disk. Great, let's look for the trash! But there is also a funny thing here that some files may not want to be deleted, so just in case, I’m telling you that you may need the Unlocker utility, this free utility and she is a master at removing undeletable files and folders. I wrote about the Unlocker utility itself, I already have this utility installed. So now in the upper right corner of the system drive window, there will be a search field, you need to write the word avast there, that is, write here:
Then we wait for the results, that is, we wait until all files and folders with the word avast in their names are found. But I will say that you need to look for traces only after you have deleted Avast, but not just deleted it, but deleted it CORRECTLY, do you understand what the joke is? Well, in short guys, I’ve already found garbage like this here, look:
What a joke, I deleted Avast, but there were so many folders left after it, of course guys we need to clean this, we don’t need such jokes! What to do, how to delete? Here's how, you need to first select all the files and folders, or not select them, you can try deleting one at a time if there is not a lot of garbage. Well, I selected all the folders and files, then I right-clicked on all of them and selected Delete:
Then there will be a window like this, click Yes:
Then you will see such a window, here you need to click the Continue button:
Well, it’s a bummer, of course, but another window will appear, well, maybe it won’t appear for you, but it did for me, in this window you need to check the box below and click the Yes button:
Then another window will appear, or rather, if it appears, then you also need to check the box below and click the Skip button:
Apparently you can’t just remove the remnants of Avast and remove them. Then I had another window, there I also checked the box at the bottom and clicked the Skip button:
That's it, then the windows no longer popped up, but not all of the trash was removed! Here you need to press the F5 button so that the search is updated, because files that you have actually already deleted may be shown here, I don’t know about you, but I have such a glitch. Well, we pressed F5, everything was updated, and now we will delete using the Unlocker utility, right-click on all the files and select the Unlocker item there (let me remind you that I already have this utility installed):
Then this security window popped up, here you click Yes:
But you may not have this window if you have such security disabled! But damn, there was a bummer waiting for me here. In short, I pressed the Yes button and there was exactly zero effect! Do you know why? All because of these files:
Well, there are still some down there! I didn’t select them, but only selected the folders, then right-clicked on them again, selected Unlocker, and again there was zero effect, what fun, I thought! Then I started doing what I now advise you to do, which is to delete files and folders one by one. I clicked on the first folder, selected the Unlocker item, security popped up, clicked Yes there, then this window appeared, here you need to select Delete from the menu on the left and click OK:
Removal started:
Then this window popped up, which means that everything went fine:
After I deleted one folder, I pressed the F5 button to update the search. Well, I tried to delete it again using Unlocker, it also worked. In short, guys, this security window bothered me a little, so I turned it off, just when it popped up again, I clicked here:
Then I lowered the slider to the very bottom:
I clicked OK and that’s it, the window didn’t bother me anymore. Well, I wrote this just in case, in case the window bothers you too, now you will know how to turn it off. The guys had to work a little while I deleted all this, but I managed to delete it and then, when I tried to search for the word avast again, nothing was found:
But I succeeded because I deleted one file at a time, for some reason I couldn’t delete two at once, I don’t know what kind of joke this is. In short, things like this, I succeeded, which means you can do it too, believe me
You're probably wondering, is it all over or is there something else? No, guys, I can’t make you happy yet, because there is still garbage in the registry, it also needs to be removed, but it’s a little easier there.. So, press the Win + R buttons again, then write the following command:
The Registry Editor window will appear, this window will appear:
It is in this window that we will look for garbage, but how? Everything is simple here, don’t worry, press the Ctrl + F buttons, then write avast in the search field and click the Find next button:
The search will begin. Now look carefully, the registry will look for everything that has the word avast in its name, this can include registry keys and keys. Everything that is found will be found one by one and it will be highlighted. That is, something was found, it was highlighted, the search stopped, you right-clicked on what was found, selected Delete, then pressed the F3 button to continue the search. Well, is the algorithm roughly clear? I hope this is clear. Well, look, for example, we found some folder (that is, a partition), it’s called 00avast, it’s a trash can, so we delete it, right-click and select Delete:
Then a window will pop up, click here Yes:
And that's it, the folder was deleted. This is what you need to do with everything, both junk folders and junk keys. It’s the same with the keys, right-click and select Delete:
Here's another funny thing: the name of the key may not contain anything at all that relates to Avast... Well, often the key may be called simply Default, but if you look at the Value column, there you will see an entry that just relates to Avast:
By the way, if you delete this Default key, it will appear again, that’s why it is Default. But the Value field will already be empty. I was just thinking, maybe the keys with the name Default should be skipped altogether? Well, I don’t know, but I personally delete everything that has the word avast in its name, because I, so to speak, care about the cleanliness of Windows. What a joke
So guys, it’s clear with the registry, yes, what you need to look for, then to continue the search you need to press the F3 button, then again delete the found garbage and so on until the following window appears:
Well, that's all guys, now you have removed this Avast Free Antivirus, I congratulate you (well, if you actually removed it). What else can I say, except that guys, you should clean your computer with the CClenaer utility, so to speak, it will generally clean the entire computer of garbage, how to use it, I wrote about this here. All guys, that’s all, I hope that everything was clear to you here, but if something is wrong, then you’ll have to excuse me. Good luck to you
19.01.2017
