Over the past few years, experienced users and IT companies have only done that they frightened ordinary users with the dangers of virus infection of their computers. Strange as it may seem, some of them are imbued with this, but because the eternal debate about the "best antivirus" can now be found even on those resources that are extremely far from computer topics.
Some “gifted” individuals generally somehow manage to install two (or even three!) Anti-virus applications on a computer. We will not talk about the results of this approach. Seeing all this disgrace, Microsoft has "born" excellent program Microsoft Security Essentials. It is free, effective and has such a simple interface that even the greenest user can easily figure it out.
However, this simplicity quickly bothers someone, after which the user decides to switch to another antivirus. This is where the problem arises with how to remove Microsoft Security Essentials. This utility is good for everyone, but it's just that sometimes it is not too well removed. The remaining “tails” interfere with the normal installation of other anti-virus applications.
The easiest and most obvious way
Of course, not everything is so bad. Errors often arise even not through the fault of developers, but solely because of the stupidity of the users themselves. Do you think it is worth deleting the entire folder with the application by clicking the Delete button? Of course no. But a large part of inexperienced users who do not have a clue about the correct methods of uninstalling programs do this.
So how to remove Microsoft Security Essentials in a classic way? Very simple, since for this purpose in Windows there is a special system utility. To start it, you need to click on the "Start" button, go to the "Control Panel", and then find the item "Programs and Features". Click on the desired position with the left mouse button.
A
dialog box will appear in front of you
, in which there will be a list of all the programs that are available on your system. We select MSE there, select the application with the left mouse button. At the top of the working window there is a “Delete” button. Click on it, after which the regular application uninstallation program will be launched. Following her prompts, you will easily fulfill your intention.
Special Utilities
Unfortunately, everything is far from always so simple. As a result of some failures in the system, traces of this application may remain. What is this fraught with? If you decide to install some other virus protection program, its protection system will not let you do it. The application will "see" the traces from MSE, and therefore, for security reasons, it will terminate the installation.
Especially to prevent such cases, there are specialized utilities for removing other programs. In this article, we will look at a couple of the most popular and effective ones. Note in advance that they are all paid. The cost varies between 30-40 dollars, but it is not necessary to buy these programs. The fact is that all the actions described below are available in trial mode, the duration of which is exactly a month.
Total uninstall
This application has repeatedly won the highest awards in the IT industry, and all the titles and awards received deservedly! However, quite the lyrics: how to remove Microsoft Security Essentials using it? Let's discuss this issue.
Since the utility has an extremely simple and intuitive interface, there should not be any problems with its development. Immediately after starting up, a rather ascetic working window will appear in front of you, which will also list all the applications available on your computer.
We erase!
To remove MSE, select it with the left mouse button, and then click on the large “Delete” icon. This button is easy to recognize, as it depicts a basket of impressive size. After that, the standard “Uninstall Wizard” will be launched first, after which Total Uninstall itself will come into play.
It will scan the registry and system drive, looking for all the files and records that may remain after the standard removal of the program. As a rule, there are no problems after this. So before you remove Microsoft Security Essentials 4, it is advisable to have this application on your computer.
Ashampoo UnInstaller Suite
A program from the well-known company Ashampoo, which is loved by users for the fairly frequent distribution of free applications. For many users, this application has become the main way to remove old and unnecessary utilities, as it works very quickly and efficiently.
So how to remove Microsoft Security Essentials using this option? Nothing is easier! First run Ashampoo UnInstaller Suite, after which you will see a fairly “loaded” dialog box, in which you can immediately count several dozen different options. This should not confuse you: click on the Remove Installed Applications button. After that, a dialog box will appear in front of you in which you need to specify the application that you want to remove.
Mark it with the left mouse button, and then click on the Uninstall button. The program will launch a special process, which first initiates the work of regular uninstallation tools. As soon as they complete the work, Shampoo itself will enter the business.
As in the previous case, the entire system will be scanned, as a result of which all remaining files and registry entries will be detected and deleted. Note that the application does its job well, and in most cases, another antivirus can be installed without problems.
Old systems
Here's how to remove Microsoft Security Essentials. Windows XP, which until recently was the darling of millions of users around the world, today is gradually losing ground. We recommend replacing MSE on all computers with it with some other anti-virus, since Microsoft will soon complete the release of anti-virus databases for the XP version.
Specialized solution
It should not be assumed that Microsoft experts did nothing to eliminate the annoying problem of uninstalling their own product. This fact can be confirmed by the release of a special version of the MicrosoftFixit application, which is intended exclusively for the removal of MSE.
You can download the executable file from the official Microsoft website. The process of using the utility is as simple as possible. First, click on the launched file with the right mouse button, select “Run as administrator”. After that, the main working window appears in front of us.
It is necessary to put a checkmark next to the I Agree option, and then click on the Next button. Further, everything will be done automatically. The program will delete all the extra keys in the registry, clean the hard drive from the last traces of the antivirus. Please note that the Microsoft Security Essentials program (how to completely remove it, we just said) integrates quite deeply into the system, and therefore, if there is even the slightest doubt that it can be successfully eliminated by standard methods, you must use the above solution from Microsoft.
It is better to immediately spend a fraction of your free time than to pick out the rest of the program from the system, risking its performance. Since the utility is completely free, it is much more profitable to purchase a specialized uninstaller.
In the end
A few words in defense of Microsoft Security Essentials. How to remove a virus without MSE? You will have to install some kind of paid application or constantly use scanners from Doctor Web and Kaspersky. Do not believe reviews that indicate the insolvency of this antivirus. Practice has already shown that this product from Microsoft does an excellent job protecting computer users around the world.
Here's how to remove Microsoft Security Essentials. Windows 7 includes the Defender utility, so for the first time your computer will be protected by it. But do not delay with the installation of another antivirus!