while doing my yearly hard drive cleanup, file compression, and junk deleting, i noticed AOL was still in there. i tried to un install it, but the un install keeps on going into not responding mode. i have tried in normal windows, and also tried in safe mode, but no matter how i try, as soon as i try to remove it, everything freezes up, and then i hit ctrl, alt, delete, and i see the aol not responding in task manager.

anyone have any ideas ???

 

The simplest thing by far would be to just ignore the heck out of it - it's not hurting anything. Don't stare directly at the AOL, if AOL begins to spin or vibrate - move away!

Delete any AOL-ish stuff in your startup folder or anything else that may interfere with the uninstall. Reboot and retry the uninstall (I guess your safe mode attempt covered this). Google for a solution, you are not the first to try to uninstall AOL! You could probably just delete most of the AOL specific files from the directory it's installed in. You'll still have little shortcuts, Start Menu entries, registry entries, shared libraries in the Windows folder and all manner of dingleberries going on - you could make a career of this. Worst case, backup all your data, format the drive and reinstall Windows, reinstall all your apps, restore your data and presto! You've uninstalled it!

There are uninstaller programs, probably some free ones too but you could always buy one.

Or just leave it alone. How much space is it really taking up? How much space do you have? How much do you really need? If your drive is near full consider adding a cheap one.

 

I've screwed around with a couple of different registry cleanup tools to combat problems like this. In the end, it's far easier to just reformat and re-install. The only problem that causes is if you have software that you don't have the original discs for and can't get from the internet.

If you absolutley have to keep something, buy a 2nd hard drive and install windows onto a partition of the new one, then delete it off the old one and you will be left with your programs intact.

Take your time and make sure to read all the directions and you'll be fine.

 

I always do the reformat and reinstall. It seems if a guy does this from time to time then your whole computer runs a hell of alot better.

 

I know this might sound crazy....but reinstall the same version of AOL that you are tring to remove and then uninstall it. That wasy any files that are corupted will get fixed and the uninstall should work.

 

Nifty idea - I like it. I wonder if it will throw off the usage counts on shared libraries (I think the registry tracks how many apps use a shared lib and incrememnt/decrement the counts on install/uninstall). Still if it gets the uninstall to run the result might just leave a few orphaned lib files - no harm done.

 

just delete manually

 

try doing the reinstall then boot into safe mode and uninstall.... also, while there run spybot search and destroy and antivirus

Matt

 

AOL is like **** in a pool, you can't get it out! It roots itself and never lets go. Sorry to hear you made the mistake of installing it in the first place.

 

AOL is like pee in a pool. hehehe. i like that inference. and that is about what it is like.
i left out the long version where i tried most of what was already mentioned including downloading it and trying to remove. it is not taking up much space now,31 meg on a 30 gig drive. i had already removed all the shortcuts and associated BS, its just knowing that its on the drive and i can't get rid of it that puts a burr under my saddle. i never installed it, it is on the startup disc that came with the computer. oh well, i guess it will have to stay there till the puter crashes and i have to reformat it. i really don't kneed the space, i still have 8 gig unused.

 

We cleared our computer up,with AVG anti-virus free edition from Grisoft..We had all kinds of problems ,now it works like new.

 

Go into the registry and remove all instances of AOL and all references to it. If you feel upto it.

 

that is always the first thing i do when removing a program. the only thing left is the main 31 meg file. that is the one that will not remove.

 

Go into the C drive and search AOL.* and remove it that way. If you have already been in the registry, you won't find the references to AOL using Add/Remove programs nor using the uninstall (freeze up) option for AOL.

 

been there, done it all. no matter where you go, or how you try to remove or delete it, it just freezes the computer into a not responding frame.