How to uninstall all traces of avast and avg?

[gru...@gmail.com]

I'd like help completely uninstalling Avast and AVG - more completely than those company's own avastclear and avgclear do. I usually use Windows 7, but sometimes use Windows 10.

Because I'm paranoid, but not expert, I often use CCleaner to get rid of junk files and minor security issues other programs create. I know many security experts say it isn't good enough, but it is what I know.

But when updated, CCleaner has at various times installed antivirus software (Avast or AVG), that disables Windows Defender, which is I consider a bad thing.

Microsoft's advice to re-enable Windows Defender doesn't work so, every time I update CCleaner, I

Download avastclear and avgclear, from https://www.avast.com and http://avg.com.
Run msconfig as administrator to reboot in Windows safe mode, and do so.
Log on as an administrator.
Run avastclear and avgclear.
Run regedit and look at folder
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows defender
and delete all keys that disable things. Be sure to check in sub-folders.
Reboot into normal Windows mode.

But avastclear and avgclear lie. Even after the reboot, many AVG and AVAST files and folders exist, as do some avast and avg settings in RegEdit. What is more, I think associated software runs at boot time.

Anway, log on as adminstrator, make sure you can see hidden and system files, and delete
c:\ProgramData\Avast*
c:\ProgramData\AVG*
c:\ProgramFiles\Common Files\Avast*
c:\ProgramFiles\Common Files\AVG*
c:\Windows\System32\Tasks\Avast*
c:\Windows\System32\Tasks\AVG*
c:\Users\*\AppData\Roaming\Avast*
c:\Users\*\AppData\Roaming\AVG
C:\Windows\System32\avgremover*.*
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\avgremover*.*

where * means all present character strings.

In Windows defender, make sure real time monitoring is turned on, and run a quick scan.

In Regedit, delete
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Avast*
HKEY_CLASSES_Root\AVG*
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Avast*
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Avast*
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Avast*
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AVG
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache\Tree\Avast*
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache\Tree\AVG
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache\Tree\Antivirus Emergency Update

There were also some "legacyavg*" keys that I can't find right now.

If you get regedit errors like
"Avast software cannot be opened"
"AVG software cannot be opened"

Then, based loosely on
https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/cant-delete-avast-software-registry-key-in-windows/
the problems are linkages from or to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\AVAST Software
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\AVG
which were deleted by the avgclear and avastclear.
The detailed advice at that website didn't work, maybe because I was using Windows 7, not 10.

I tried using CCleaners own registry scanning tool to clean things up, but it didn't help.

So Exit Regedit, and run an elevated CMD prompt to run
reg add "HKLM\Software\AVAST Software"
reg add "HKLM\Software\AVG"
regedit
and delete those keys
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\AVAST Software
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\AVG

Unfortunately, after a reboot, the keys or the errors keep coming back. So I re-apply
reg add "HKLM\Software\AVAST Software"
reg add "HKLM\Software\AVG"
to get rid of the regedit error, and have given up.

Can anyone provide a procedure, that doesn't involve installing other software, that does a more complete job?

[gru...@gmail.com]

Oops. First off, I didn't realize google groups would delete my indentation, so I hope you figured out what I meant.

Also,

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Avast*
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Avast*
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Key

should have read

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Avast*
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AVG

[mon...@mcinternet.xyz]

Maybe you want to use Linux-based system if you're paranoid about your privacy
and/or security? Linux is by default far more private and doesn't send
any telemetry to anyone like windows 10 does.

[gru...@gmail.com]

Thanks!

I sometimes use Linux, or Linux inside a virtual machine inside Windows. I keep a clean copy of that virtual machine, and sometimes restore it to the clean copy.

But there are a lot of things that work in Windows, but not Linux. Also, I like the way the main web browsers work in Windows better than the way they work in Linux.

But sometimes I use Windows inside a virtual machine inside Windows too, and sometimes restore it.

Of course there are some very non-secure versions of Linux too. E.g., Android, if you consider it to be Linux. And so many people have contributed to Linux, including people whose primary emphasis was not security, perhaps even deliberately, that it is inevitable that it has holes too.

[gru...@gmail.com]

> Maybe you want to use Linux-based system if you're paranoid about your privacy
> and/or security? Linux is by default far more private and doesn't send
> any telemetry to anyone like windows 10 does.

Thanks!

I sometimes use Linux, or Linux inside a virtual machine inside Windows. I keep a clean copy of that virtual machine, and sometimes restore it to the clean copy.

But there are a lot of things that work in Windows, but not Linux. Also, I like the way the main web browsers work in Windows better than the way they work in Linux.

And sometimes I use Windows inside a virtual machine inside Windows too, and sometimes restore it.

[William Unruh]

On 2022-10-09, gru...@gmail.com <gru...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Of course there are some very non-secure versions of Linux too. E.g., Android, if you consider it to be Linux. And so many people have contributed to Linux, including people whose primary emphasis was not security, perhaps even deliberately, that it is inevitable that it has holes too.

But because the source is available to all, those holes can be plugged
easily by anyone. Also Redmont's "many eyes" means that holes tnd to be
discovered and fixed even befor they are used by atackers.

And the whole emphasis in commecial software tends to be to get it out
( and since people tend not to be hired because their primary emphasis
was on security) which means that more bugs get introduced, and fewer
get fixed-- and you sure cannot fix them if you discover one.