Question The most convenient way to switch Antivirus software (Poll)

[Ink]

1. Which of the following methods do you follow when switching Antivirus software?

• ...

2. Which of the following best fits the criteria for:

• Recommended -
• Not recommended -

 

[ichito]

Voted "other" due to two reasons:
- no my usual method what means 3rd party uninstaller and than manually remove leftovers
- actually everything depends on purpose of uninstall/install AV/security app and how often I plan to do it - when I want to do "rough test" or check more than one app I'm using backup/image app or Shadow Defender if tested app don't need system restart.

 

[mlnevese]

I use the official uninstaller then hunt for leftovers manually

 

[Templarware]

I always use Revo Uninstaller free, then I check for empty folders left behind, sometimes happens. At the end, CCleaner's registry cleanup.

 

[Jengo]

Use Uninstaller like Hibit, then regcleaner, then manually check everywhere.

 

[ForgottenSeer 97327]

Buy a premium brand laptop/pc with bloatware (like a HP )

 

[WhiteMouse]

Other: Buy a new pc then isntall a new antivirus on it.

Seriously, I don't believe any uninstaller can fully remove any softwares from Windows, I just roll back to the image before I install that software.

 

[Jengo]

Other: Buy a new pc then isntall a new antivirus on it.

Seriously, I don't believe any uninstaller can fully remove any softwares from Windows, I just roll back to the image before I install that software.

Im reinstalling my pc / laptop once a year to make everything " fresh " again

 

[Minimalist]

I just uninstall the old one and install new. For some of them I removed some leftover files manually.

 

[Trident]

On Windows I would always use the antivirus uninstall utility to remove software. Where uninstall utility/tool is not provided, I would perform manual inspection to remove remaining files.

On Mac, antiviruses don’t provide utilities and also, some companies (Panda being an example) don’t even provide uninstall routine built in. These must be removed using this app:

AppCleaner

Mac has no registry, the app will detect all relevant folders, services and packages, and will erase them.

Not recommended:
Clean install the OS: if your antivirus provider is causing you to reinstall Windows because it can’t correctly be removed then it is worse than infection. Time to look for another one.

Uninstall software just via the OS and install the new one: leaves too many remnants and in some occasions, attempting to reinstall the solution at a later stage might turn out to be problematic.

 

[ErzCrz]

Usually official uninstaller but I find having to remove ruminants. Comodo for example leaves behind EventLog entry and a Startup entry which both have to be removed via registry. Trying to stick with one AV these days but I still find myself changing up things too often.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

The most convenient way is not necessarily the best way. The convenient way is to "Uninstall old Antivirus using OS, and Install new Antivirus".

What I do is use the AV uninstaller if there is one, if not use something like HIbit, then I delete any folders or registry entries that are left.

 

[Dave Russo]

I like uninstalling in safe mode with networking (winaero tweaker has easy to use option to add safe mode to desktop or context)

 

[simmerskool]

Use Uninstaller like Hibit, then regcleaner, then manually check everywhere.

is regcleaner the Trend Micro app, or a generic reference??

 

[Spartan]

This is how I do it
1) Disable AV
2) Uninstall it using HiBit Uninstaller, do not reboot, and let the uninstaller clean the leftovers
3) Reboot
4) Run the AV's specific uninstaller tool
5) Reboot

 

[roger_m]

I use Total Uninstall to monitor the installation of antiviruses, so when I use it to uninstall the antivirus it knows exactly what files and registry keys to remove. Unless you are using an uninstaller to monitor the installation of an antivirus. I highly recommend running the vendor's own install tool, after uninstalling an antivirus.

Bear in mind that If you are just using an uninstaller to scan for leftovers, without having monitored the installation of antivirus, they will typically miss leftovers such as drivers, which when left behind can cause issues. So it's much more important to run the vendor's uninstall tool.

 

[Jengo]

is regcleaner the Trend Micro app, or a generic reference??

Regcleaner from Hibit ;-)

 

[Spartan]

I use Total Uninstall to monitor the installation of antiviruses, so when I use it to uninstall the antivirus it knows exactly what files and registry keys to remove. Unless you are using an uninstaller to monitor the installation of an antivirus. I highly recommend running the vendor's own install tool, after uninstalling an antivirus.

Bear in mind that If you are just using an uninstaller to scan for leftovers, without having monitored the installation of antivirus, they will typically miss leftovers such as drivers, which when left behind can cause issues. So it's much more important to run the vendor's uninstall tool.

I noticed the driver thing too, I use DriverStore Explorer to find old drivers pertaining to hardware and that's where sometimes I would spot a driver pertaining to a security program

 

[Jonny Quest]

Just discovered this link. It says in Features, that it's updated frequently, so that is also a plus. It's a zip file, so there is no program to uninstall.

Antivirus Removal Tool - The technician friendly tool to detect and completely remove antivirus software.

Antivirus Removal Tool (freeware) is a portable program to detect and completely remove antivirus software. It will help you to identify current and past installations, and it will provide you with the official specialized uninstallers.

antivirus-removal-tool.com

Features:
– Identifies the currently installed antivirus program(s).

– Helps in identifying past installations of antivirus programs, by searching the system for leftover folders of several common solutions. The results are conveniently presented in tree views, grouped by the name of the antivirus / manufacturer found. You can right-click the paths and open them in file explorer to check its contents.

– Ability to generate a report containing the computer serial number, operating system, current and past installations of antivirus products.

– Provides 1-click access to Windows “Add / Remove Programs”. From there you can uninstall the antivirus using the regular uninstaller. When available, the regular uninstaller should always be used in the first place.

– Provides the official specialized uninstallers for 28 antivirus programs. These are handily presented in a combobox and can be executed with the click of a button.

 

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Just discovered this link. It says in Features, that it's updated frequently, so that is also a plus. It's a zip file, so there is no program to uninstall.

Antivirus Removal Tool - The technician friendly tool to detect and completely remove antivirus software.

Antivirus Removal Tool (freeware) is a portable program to detect and completely remove antivirus software. It will help you to identify current and past installations, and it will provide you with the official specialized uninstallers.

antivirus-removal-tool.com

Features:
– Identifies the currently installed antivirus program(s).

– Helps in identifying past installations of antivirus programs, by searching the system for leftover folders of several common solutions. The results are conveniently presented in tree views, grouped by the name of the antivirus / manufacturer found. You can right-click the paths and open them in file explorer to check its contents.

– Ability to generate a report containing the computer serial number, operating system, current and past installations of antivirus products.

– Provides 1-click access to Windows “Add / Remove Programs”. From there you can uninstall the antivirus using the regular uninstaller. When available, the regular uninstaller should always be used in the first place.

– Provides the official specialized uninstallers for 28 antivirus programs. These are handily presented in a combobox and can be executed with the click of a button.

And has its own thread and an active developer @AlexCa here on MT:
Antivirus Removal Tool - The technician friendly tool to detect and completely remove antivirus software.