URL Assistant?

[mtrox]

That's the name of the spyware that comes pre-loaded on the new Dell I'm setting up for a client. You click on "Remove" in Add/Remove programs and the screen blinks......but URL Assistant is still in the list.

Anyone know how bad this thing is?

[profdlp]

Make sure the program is not already loaded when you try to uninstall it. Safe Mode might do it.

Dell loads a lot of useless crap on their computers, but none of it is actually malicious. Bunch of resource hogs, though.

This program (http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=5223) looks like it may be of use to you. :)

[mtrox]

Pro you are my hero. If that thing works I'll always be greatful.

If you try to uninstall McAfee (ironically I only uninstalled it so I could install a corporate version of McAfee) it will tell you to stop McAfee before you can uninstall it. You cannot fully stop it. One process keeps hanging on and won't let you uninstall. Finally went into the MMC and stopped all McProcesses, then used HiJackThis to uncheck the other McCraps that start up, then rebooted. Then, and only then, could I uninstall McAfee.

Pricks.

I finally left URL Assistant on there. Nothing showed up in HJT under BHO's or processes.

[Thrax]

To uninstall mcafee you have to right click on the system tray icon, go to "virus [something]" and click disable. It'll uninstall fine from there on out, or you boot to safe mode.

[mtrox]

To uninstall mcafee you have to right click on the system tray icon, go to "virus [something]" and click disable. It'll uninstall fine from there on out, or you boot to safe mode.

Tried that Thrax. About 2 or 3 times. I then opened up the McAfee panel and disabled everything. Didn't help. And there was always some McProcess that I could not kill.

[profdlp]

Did you try removing that stuff while in Safe Mode? I just took a load of McrApee stuff off a computer the other day and I know exactly what you mean about the processes popping back up as soon as you kill them. Safe Mode made it possible to remove them. :)

[mtrox]

Did you try removing that stuff while in Safe Mode? I just took a load of McrApee stuff off a computer the other day and I know exactly what you mean about the processes popping back up as soon as you kill them. Safe Mode made it possible to remove them. :)

No but that was on my mental list. After spending about 20 minutes on something that should have taken 5, I found a way. I would have gotten to that at some point though.

[Trogan]

For future reference, here's how to remove McAfee. Not sure how well they work though...

Before uninstalling SecurityCenter, you must uninstall VirusScan, Personal Firewall, Privacy Service, and SpamKiller.

From Mcafee Support:

"If for some reason, you have removed all of your other McAfee programs and SecurityCenter will still not uninstall, do the following:

1. Double-click on My Computer (on some XP systems, click Start - My Computer).
2. Double-click on drive C:
3. Double-click on the Program Files folder
4. Double-click on the mcafee.com folder
5. Double-click on the agent folder
6. Double-click on the app folder
7. Delete any files that end with .adf by right-clicking the file and selecting Delete
8. Use the Control Panel to remove SecurityCenter, as listed above."
9. Use Add / Remove to uninstall SecurityCenter


See also the following page for version 7

http://forums.mcafeehelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=42709

Version 8

http://forums.mcafeehelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=78688

General
http://www.jarra.nl/index.php?p=52

[mtrox]

Before uninstalling SecurityCenter, you must uninstall VirusScan, Personal Firewall, Privacy Service, and SpamKiller.


Interesting advice from Mr. McAfee. In Cntrl Pnl> Add/Remove there was only one McAfee line.....not a separate one for each module. When you click the "Remove" button you get a new window which asks you which one of the various modules you want to remove. No where does it give the advice they just gave you Trogan. So of course you just check all the boxes.

I understand why there should be a safeguard so that no piece of code can do an unattended removal of an anti-v program. But I also shouldn't have to spend half an hour trying the usual methods, then running to the forum.

[Trogan]

I don't like McAfee and lucky for me, I've never had it on my computer. I found those instructions at another site, so I don't know how well they work.

Your right! It shouldn't take no more than 5 mins to uninstall. :(

[mtrox]

I don't like McAfee

There is only one situation where I like McAfee. When Norton is the only other option. That thing's a mess.

Actually Trogan, their enterprise versions are pretty good. If it's a small business I also like their McAfee ASAP managed anti-virus. It leaves a very small footprint and doesn't cause much trouble.

But this trashy little version they send out with Dell is almost as buggy and out-of-control as Norton.

[Trogan]

Some say that its easier to format a new Dell computer, rather than facing the task of trying to fully remove McAfee; would you agree with that?

What AV do you use, btw?

[mtrox]

Some say that its easier to format a new Dell computer, rather than facing the task of trying to fully remove McAfee; would you agree with that?

Well, the only way to reformat now days is the "ghost image" system Dell has...which is excellent by the way. But after you flash a new image you've got McAfee again. I got rid of it yesterday. I would have gone to safe mode but I wanted to play with it and see if there were other ways to do it for future referrence. Now I don't entirely remember how I did it.

What AV do you use, btw? I use the Managed version of McAfee I was talking about. If you haven't seen it go to www.McAfeeASAP.com. A small business can go to a web page and see the status of all of his workstations at a glance. Besides, it seems to be a smaller, less buggy program than the retail thing they sell. But then I have ZA for a firewall and use SpyBot Tea-timer thing to tell me when some hijacker is trying to change my registry.

[lemonlime]

My parents just ordered a Dell. I made sure they paid the extra $10 for the Windows XP home reinstall disc (not the system restore image). I have a feeling I'll be formatting and starting fresh :-/

[Trogan]

...Now I don't entirely remember how I did it...;D

My parents just ordered a Dell. I made sure they paid the extra $10 for the Windows XP home reinstall disc (not the system restore image). I have a feeling I'll be formatting and starting fresh :-/
Sounds like a good idea! :D

[mtrox]

Sounds like a good idea! :D

Ditto!

[Sledgehammer70]

My parents just ordered a Dell. I made sure they paid the extra $10 for the Windows XP home reinstall disc (not the system restore image). I have a feeling I'll be formatting and starting fresh :-/

Let it be noted that the disk will be a Dell windows disc... I had to fight tooth and nail to get them to send me a freaking full windows disc when I got my mom's Dell... and yes I paid the $10 also... hopefully they have changed there ways.

[mtrox]

Let it be noted that the disk will be a Dell windows disc...

Tell me if I'm wrong Sledge, but I haven't noticed a difference. When I've rebuilt with a Dell disk in the past (and it's been a while now) I got a fresh XP with none of the Dell paid advertising crap.

[Armo]

My parents just ordered a Dell. I made sure they paid the extra $10 for the Windows XP home reinstall disc (not the system restore image). I have a feeling I'll be formatting and starting fresh :-/

when i got my dell lappy ( which by the way runs like a scolded dog, after a few tweaks :) ) it had somthing like 53 processes running at startup. i took like 2 hours uninstalling and deleting and using partition magic to eras the dell partition, and all that jazz, now i have like 18 processes and it plays games like a champ

but man, having all that crap on the machine made it run like a p2 with 128mb of ram.