Getting rid of AOL, AIM, Weather Bug, etc.

Factual Questions
1

Is it safe to run a Windows XP search on AOL and then delete everything that comes up? Or is there an easier, more effective way?

A couple of years ago, I did such a search/deletion, and it was quite successful. But I would guess that AOL has gotten more cunning, and bad stuff could happen if I did the same, now.

2

Not all applications properly clean up after themselves when you follow the standard procedures to remove them. Attempting to search for them manually and removing what you find will not do it either, and may actually cause problems with your O/S. While there are various removal tools that you may use, I have yet to find one, or in combination with others, that completely kills all instances of all programs all the time.

The only method that I’ve found that is 100 percent effective is to reformat and reinstall your Windows O/S, including XP.

3

Many programs have their own Uninstall section built in. That’s usually the best way to remove a program. I found the WeatherBug Uninstall by clicking through: Start, my computer; then double-clicking through: local disk C: , program files, AWS, WeatherBug…and ZAM, there’s all the little pieces of WeatherBug. Scroll down to WeatherBug Uninstall, and uh, I didn’t go any farther, because I didn’t want to uninstall mine.

I don’t have AOL anymore, but I remember that they won’t quit billing you unless you notify them ** in writing, by mail.** Over the phone or online doesn’t count with them. Cute loophole, that one.

4

First though…

Thanks to AskNott, I located the Weather Bug Remover as he described. Weather Bug is GONE from my system. See his post above. (AskNott if you’re a female, I beg your pardon.)

Then I did a search on Uninstall AOL (or the other way around, maybe), and discovered they put the AIM uninstall in C;\Program Files\ AIM

Uninstall AOL
Instant M…

In fact, I found two of these. Double clicked on one, watched the hourglass for a long time time, the screen turned the Uninstaller Blue, and then a message came up that said to click the other uninstall AOL icon to complete the uninstall. But of course, this made everything grind to a halt. (They’re so friggin disbolical.)

But I just kept at it double clicking on each one and eventually I got a message that there were a couple of uninstall programs going and I would have to quit one. So I did and by golly I got rid of AIM.

So there you have it. If you want to deep six those programs you can do it.

Now.

My daughter has AIM which was downloaded by a houseguest and it has his profile in it. If she uninstalls the current AIM like I did, and then downloads a “fresh” version, does AOL remember and put in that previous personal profile?

5

It shouldn’t. “Uninstall” means that the files that execute the program, as well as the files that store data for the program (including, in the case of AIM, the screenname profiles on the computer) are gone.

6

Thanks very much. I passed along your comforting words to my daughter.

7

I would suggest gaim, http://gaim.sourceforge.net/

For the most part, it looks exactly like AIM, but doesn’t require you to install any other junk to use it.

8

But you have AIM. Does gaim have some serious shortcomings?

9

No, I have gaim. There are a number of other programs that let you have an AOL screen name, but not have to use the AIM program. Trillian is another that I can think of off the top of my head.

Try it though, there are no little add ons like with AIM, and it is even open source, if you are into that kind of thing.