How to Uninstall Anti-Virus Software

It is important to protect your computer system or network with effective anti-virus software. The anti-virus program scans your email, keeping your computer or network safe. This type of software identifies and eliminates computer viruses and other malicious software such as spyware, worms and Trojan horses. Uninstalling your anti-virus protection software is not a good practice; consider temporarily disabling it when necessary.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Open your control panel by going to the "Start" menu and selecting "Settings." Then select "Control Panel."

2. Double-click on "Add or Remove Programs," and the Add or Remove Programs window will open.

3. Locate your anti-virus software by scrolling down. All programs installed on this computer are in alphabetical order, making them easy to find.

4. Click on the anti-virus software to highlight it.

5. Select the "Remove" option. An Add or Remove Program window will open, giving you the option to change your mind or confirm.

6. Acknowledge and confirm that you do want to remove the anti-virus program from your computer by selecting "Yes." When this task completes, your Add or Remove Program window will return, and the anti-virus software will no longer appear in the list of programs on your computer.

7. Close out of the Add or Remove Program window and the Control Panel.

Tips & Warnings

• For some anti-virus programs, you must download an uninstall program from the company's website to completely remove the program from your computer.
• Without having the anti-virus software installed on your computer, your data is at greater risk.

Resources

• Anti-virus software reviews

[gurupappio]

on 6/28/2008 I'm just trying to download Internet Explorer 7, and I need to temporarily disable virus & spyware to do so. I know there is a way, and I don't want to uninstall anything!