How to Deactivate an Antivirus

Antivirus programs are extremely vital system tools that protect you computer from daily threats such as spyware, Trojans, virus and worms. They monitor your computer in real-time and notify you of potential threats attempting to gain access to your computer. They can also block Internet processes, and interfere with certain applications that rely on the Internet to function. In this case, you can deactivate your antivirus program from its control panel or using Windows system tools.

Instructions

1. Locate your antivirus application's icon on the system tray located on the lower right of your computer screen. Right-click the icon and click "Disable" to temporarily turn off your antivirus program. Some programs require you to launch the application and click "Disable real-time protection" or " Disable auto-protect" on the main panel.

2. Terminate the antivirus programs executing process from the task manager as an alternative. To do so, press "Ctrl," "Alt" and "Delete" together. Click the "Processes" tab. Your antivirus programs process should be listed in this list (for example, as norton.exe or avg.exe). Scroll down and highlight your program. Click "End Process."

3. Stop your antivirus program from the Services console as another alternative to deactivating it. To do so, click the Windows "Start" button and click "Run" (Windows XP users) or "Start Search" (Windows Vista users). Type "services.msc" (without quotes) and press "Enter" to launch the Services console.

4. Scroll down and right-click your antivirus program. Click "Properties." Click "Stop" to deactivate it. Click "OK" to save the changes. Close the Services console. To prevent your antivirus program from launching at computer startup, click the Windows "Start" button and click "Run" (Windows XP users) or "Start Search" (Windows Vista users). Type "msconfig" (without quotes) and press "Enter" to launch the System Configuration Utility.

5. Click the "Startup" tab and remove a check from your antivirus program. Click "OK" to save the changes. Restart your computer. The antivirus program is now deactivated and does not launch automatically at computer startup.

References

• Disabling antivirus program
• Services Console