killing qttask.exe

[hunter]

Hello!

I'm trying to completely remove any trace of Quicktime from a couple
of XP computers.

QT had been installed and then uninstalled without my knowledge.
Consequently, now I can't remove the QT icon in the system tray
because of course it was running when the program was uninstalled and
it wasn't removed and now I can't even go and uncheck the 'show icon
in system tray' box or disable the automatic updates.

I've tried using Spybot to prevent qttask from running but it just
seems to duplicate itself. I've tried using Windows Startup to prevent
it from starting but no dice. I thought I'd finally gotten rid of it
by deleting the remnant QuickTime folder in the Program folder.

In a feat of resurrection that would do Lazarus proud, the stupid
f*cking icon has reappeared in the system tray. Is there any way I can
get rid of it short of reinstalling this piece of crap software?
Though I'm very reluctant to reinstall it....

And how in the name of the seven hells did it reappear?

Many thanks in advance!

/hunter

 

[Daave]

Hello!

I'm trying to completely remove any trace of Quicktime from a couple
of XP computers.

QT had been installed and then uninstalled without my knowledge.

And therein lies the problem. It was never truly uninstalled. You need
to reinstall, then uninstall. You could always muck around with the
registry, etc., but it's not as thorough as a *proper* uninstall.

Personally, I like to also use RegCleaner (the version at the link below
is free) *after* an uninstall if I suspect there are some stubborn
registries left over:

http://www.capetechsupport.com/download.htm

Caveat, though:

Learn how the registry works first! Once you do, you will find that
RegCleaner is capable of finding leftover traces of *specific* programs
(e.g., qttask.exe). Additionally, there is an undo feature in the event
you make a change you shouldn't have.

But please stay away from snake-oil "registry" cleaners that claim to
find hundreds of errors and can speed up your PC (for a fee) ; that's
all a bunch of BS, and they're likely to do more harm than good.

Finally, nine times out of ten, it's not at all necessary to delete
stray registry references after uninstalling a program.

 

[Daave]

Personally, I like to also use RegCleaner (the version at the link
below is free) *after* an uninstall if I suspect there are some
stubborn registries left over:

make that...

stubborn registry entries

 

[Rock]

Hello!

I'm trying to completely remove any trace of Quicktime from a couple
of XP computers.

QT had been installed and then uninstalled without my knowledge.
Consequently, now I can't remove the QT icon in the system tray
because of course it was running when the program was uninstalled and
it wasn't removed and now I can't even go and uncheck the 'show icon
in system tray' box or disable the automatic updates.

I've tried using Spybot to prevent qttask from running but it just
seems to duplicate itself. I've tried using Windows Startup to prevent
it from starting but no dice. I thought I'd finally gotten rid of it
by deleting the remnant QuickTime folder in the Program folder.

In a feat of resurrection that would do Lazarus proud, the stupid
f*cking icon has reappeared in the system tray. Is there any way I can
get rid of it short of reinstalling this piece of crap software?
Though I'm very reluctant to reinstall it....

And how in the name of the seven hells did it reappear?

Have you removed it from the Run key in the registry?
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

 

[hunter]

Daave and Rock, thanks for the information!

I'm loathe to have to reinstall QT but I suppose I'll have to if I
want to fully and properly uninstall it (I'm assuming I'll have to use
the QT uninstall and not the Windows Add/Remove programs?). My
computer knowledge is only a smidgeon above basic and therefore I'm
pretty nervous about doing anything with the registry 'cause I *know*
I have to be careful with that.

I'm just appalled by the fact that this program is lurking around in
the registry. I can understand that kind of behavior from malware but
a legit program like QT....? <shakes head>

/hunter

 

[Daave]

Daave and Rock, thanks for the information!

I'm loathe to have to reinstall QT but I suppose I'll have to if I
want to fully and properly uninstall it (I'm assuming I'll have to use
the QT uninstall and not the Windows Add/Remove programs?). My
computer knowledge is only a smidgeon above basic and therefore I'm
pretty nervous about doing anything with the registry 'cause I *know*
I have to be careful with that.

I'm just appalled by the fact that this program is lurking around in
the registry. I can understand that kind of behavior from malware but
a legit program like QT....? <shakes head>

hunter,

I know you're not crazy about the idea of reinstalling, but it's
actually quite painless.

Furthermore, once you reinstall Quick Time, you will find it's
unobtrusive--as long as you configure it properly. In other words, the
annoying behaviors you described will be gone. Instructions can be found
at:

http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_q.htm

Just scroll down to Qttask.

Uninstalling is always an option as well. In your original post, you
indicated that someone else had installed QT. My guess is they didn't
uninstall it properly; very likely they just deleted some folders! But
if you reinstall it, the option to properly uninstall it should be
there.

The normal way to uninstall applications is via Add/Remove Programs. In
certain situations, it's possible (or even necessary) to run the
uninstall executable file directly, but it's a good rule of thumb to
attempt to do it the standard way first.

Since you're uncomfortable altering the registry, I would avoid doing
so, then, if I were you. Perhaps at some point in the future you may
wish to explore it. If you do, always remember to back up! The easiest
way may be to use a program like Acronis True Image to image your hard
drive; this way, you have nothing to lose. Other options are to save
your System State or run ERUNT before messing with the registry.
Registry editing is straightforward, but it can be risky if you don't
know what you're doing! And like I mentioned in my other post,
RegCleaner is always an option. I like RegCleaner because it allows you
to undo registry changes. Plus it allows you to alter *specific*
registry entries.

But usually there's no need to muck around in the registry if you don't
need to. I'll bet properly uninstalling QT will also get rid of
annoyances like qttask.exe.

Good luck!

 

[Daave]

Daave and Rock, thanks for the information!

Hey, Rock, it looks like the MS news server didn't carry your post:

Message-ID: <[email protected]>

What's up with Microsoft?!

 

[Rock]

Hey, Rock, it looks like the MS news server didn't carry your post:

Message-ID: <[email protected]>

What's up with Microsoft?!

They're showing some good taste and discrimination, perhaps?

 

[Daave]

They're showing some good taste and discrimination, perhaps?

Apparently, as they sometimes ignore me, too!