how do I uninstall antispyware

[franksg]

In my haste to download the new beta antispy, I didn't read
the system requirements (I have Windows 98). How do I
uninstall this program? Can't find it on the programs list
when I go through Start>Settings>Control Panel>Ad/Remove
Programs. If it's on the list, it's not clearly identified.

 

[Guest]

It's in the list under Windows XP: Microsoft Antispyware.

 

[Franksg]

I checked under Add/Remove Programs. There is no listing
for Windows XP: Microsoft Antispyware in the software
list. I have the following listed:
Microsoft VGX Q833989
Microsoft XML Parser SDK

Nothing in there that says antispyware. I know the
program downloaded because I went through the download
process. Now I want to get it off completely since my
computer is starved for disk space. thanks

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Frank - I believe you are confusing two different products:

The Malicious Software Removal Tool, which you can read about here:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

is offered by Windows Update, and AutoUpdate.

When downloaded from those sources it behaves as specified in this note,
from the above URL
---------------------
Note The version of this tool delivered by Windows Update runs in the
background and then deletes itself. If you would like to run this tool more
than once a month, use the version on this Web page or install the version
that is available in the Download Center.
--------------------

To be sure this was what you downloaded, check the following locations: 1)
%windir%\debug\mrt.log If this log exists, it indicates that this tool has
run on your machine and gives a date and time.

2) You can tell whether the tool has been run on your machine, and control
whether it is run again (bearing in mind that it runs and deletes itself)
using the following information, which is excerpted from this KB reference
for Enterprise situations:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891716
---------------------------------------
Q2. How do I verify whether the removal tool has run on a client computer?

A2. You can examine the following registry key to verify the execution of
the tool. Note that you can implement such a check as part of a startup or
logon script. This will prevent the tool from running multiple times.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\RemovalTools\MRT with value named
"Version".

Every time the tool is executed, independent of the results of the
execution, the tool will record a GUID to the registry to indicate that it
has been executed. The following table lists the GUID corresponding to each
release.

Release Value Data
January 2005 E5DD9936-C147-4CD1-86D3-FED80FAADA6C


Q3. How can I block this update from being sent to my computers through
Automatic Updates?

A3. You can set the registry key described in Q2, and the tool will not
appear on Windows Update or on Automatic Updates.
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