Nov 29, 2016 Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so you’re free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times. Before installing Microsoft Security Essentials, we recommend that you uninstall other antivirus software already running on your PC.
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There are many different antivirus programs on the market. If an antivirus is already installed on your computer and you want to install a different antivirus on the computer, you must uninstall the current antivirus program first. Below are the steps on how to uninstall an antivirus program.
Caution
Having more than one antivirus program running on a computer at the same time often causes conflicts, resulting in errors, slow performance, and failure to properly detect viruses.
Note
Keep in mind that if you have a subscription with the antivirus company, uninstalling the program may not cancel your subscription.
Tip
If you are uninstalling the antivirus because you believe it is causing problems, you can also temporarily disable the antivirus before uninstalling.
Uninstall through the Start menu
The first way is to utilize the built-in uninstall feature of the program by finding the folder for the antivirus program in your Windows Start menu. To do this, click Start, All Programs, and look for the antivirus program in the list of programs.
When you find the antivirus program in the list, locate the uninstall option, which should be in the same folder. If this is available, click the uninstall option and follow the prompts to complete the uninstallation of the antivirus.
Uninstall through Add or Remove programs
The second way is to utilize Add or Remove Programs.
Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10 users
1. Open the Add or Remove Programs.
2. In the list of installed programs, find the antivirus program and select it by clicking it once with the left mouse button. Once the antivirus program is selected, above the column headers, click the Uninstall option as shown in the picture below to initiate the uninstall process.
Note
2. In the list of installed programs, find the antivirus program and select it by clicking it once with the left mouse button. Once the antivirus program is selected, above the column headers, click the Uninstall option as shown in the picture below to initiate the uninstall process.
Some antivirus programs may be listed several times in the list of programs. Make sure you've uninstalled all associated parts of the antivirus before rebooting the computer or installing another antivirus.
If you're unable to uninstall the antivirus through Add or Remove Programs because of an error, skip to uninstalling from Safe Mode. If the antivirus program is not listed in the Add or Remove Programs, you may have a bad antivirus install or a rogue antivirus.
Windows XP users
1. Open the Add or Remove Programs.
2. In the list of installed programs, find the antivirus program and select it by clicking it once with the left mouse button. To the right of the program name, click the Change/Remove or Uninstall button to initiate the uninstall process.
Note
2. In the list of installed programs, find the antivirus program and select it by clicking it once with the left mouse button. To the right of the program name, click the Change/Remove or Uninstall button to initiate the uninstall process.
Some antivirus programs may be listed several times in the list of programs. Make sure you've uninstalled all associated parts of the antivirus before rebooting the computer or installing another antivirus.
If you're unable to uninstall the antivirus through Add or Remove Programs because of an error, skip to uninstalling from Safe Mode. If the antivirus program is not listed in the Add or Remove Programs, you may have a bad antivirus install or a rogue antivirus.
Uninstalling from Safe Mode
In some cases, the uninstall process may not be able to proceed because the antivirus program is currently loaded and running in Windows. If the program cannot be disabled, uninstall the antivirus in Windows Safe Mode. In Safe Mode, the antivirus program is not loaded and running, making it possible to uninstall using either method mentioned earlier.
Bad antivirus program
![Deleting Deleting](/uploads/1/2/7/1/127170165/430475061.png)
In some situations, a legitimate antivirus program cannot uninstall because it or the software used to uninstall it is corrupt, bad, or missing. In these situations, you must download an uninstaller program from the antivirus scanner company to remove all files associated with the antivirus. Below is a list of known uninstall links for many of the major antivirus scanner companies.
Antivirus | Uninstall Link |
---|---|
Avast | Avast uninstall link. |
AVG | AVG uninstall link. |
Avira | Avira uninstall link. |
BitDefender 2015 | BitDefender 2015 uninstall link. |
BullGuard | BullGuard uninstall link. |
Comodo | Comodo uninstall link. |
Dr. Web | Dr. Web uninstall link. |
eScan | eScan uninstall link (direct download). |
ESET | ESET uninstall link. |
FRISK F-PROT Antivirus | F-PROT uninstall link. |
F-Secure | F-Secure uninstall link. |
G Data | G Data uninstall link. |
Kaspersky | Kaspersky uninstall link. |
K7 Total Security | K7 uninstaller (direct download). |
LavaSoft | LavaSoft uninstall link. |
McAfee | McAfee uninstaller (direct download). |
Norman Virus Control/Norman Security Suite (now part of AVG). | Norman uninstall link. |
Norton antivirus | Norton Antivirus uninstall link. |
Norton Internet Security | Norton Internet Security uninstall link. |
Norton Security Scan | Norton Security uninstall link. |
Panda | Panda uninstaller (direct download). |
Panda Cloud Internet Protection | Panda Cloud uninstall link. |
Sophos | Sophos uninstall link. |
Trend Micro | Trend Micro uninstall link. |
Vipre | Vipre uninstall link. |
Webroot | Webroot uninstall link. |
Windows Live OneCare | Windows Live uninstaller (direct download). |
Windows Security Essentials | MSE uninstall link. |
Zone Alarm | Zone Alarm uninstall forum link. |
Rogue antivirus programs
There is also the possibility that the antivirus program attempting to be uninstalled is actually a spyware or malware. There are fake antivirus programs on the Internet and they can do harm to a computer or help someone steal your information. One of the better-known ones to have plagued many computer users is called AntiVirus 2011.
If your computer is infected malware programs posing as an antivirus program, it is strongly recommended that they be uninstalled. You should run a spyware removal program such as Malwarebytes to clean your computer of any other possible spyware or malware programs.
Additional information
- See our antivirus and uninstall definitions for further information and related links.
It's happened to you, or to somebody you know. An annoying and dangerous virus or bit of malware has wormed its way onto your computer, and it is wreaking havoc. When these type of malicious codes install themselves on your computer, they can rapidly take control of your PC and cause irreversible damage.
Even if you have an up-to-date antivirus running on your computer, sometimes these threats are very hard to find and remove, often masquerading as part of the operating system. For this reason, Microsoft offers Windows Defender Offline, which is a version of its antivirus that you can run from a USB drive to help you remove malicious code that is infecting Windows 10.
In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the process of downloading and creating a bootable USB drive with the stand-alone version of Microsoft's free antivirus app, and we'll show you how to use it to clean up your computer from malicious and unwanted programs.
Making a bootable version of Windows Defender Offline
Before proceeding with this guide, you will need external media, preferably a USB flash drive with at least 1GB of capacity, but you can also use a CD/DVD, or you can create an ISO image. This process will wipe and reformat the drive, so make sure you back up any content on if you want to keep to another location.
Quick Tip: You will need to download the correct version of Windows Defender Offline for the computer you wish to scan. If you don't know which version of Windows 10 is running on your PC, you can easily check by using the Windows Key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app, go to System > About, and you will find the version of Windows 10 under 'System type'.
- Download the Windows Defender Offline installer:
- Once the download completes, double-click the mssstool32.exe or mssstool64.exe depending on your version.
-
The Windows Defender Offline Tool wizard will open, and then click Next to continue.
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After accepting the license agreement, select the type of bootable media you want to create. For this guide, we'll choose the On a USB flash drive that is not password protected option, and click Next.
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If you have more than one USB storage device connected to your computer, you'll be given a drop-down menu to select the drive you want to use. Pick the drive you want to use and click Next.
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Click Next to confirm that the wizard will reformat the USB flash drive.
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Now the necessary files will download, and the wizard will complete creating the Windows Defender Offline bootable media. Then simply click Finish to close the wizard.
Booting your Windows 10 PC using Windows Defender Offline
Before you can use the USB flash drive to perform a scan, you have to make sure your computer is configured to boot from removable media. Typically, this requires hitting the one of the keyboard's function keys (F1, F2, F3, F10, or F12), ESC, or the Delete key during boot to access the BIOS and change the boot order.
If you have a computer using a UEFI BIOS, the steps are a little different. In this case, in Windows 10, you'll need to go to Settings > Update & recovery > Recovery under Advanced startup, click Restart now. Then in the boot menu, click Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart. Your computer will then boot into its BIOS, where you can then change the boot order.
Note that instructions will vary depending on your computer manufacturer. Always check your PC manufacturer's support website for details.
Finally, connect the USB flash drive on the infected computer and restart. Then Windows Defender Offline will start automatically performing a full scan of any virus, rootkit, or a piece of bad software that can be recognized using the latest definition update, just like it would happen when you're running Windows.
Once the scan completes, close the program, remove the USB flash drive, and your computer will automatically reboot.
![Ms antivirus for windows 10 Ms antivirus for windows 10](/uploads/1/2/7/1/127170165/217885832.jpg)
While you can create Windows Defender Offline media at any time, it's recommended that you do this at the time you need to clean an infected computer, this way you will have the latest definition update.
It's important to note that Windows Defender Offline not only works with Windows 10, but you can also use this version of the antivirus on the previous version of the operating system.
Futher reading
For more tips and tricks on Windows 10, and get the latest news, you can visit the following resources:
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