Cannot Delete Microsoft Security Client folder in C:\Program Files

Hey there guys, I'm new here. Wish it had been under better circumstances but hey ho.

I have searched the forums high and low before asking this so please try not to berate me too much!

I naively installed MSE then promptly uninstalled it and got something that offers better protection.

After uninstalling I noticed that the the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Security Client folder was still present and had all the files still in there, including msseces.exe. Though the program seems to be gone and isn't shown under Control Panel, I'd like to delete this folder. I assume this is just Microsoft's inefficiency but I see no reason why this folder should hang around.

When I try to delete it I get the old 'You require permissions from Administrators to make changes to this folder'. Yes, my account is an admin account and I've also tried deleting it by enabling the administrator account in the command prompt, logging in with that account and it still doesn't work. I've also followed the procedure outlined in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPs-1IgztbU and nothing seems to work.

I'm at my wit's end and need the help of you good people. Alternatively, maybe there's a good reason why this folder is still present, in which case maybe someone can apprise me. Oh, I've also tried this method ( Uninstalling Microsoft Security Essentials - Microsoft Community )with the .bat file and it won't delete the files, says permission denied.

Thanks for any help guys!

In the few cases in my installs with MSE which still get infected, I have them upgrade Malwarebytes free scanner to Trial version and then to paid Real Time Protection. None of these have ever gotten infected again and they enjoy perfect performance which is rarely the case with any bloated AV. Just something to keep in mind.

As to the remnants of MSE, it normally uninstalls completely so I'd be tempted to reinstall it for the purpose of seeing if it will uninstall correctly. If not then you may have system corruption.

If all else fails go ahead and Take Ownership of the files needing deletion using Take Ownership Shortcut

I'd also run CCleaner - PC Optimization and Cleaning - Free Download Disk and Registry cleaners to make sure anything else left that's safe to remove is deleted.

Thanks for the response.

I think there's some confusion around the term infected here. My system hasn't been infected by malware or anything similar (other than MSE itself!).

I'd be surprised if it's system corruption as Windows was just installed fresh today on a brand new SSD.

I'll try the take ownership shortcut and let you know but I haven't read good things about trying to delete obsolete folders from the Program Files directory in Windows 7.

I tried CCleaner and it didn't do anything nor identify any old registry entries pertinent to MSE - although that may have been because I did it after running the .bat which removes them.

As suspected, it doesn't work.

Additionally, you can try the removal tool.

Have a look at this,

Microsoft Security Essentials - Uninstall Completely

Make sure you read the Information and Warning boxes at the top.

maybe you could try "delete on reboot", it's a freeware tool.
Normally I uninstall with IO bit uninstaller, which searches any left overs en remove or even shred them.
There is the file protectionsystem of windows, it may prevent deleting or changing system folders.

gregrocker said:

Did you install the Take Ownership shortcut and reboot the PC, rightclick the files which will not delete, Take Ownership, Tick the box shown then try Deleting?

Sometimes you'll need to go into the File folder, take ownership and delete the sub-files before it will complete.

A possibly better solution I'd try first is posted by Derek just below.

I rebooted. No box pops up, a command prompt flashes for about a tenth of a second. I installed the take ownership with pause option.

derekimo said:

Additionally, you can try the removal tool.

Have a look at this,

Microsoft Security Essentials - Uninstall Completely

Make sure you read the Information and Warning boxes at the top.

Thanks, have tried this and it did nothing.

Bernardus said:

maybe you could try "delete on reboot", it's a freeware tool.
Normally I uninstall with IO bit uninstaller, which searches any left overs en remove or even shred them.
There is the file protectionsystem of windows, it may prevent deleting or changing system folders.

Thanks but I should not need a tool to delete a folder on my own system. I have an admin account and what I want to achieve is about as simple as it gets. Windows 7 really is appalling. Does anyone have any idea what actually needs to be done to delete a folder from the program files directory on this ridiculous operating system because even logging in with the hidden admin account fails. So clearly there is something wrong here. People talk about viruses taking over their PCs, well now I know how they feel.

Sounds to me like something from that program is being held in memory, might need to put MSCONFIG in the Run box [press the Windows key + R at the same time] and uncheck everything related to that program then save and reboot and try again.

When all else fails I use a 'brute force' method to remove stubborn files. I boot to a Linux LiveDVD [Linux Mint 17.1], navigate to the Folder and delete it. The downside is there may be error messages when booting to Windows or in a rare instance no boot at all but that depends upon what files are removed.