Live Essentials removal

[Borg 386]

I'm just curious if there is a surefire way of removing Windows Live Essentials for the sys without causing any problems, or if removal of it will cause problems in Win 7.

I've tried the control panel/programs and features and clicked on the uninstall/change...which does nothing.

Using Revo uninstaller, it finds approx over 150 registry entries which I would have to remove. Before taking this course of action, I thought I would ask if anyone has encountered any problems in doing this.
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Also, using Glary Utilities, every time I run the Tracks Eraser program, I find consistent entries such as the following:

C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\E0LGS8G2\SMInstrumentation[1].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\E0LGS8G2\SMAppData[1].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\VGM2Y13R\views[1]
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\IVY26NHR\SMSyncMessage[1].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\IVY26NHR\SMConstantsdef[1].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\8EBD01FA\SMRegistry[2].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\VGM2Y13R\SMUIContainer[1].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\VGM2Y13R\SMSystemData[1].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\VGM2Y13R\SMVersion1[1].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\8EBD01FA\SMClientDB[1].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\E0LGS8G2\SMSubscriptionData[1].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\VGM2Y13R\syncmessage[1].aspx
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\IVY26NHR\SMUtils[1].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\E0LGS8G2\SMProviderEnum[1].vbs
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\IVY26NHR\SMVersionMgr[1].vbs

I'm curious as to what anything to do with IE5 is doing on a win 7 sys that came with IE8.

Any input/ideas would be appreciated - Thank you

 

[Borg 386]

one more note

I'm sorry, I did forget to mention I d/l ed Windows Installer Clean up, unfortunately, Live Essentials is not listed in the programs to remove.

 

[DeaconFrost]

That's the standard name for the folder. It's been Content.IE5 since IE5 and for every version of IE afterwards.

As for the uninstall, I normally follow-up with a sweep of the registry with CCleaner and that's it.

 

[iphone]

Try this:

click Start, and then click in the Start Search text box Type appwiz.cpl, and then press ENTER. Next to Windows Live OneCare Family Safety, click Uninstall or Remove. Follow the on-screen instructions. When the Family Safety program has been uninstalled, restart your computer.

If you havent installed Windows live OneCare Family Safety, install it and the uninstaller should be there

 

[CassieFWinTeam]

Hi Borg, Try following these steps to uninstall:

Start
Control Panel
Programs
Programs and Features
Windows Live Essentials
Click change/remove
It will then give you the option to pick which ''essentials" you want to remove.

Let us know if you were able to successfully uninstall!

Cheers,
Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach

 

[Borg 386]

Hi, First off, sorry if I wasted anyone's time, I'm new to the site & didn't realize there were other posts about this. And I'm a little sick.

That's the standard name for the folder. It's been Content.IE5 since IE5 and for every version of IE afterwards.

DeaconFrost - Thank you, I was wondering about that. The weird thing is I have researched the *.VBS extensions and I can find very little on them (SMAppData[1].vbs, Etc). I'm wondering if this will go away once I remove Live Essentials. I very rarely use IE, and these entries appear even when I don't use it.

CassieFWinTeam - I have tried that and all windows does is 'blink" and that's it, nothing happens. I think iphone may have something, perhaps the uninstaller is missing. From various posts, I have ascertained that in some cases you need to install the entire Essentials and then uninstall them.

My system is a Dell which came configured with all too much junk (as they all do nowadays....LOL). I have disabled various unneeded items but I do not believe I stepped on any files concerning Live Essentials.

Not that's it's doing anything bad, it's just I don't have any use for most of the features and why take up space on the HD when you're not using them? About the only things I use my PC for is watching Vids, writing Java Code, Playing the occasional online game & trying to write the Great American Novel my writing teacher wants :sarc:. Oh yeah...and my online classes.

Thanks everyone for the input so far.

 

[Teerex]

I don't quite understand what the OP is trying to remove.. :shock: The link from the start menu? Messenger and Live Mail? Live Safety Scanner?

 

[Borg 386]

Teerex - I'm trying to remove the entire Live Essentials (Live Call, Mail, Photo Gallery, Writer, Messenger). I really don't use them. Actually I don't even have the safety scanner listed.

 

[Teerex]

You can remove it using the uninstaller in the Programs and Features, as Cassandra has described it to you.. They are completely separate from Windows 7, and removing all and any of them will not cause any problems.

 

[iphone]

You can remove it using the uninstaller in the Programs and Features, as Cassandra has described it to you.. They are completely separate from Windows 7, and removing all and any of them will not cause any problems.

live essential installer wont be there, its named after one care! install the whole pack and uninstall one care and everything will be gone

 

[DeaconFrost]

live essential installer wont be there, its named after one care! install the whole pack and uninstall one care and everything will be gone

I think you are still confusing two separate products. I have the Live Essentials package on several computers because I use a few of the apps, and I don't have the One Care entry on any of them. The exact entry is called Windows Live Essentials, and it allows you to remove, add, or repair any of the apps. Below is a screencap from my list in Windows 7 Ultimate x64.

 

[Borg 386]

That's it DeaconFrost, I don't have the One Care and anytime I go to the programs & features list and try to click the Uninstall/Change, it just sits there, I hear the HD doing something...and then nothing. I don't get any warnings or anything. I have Win 7 Home Premium...if that makes any diff. I am the only one on this PC and have full admin privys set. Might be some little thing I forgot to set somewhere? Either that, or maybe there's a file missing & I would have to install the whole darn thing just to get rid of it?

 

[Teerex]

Oh, I didn't get it... there IS such an entry in Programs and Features, but it is disfunctional?

You can use the Run command and the uninstall codes provided here, at this site.

edit: I usually use them to uninstall Search Enhancement Pack and ChoiceGuard.

 

[Borg 386]

Alright Teerex, I'll give that a try as soon as the page gets back online (saw it yesterday, didn't try anything, today it's having probs loading). I'm wondering if those cmds will work, since it's for XP...but, only one way to find out. Yeah, that's been the whole problem here, the edit/uninstall feature is there, but when you click on it, nothing happens. I could do a cmd line deltree on it, but I'm wondering what other systems files that's going to take with it.

 

[Teerex]

Funny, the page was quite all right yesterday.. something is wrong with Live.com I guess :huh:

'Bout the technique. It is Windows version independent, those commands you will get there are instructions to Microsoft Installer to remove a component, like this:

msiexec /x {CE9F6433-6B28-4441-89C2-B38E88B16E53}

They will get rid of the Live Essentials components all right, I don't know what to do about that entry in Programs and Features.

 

[Teerex]

Borg, you can use the Google cache of the page.

Also, I see that there's a command to remove the Essentials installer itself. I've tested (some of) these on my Windows 7 and they work.

 

[Borg 386]

OK...now we're getting somewhere. Thanx for the link Rex, it worked

Whenever I try to run those commands, I get the "are you sure" message,

followed by "this action is only valid for products that are currently installed".

I'll bet credits to navy beans that they shipped this with only the very basics and left it up to me to install the rest.

Either that, or it was supposed to install automatically and I prevented it.

So from the looks of it right now, I have fragments of Live Essentials.

Crazy world ain't it?

 

[Teerex]

Whenever it gives you that message, that component doesn't exist on the system, it's been uninstalled already. The Windows Installer removes the installation package itself when it finishes the uninstallation of the product.

Go through the list carefully, because there are some dependencies, for example, don't uninstall Segoe UI, it's a part of Windows now. It isn't in XP. He says it all in the descriptions.

 

[Borg 386]

Yeah, I tried to run 3 of the commands and got the same message. However, when I tried to remove the Live Mail, after I got the message, I clicked on it & it came up. Very odd. I have the folder C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Mail\wlmail.exe", so it's there, just doesn't want to leave for some reason...guess it would miss me? LOL That folder also has the writer, toolbar, messenger, installer, contacts & photo gallery. Weird how it won't come out of there. I think at this point I have a couple options. I can run Revo & try to delete all the reg keys & hope it doesn't mess it up too bad (thank heavens for restore point) I can try the cmd line & use Deltree & see if that roots it out Or I can d/l the entire kitten kaboodle and then uninstall it. Either that or I just got a thought, I could trace down the reg keys & see if they correspond with the commands, and if they don't, then I can change the command to match the reg key. Life gives you choices doesn't it?

 

[Borg 386]

Well Teerex,

Guess when I do this it'll either solve the prob or bite me in the ass.

Revo lists 4045 reg entries for Live Essentials. I thought I might try removing them one at a time, but when you drag it in Hunter mode to the folder and put it over the exe, it wants to delete explorer.

So then I made a shortcut for Live mail & thought that might work. Apparently it reads the whole Live Essentials package.

So I'll let you know what happens when I give it a shot. Thanx for the help