FREE CIS v5.9 / CFP Error

First of all, I LOVE your products. I have installed on my XP Pro SP3 PC and installed it on several of my friends PCs… but here is my question / problem…

Trying to install the FREE CIS v5.9 AV / FireWall / Anti-Malware package ALWAYS causes an error. After the install, the updating and initial scan, the FW shows the “Yellow !” icon in the toolbar.

When I open CIS, the “Yellow !” icon shows in the place of the “Green check-mark” with a message that an error “xxxx” exists.

I run the diagnostics, it does find an issue with the install / setup and “offers” to fix it. But… the dialog window shows “Completed…” but I cannot close the dialog box. I reboot the PC and the “Yellow !” icon returns and Vista Home Premium SP2 shows the “red shield” in the toolbar that the system is at risk.

Tried uninstalling, re-installing, uninstalling, re-installing… no luck - same issue.

Can someone please help me?!

Thanks!

Please try following all of the advice given in this post.

Let us know what you find. Also, please let us know the exact error message that you get.

Thanks.

Please make sure that there are no left overs of previously uninstalled security programs around. Not all uninstallers do a proper job. And left over applications, drivers or services can cause all sort of “interesting effects”.

Following are two of my tutorials to make sure there are no more left overs.

Use existing removal tools (suited for most users)

Try using removal tools for those programs. Here is a list of removal tools for common av programs: ESET Knowledgebase .

Otherwise do a Google search with terms “removal tool” and * name of product or vendor*.

For a more technical hands on approach (for advanced users only):

We are gonna take a look to see if there are some old drivers of your previously uninstalled security programs are still around. First run "set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1’ without the quotes from the command prompt.

Then go to Device Manager → View → show hidden devices → now look under Non Plug and Play drivers → when you see a driver that belongs to your previous security programs click right → uninstall —> reboot your computer. You need to Google the driver’s names to see to what programs they belong to. You don’t want to uninstall Microsoft/Windows related drivers of course; some Microsoft drivers may show up as non active please don’t uninstall them. It is best to make a system restore point before this of course.

When the problem persists make sure there are no auto starts from your previous security programs. Download Autoruns and run it.

This program finds about all auto starts in Windows. This tool can therefore seriously damage Windows when not handled properly. After starting push Escape and go to Options and choose to hide Windows and Microsoft entries, to include empty locations and then push F5 to refresh.

Now check all entries to see if there are references to your previous security program. When you find them untick them. After unticking reboot your computer and see what happens.

Thank You for the quick reply.

I will let you know as soon as possible. Not 100% sure, but the PC in question had Symantec at one time, probably McAfee and probably the Windows provided product.

The PC has also suffered from some malware that was cleaned & removed through a combination of Super Anti-Spyware and Anti-Malware Bytes scanning / removal tools.

Is it safe to try running the removal tools for “several” of the items listed as I am not 100% sure which ones the owner may have downloaded and tried in the past?

-Scott

You can safely run them as they will only look for their own stuff.

On a recent occasion I still found a Norton driver in Non Plug and Play driver after having uninstalled Norton, ran the Norton Cleanup Tool and rebooting the pc.

I also found a Norton driver in that same place on another computer while doing the manual procedure.

Please make sure that there are no left overs of previously uninstalled security programs around. Not all uninstallers do a proper job. And left over applications, drivers or services can cause all sort of “interesting effects”.

Following are two of my tutorials to make sure there are no more left overs.

Use existing removal tools

Try using removal tools for those programs. Here is a list of removal tools for common av programs: ESET Knowledgebase .

Otherwise do a Google search with terms “removal tool (suited for most users)” and * name of product or vendor*.

For a more technical hands on approach (for advanced users only):

We are gonna take a look to see if there are some old drivers of your previously uninstalled security programs are still around. First run "set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1’ without the quotes from the command prompt.

Then go to Device Manager → View → show hidden devices → now look under Non Plug and Play drivers → when you see a driver that belongs to your previous security programs click right → uninstall —> reboot your computer. You need to Google the driver’s names to see to what programs they belong to. You don’t want to uninstall Microsoft/Windows related drivers of course; some Microsoft drivers may show up as non active please don’t uninstall them. It is best to make a system restore point before this of course.

When the problem persists make sure there are no auto starts from your previous security programs. Download Autoruns and run it.

This program finds about all auto starts in Windows. This tool can therefore seriously damage Windows when not handled properly. After starting push Escape and go to Options and choose to hide Windows and Microsoft entries, to include empty locations and then push F5 to refresh.

Now check all entries to see if there are references to your previous security program. When you find them untick them. After unticking reboot your computer and see what happens.