Hi everyone, I’m one of the many poor buggers who tried to install CFP version 3.0.14.276, and have been hung up ever since. There are hints on a few threads that Comodo might issue an uninstaller to cleanly remove my previous version so that I can install (maybe!) V3.0.15. If so I’m gonna wait it out and run that program if and when it comes and save myself probably a couple of hundred dollars hiring a techie to try to deal with this nonsense. I’m just not savvy enough to do it, and by the looks of it some pretty savvy others have been having their share of troubles too.
Can someone tell me if I’m dreaming? If so I’ll get on the phone tomorrow and get someone here so I can pay them to fix my free firewall.
Thanks for getting right on this Comodo (:CLP)
Sarcasm aside, thanks in advance for any knowledgeable replies to this post. Bryan
I use Zsoft Uninstaller for all programs (with some exceptions that don’t install any registry keys), including CFP 3.0.14.276 that I"m using right now. It was one of the first things I prepared after nLiting my XP. What ZU does is take snapshots of all your files & registries before and after something is installed, thereby ensuring a clean uninstall when you later decide to. I have a snapshot log of it if you want just in case :-La
We realize that not everyone is comfortable working on the Windows Registry. Ragwing’s batch file was developed in response to that need. There is no question that Comodo should develop and make available a standalone uninstaller, similar to the tools that have been created by Norton and Symantec over the past five or six years.
In the meantime, try Ragwing’s batch file – it was updated about 10 days ago with additional registry keys tagged for removal. It is currently the closest thing we have at moment to a standalone uninstaller.
Post back and, if you have additional concerns or encounter problems, I will be glad to work with you over the weekend to fix your problem.
Backup your system partition using software (not free) from Acronis, Paragon, O&O, etc. This approach is definitely worth the money and time invested. This will not solve your current problem, but will easily solve many similar problems in the future.
Where’ve you been all my life ??? Not that I need it now since backing up an entire hard drive with gigs of data would require multiple CD’s and can be daunting. That’s why progs like ZU only capture a specific change at a certain stage of your system may be more useful.
Anyway, what bshaw seems to be seeking/hoping is a more thorough uninstaller from CFP itself? If so we should cease referring to other products here (:SHY)
Well, this sure has been an education. I followed all of the suggestions posted, and downloaded zsoft and revo, along with ccleaner, and ran them all. Then I read USSS’s original uninstall post and followed the instructions carefully, including doing all the restore points, and backing up my registry. Since the other uninstall app’s didn’t remove all of the keys necessary and I was still having the same problems (3minutes to load firefox, couldn’t reinstall comodo, error messages, plus my windows security panel showed comodo was still working-impossible!) I ran Ragwing’s batch file. It worked!!! I was hesitant to install v.277, but in spite of these problems it seems to be a great product, so I crossed my fingers and everything seems to be back to 100%. Thanks so much to everyone. Now I have two questions:
[li]There were still four keys(?) left in the registry in the root file that seemed to be related to comodo: CMDAGENT, CMDGUARD, CMDHLP, and CMDMON. I left them there and downloaded .277 anyway, since they didn’t seem to be causing any problems. any thoughts?
Any recommendations on a trustworthy registry cleaner, preferably free, that works? I tried a few but the free versions won’t remove very much. [list[/left][/lThanks again, Bryan
Good news, indeed. Glad v.277 seems to be working well for you, Bryan.
The four keys you referenced are the LEGACY keys that are very difficult to remove. It’s a moot point, however, since they are reinstated once CFP is reinstalled. Leaving them intact after uninstallation will do no harm to your system.
As for a good free registry cleaner, I used ccleaner six or seven years ago, and have since migrated to jv16 PowerTools ($30; www.macecraft.com). Macecraft also publishes RegSupreme ($12.95) and RegSupreme Pro ($16.95). RegSupreme might be the most inexpensive option, and it also creates automatic backups of your deleted keys.
Take the money you might’ve spent on another brand of firewall and invest it instead into one of the tools above.
About those legacy keys - you can delete them by granting yourself Full Control by right-clicking on each key. There have been cases reported where users claimed it fixed their problem. I personally just clean everything related to CFP since I’m a clean freak (ask LA), but also think they are harmless.
There are a few registry cleaner threads in the General board already, so best to continue over there. Just be careful with what you delete and backup before touching the registry.
I too use RegSeeker. It is free, will automatically create a backup (it’s set to do so by default) before deletion, and typically seems to get more than other freebies. I’ve run it after ccleaner and still it finds more to delete. I’ve run ccleaner after it and found nothing.
As for paid, jv16 seems to be well-recommended.
Soya, you shouldn’t be using a drive that’s too big anyway… the technology is still the same, so today’s larger drives have a much higher failure rate than they used to… I’d draw the limit at 250 GB (if even that much), use a 2nd physical drive for data anyway (not a partition), and a 3rd one for creating clones on. If you don’t have that many bays, you can buy a SATA/IDE to USB interface so you can use an internal drive externally (costs about $25 US) for your backups (much cheaper than buying external drives).
If you have at least 1 Seagate or Maxtor HD you can get v10 of Acronis (Seagate Disc Wizard or Maxtor MaxBlast) from the manufacturer’s site (either app. will work with either make of HD) and then clone your HD.
Be aware that Acronis does install some services that are associated with scheduling; these can be set to on-demand so that they don’t start with Windows.