Adobe Reader

[Guest Shane0500]

I've uninstalled Adobe Reader X with Revo Uninstaller, but I still find files/folders related to adobe reader, which I cannot delete because I need SYSTEM permission to delete the folder, I will next try to delete the files in safe mode and see if that works, and with CCleaner, the Adobe Acrobat 10.0 link still remains.

[hazelnut]

Did you not consider using Adobes own uninstaller to delete the software?

 

Perhaps reinstall, go into the Adobe program folder and try running the uninstaller in there as admin.

 

Also did you have Adobe Acrobat installed beforehand 'cause you don't actually need it installed to run Reader X.

[Guest Shane0500]

The first time I removed it, was with the built-in uninstaller, and when I first installed Reader, I downloaded from filehippo, and installed, which automatically put the Acrobat link in CCleaner under Applications.

 

I re-downloaded from filehippo a second time, and removed it with Revo, deleted all the files/folders it found, but I'm still finding files/folders related to adobe reader, and the acrobat link remains in CCleaner.

 

There is also a service "Adobe Acrobat Update Service" that is running, "AdobeARMservice", which brings me to the process "armsvc.exe" using up 3000k memory.

 

Should I stop the service, kill the process, reboot, then delete the other files located in C: > Program Files > Adobe > Reader 10.0 (sub-folder)?

 

A window pops-up:

 

"Folder Access Denied"

"You need permission to perform this action"

"You require permission from SYSTEM to make changes to this folder" although the user account has full admin privileges.

[hazelnut]

Try logging on as admin.

 

Are you on Windows7?

 

It would be a good idea to stop the services before trying to uninstall.

 

Info on armsvc.exe (which you may have already read)

 

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/865439

 

Thing is that if the uninstaller has been corrupted your only option may be to reinstall over the top to try and repair it.

 

Do you by any chance have a system restore point available from before the install?

[Guest Shane0500]

1. Disabled the service, the process is no longer running, still getting the "Folder Access Denied" message

2. I am the administrator

3. IE has the adobe activeX plugin installed, and I cannot remove it, but only disable it

4. In Services list (not in task manager) Adobe Acrobat Update Service has error code 2 failed to read description, I will run the registry cleaner and reboot.

[Corona]

This obsession to remove 2k of a file...where does it come from? I could understand if you were running Win95 or Win93. XP is a bit more generous. Vista way more so. Win 7 way way more so. So, is this like a Monk thing? Step on a crack break your mothers' back?

[Guest Shane0500]

I cant help but feel a bit insulted, but you probably mean nothing by it. I also do not know what you mean by XP is generous and 7 is way way more so, just trying to figure out how this stuff is left on my system, trying to learn about technology, I remove something, only to have traces left behind, and I would just love to know why.

[hazelnut]

You still haven't mentioned what is your operating system. Can you please say what it is. If it is win 7 please see this statement

 

In Windows 7, even though you are using an Administrator account, you are still running as a Standard User until you elevate a process to use your Administrator privileges

 

Did you try righ-click 'run as admin' on the uninstaller?

[Corona]

No insult meant toward you Shane. I have a twisted sense of humor, and for some reason the show "Monk" popped into my mind.

By "more generous" I meant C drives (not the actual OS's) have been getting bigger & bigger over the years so the worry over gaining more drive space by eliminating non-essential files has dropped quite a lot, for me anyway.

[Guest Shane0500]

Hazel, I did not right click run as administrator, as the user account is admin, I don't know what could be different with the two.

 

Corona, I LOVE THAT SHOW, I do however have a small 78GB HD.

 

Windows 7 SP1 32-Bit

1 User Account (Admin level)

 

And UAC is completely shut off

[Corona]

I wish I could help you with that "Administrators" thing but I'm as clueless about it as most people are. Well, except for the gang that runs this place, like Hazelnut and all.

I had an old beast of a desktop since 1999 that came with WinME, changed to XP, and used that till October last year when it finally died. 80 gigabytes. Now I got Win 7 desktop with a terabyte drive, tons of ram. Big difference.

 

"It's a blessing.....but it's a curse." Heh.

[pwillener]

Hazel, I did not right click run as administrator, as the user account is admin, I don't know what could be different with the two.

Windows 7 admin accounts are not exactly the same as they were in earlier Windows systems.

 

Your account may be an admin account, but it's a limited admin account.

 

To run an application / installer / uninstaller as the full Administrator, you must use the method that Hazelnut has mentioned.

[Mr.anonymous]

I've uninstalled Adobe Reader X with Revo Uninstaller, but I still find files/folders related to adobe reader, which I cannot delete because I need SYSTEM permission to delete the folder, I will next try to delete the files in safe mode and see if that works, and with CCleaner, the Adobe Acrobat 10.0 link still remains.

 

You said the issues are leftover files and folders, however if you lack access, at least from my experience under win 7, if its not possible to access or delete such folders or files, you can tray a few things. They can occur in various occassions, like in mine in a failed windows update recently or other random occasions rarely, I found the folder by coincidence, checked it since I didnt know it, and found I had no access rights, later to find it was the microsoft framework update that for some reason failed.

 

Dealing with this I know 2 options you can try(at least under win 7 in my problems it worked): Right click the file or folder you wish to delete, properties, then safety. There you get the users displayed and the current rules and which rights they have, give your current user/s, System and/or admin the full rights, save and close, try again to delete them, should definitely work now. If the boxes are grayed out and you cant change them, then you would need to tweak with advanced user?s settings, sorry but here my knowledge ends unfortunately^^ Havent figured that one out yet... Oh and notice(at least under vista/7), that even if you are logged in as admin, have full admin rights for the programm, doesnt means it works. Certain programms need also system and/or user rights to run, if it doesnt have them even as admin, general permission is denied in this case.

 

But theres another method of altering it deletable, with a very easy trick I developed when thinking and experementing on a way to get rid of it and at least browse and view subfolders: Simply cut out the files or folders, and paste them in a folder you made(anywhere outside the main folder with the "problem", creating a new desktop folder for example is fast and easy). When packed into a new folder, this will totally change theyre overall users access rights to the typical "windows standard", then its no problem to delete them at all(worked fine in my case at least, thanks to this I could analyze and get rid of the failed update installing leftovers). Try this and see if it works, hope this helps you.

[arejfour]

I seem to have the same problem. I updated to AR 10.1.4 from AR 9.1.3 and found some left over 9.0 files that I could not remove with the st'd windows uninstaller so I tried using Revo and got rid of most of the folders but there are still bits and pieces left over that Revo can't remove. I checked with Dell and it had something to do with permission problems. Dell can't figure it out either. I tried creating a separate folder, as suggested above, and copying and pasting the offending folders. I could delete the new folder, but, the old folders are still there. At this point I gave up and just put them in the AR 10 program folder-out of sight out of mind. Also, why does CC still show an Adobe Acrobat 8 and Adobe Acrobat 10 in applications when AA 8 doesn't exist?

[hazelnut]

It may be worth uninstalling all Adobe Readers from your machine and then running this

 

http://labs.adobe.co...batcleaner.html

 

Bear in mind any uninstaller would not be able to uninstall things that are not where they were installed to (I say that as you mention you have put folders of leftovers inside other folders etc)

 

Then do a fresh install of 10.1.4 from here

 

http://www.filehippo...d_adobe_reader/

[Nergal]

nice find on that cleaner Hazelnut

[mta]

my method to delete stubborn folders in Win7 (same theory in earlier OS's but the keystrokes change obviously).

 

right click the folder

select Properties

click the Security tab

click Edit...

then Add...

in Enter the object names to select type Everyone and click OK

that'll take you back to the previous window, now click the Full control box and hit OK

 

now click Advanced

on the Permissions tab, click Change Permissions

tick Replace all child oject permissions with inheritable permissions from the object

clcik OK and Yes to Do you wish to Continue?

 

now go to the Auditing tab and click Continue

click Add

type in Everyone, hit OK

tick Full control and OK

tick Replace all existing....... and OK

 

now go to the Owner tab

Edit...

Other users or groups...

type Everyone, OK

select Everyone in the Change Owner to: box

tick Replace owner on subcontainers and objects and OK

hit OK to the WIndows Security Alert popup.

 

and lastly, go to the Effective Permissions tab

click Select

type Everyone, OK

click OK again

then OK again on the last box and that should be it

 

 

One or more of those steps may not be required but I know if I follow all of them that I can delete a folder that previously gave me the you can't do that message.

 

hope that helps.

[Super Fast]

You may delete the leftover references to it in the registry via Start/Run/Regedit & enter.

 

Under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\(Adobe product(s) here) & HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\(Adobe product(s) here), delete the leftover adobe keys.

 

Cedrick Collombs Unlocker program should be able to delete the files you are having problems deleting, with no problem.

If problems deleting occur, it will offer to delete on reboot & they will be gone.

[pwillener]

Then do a fresh install of 10.1.4 ...

Or install the latest Adobe Reader XI from ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/11.x/11.0.00/

[Super Fast]

Or install the latest Adobe Reader XI from ftp://ftp.adobe.com/...n/11.x/11.0.00/

 

What if he just wants to use Sumatra PDF (or similar) & wants to be rid of Adobe bloatware?

[hazelnut]

What if he just wants to use Sumatra PDF (or similar) & wants to be rid of Adobe bloatware?

 

I don't see anywhere where he mentioned he wanted to use other ones or receive suggestions for them.

 

This thread is about Adobe and user issues when uninstalling it, keep on topic please.

[pwillener]

That of course is anyone's choice...