How to remove an ISP

Getting rid of an unwanted Internet service provider account from your
PC can be a tricky process - sometimes they just won't say goodbye

With so many free internet service providers (ISPs) around, the temptation is to sign up with several and try them all until you find the one that suits you While Windows doesn't mind you signing up to multiple ISP accounts,
Having more than a couple of ISPs installed on your computer can get a bit confusing. It's certainly a case of 'easy come', but it's not always a case of 'easy go' when the time comes to rid your computer of unwanted ISP connections.
Although most ISPs supply their software on a CD-ROM, if you use Windows 98 or Windows Me, very little new software is actually installed on your computer when you add an ISP.
So uninstalling an ISP doesn't remove much at all. The key changes an ISP's software makes to your PC are largely to do with configuration- they'll add a new Dial-up Networking connection and they might customise both Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, adding things such as their company logos to the toolbars.
Another thing to bear in mind is that removing an ISP account won't affect the emails you've received so far - they remain safe on your computer.
What will disappear are all your personal settings for that ISP, so before deleting them for good, note down the ISP phone number your username, password and so on, just in case. If you use the internet a lot, you may have bitten the bullet and signed up to a paid-for internet connection service.
This will cost you a monthly fee, but all those local call charges will disappear as you will connect using an 0800 number. Don't get all blase about ditching your 'free' services though. It's good to leave at least one as a back-up in case you get an engaged tone for your main service and need to connect in a hurry.

Step 1

Double-click on the My Computer icon(1) on your Desktop, open up the Dial-up networking folder and left-click to select the ISP's icon that you want to get rid of. Press the Delete key and a confirmation box will pop up, Click on Yes.(2)

Step 2

If the icon you deleted was set up as your default Internet connection, you need to select another ISP as your default option.

To do this, right click on the Internet Explorer icon on your Desktop and select Properties,(1) The Internet Properties dialogue box will pop up. If you have more than one ISP remaining, click on the Connections tab,(2) and select the ISP in the Dial-up Settings window that you want to be your main connection to the net.
Click in the checkbox next to Always Dial My Default Connection,(3) and hit the Set Default button.(4)

Step 3

We now have to remove the old ISP's email settings. Open Outlook Express and click on the Tools menu. Click on Accounts,(1) and the Internet Accounts dialogue box pops up. Select the Mail tab(2) to display just your email accounts.
Select the email account you want to remove and click the Remove button.(3) If you have more than one account remaining, select the one you want as the default option and click the Set as Default button.(4)

Step 4

Some ISPs place a shortcut on the Desktop which you can delete by simply dropping it in the Recycling Bin.
The shortcut will probably have its own custom icon and you can delete this from wherever it is stored on your PC - look for files that have the ICO suffix.
You can use the Find Files feature (Windows 98) or Search for Files and Folders (Windows Me) to track down these stray files - search for *.ico. (1)

Step 5

Your ISP may also appear on your Start Menu.
To delete this, click Start, Settings, Taskbar & Start Menu.(1) Then click on the Advanced Tab (2) (the Start Menu Programs tab in Windows 98) and click the Advanced button.(3) On the box that appears, search using the menu tree to the left until you find the menu entries for your ISP and delete them. These are not programs, merely shortcuts to them.

Step 6

Many ISPs apply their own branding to both Internet Explorer and Outlook Express.
To Remove this, look for a folder called SIGNUP (1) On your PC and delete it.
Don't forget, you can always retrieve anything you have deleted until you empty the Recycling Bin.
Some lSPs also apply a toolbar background to Internet Explorer, which is commonly called toolbar.bmp or similar. You can track this down using Find File (as in Step 4) and then simply delete it.

Getting rid of the really tricky stuff

The final step is to remove the customised features some lSPs add to Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. For example, at the top of your browser you might have the text 'Provided by [ISP's name]'. To change this you have to edit the Windows Registry - but if you make a mistake here, it could seriously affect your Windows set-up. If you're at all unsure, we
recommend you skip this step.If you're convinced you want to go ahead, you'll have to load up the Registry Editor; which takes care of any changes you make to the Registry.
From the Start menu select Run and then in the Open box type regedit. Open Regedit's search facility by clicking on Edit from the menu and choose the Find option.
Then type in the name of your old ISP in the Find What box and click on the Find Next button.
When you find a relevant entry, right-click on the Name (in the name column) of the entry and select Modify from the Edit button. Highlight the data (if it isn't already) and just hit the Delete key to get rid of it. Don't forget there could be more than one entry that refers to your old ISP, so hit the F3 button on your keyboard to search again.

Removing AOL

Unlike other ISPs, AOL installs its own software on your computer. Removing it is simple, but here's a tip - when installing AOL 6.0, you are asked whether you'd like to make AOL your default browser and email service. If you select Yes, it can make it awkward for you to install software from other lSPs. To uninstall AOL, click on the Start button, select Settings and choose the Control Panel option. Double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon and click on the Install! Uninstall tab. Use the scroll-down arrow to find the AOL software, select it and then click on the Add! Remove button.
Now go back to your Windows Desktop and get rid of the AOL icon by dragging it into the Recycle Bin. You also need to remove AOL from the Start menu, so click on the Start button, choose Settings and then select the Taskbar & Start Menu option. Select the Start Menu Programs tab and click the Remove button. The Remove Shortcuts/ Folders dialogue box will appear, and from here you select the AOL software and click on the Remove button.
Finally, open Windows Explorer to make sure that the AOL folder has been removed. If it is still there, remove it by highlighting the folder and pressing the Delete button. It's also worth using the Search for Files or Folders option to check for any AOL stragglers.

The End.