karl t. thurber, jr.

Help! I'm running Win 98 and IE 5.5. Several years ago, I downloaded and
installed NetSonic 1.0 and then upgraded to NetSonic Pro 2.0, which is
currently installed and running. I have partially disabled it, however, due
to some software conflicts, as instructed in Microsoft Knowledge Base
Article 299964, relating to uninstallation problems. I disabled it by their
Method 1, Remove from Startup Group, rather than the more complicated Method
1, Reinstall and Uninstall NetSonic Internet Accelerator.

Method 1, which I used, still leaves two files running--although they don't
appear in the Close Program box (invoked with CTRL-ALT-DEL). The two files
are Netsonic.set and Netsonic.map. The only way I can detect their presence
is by doing a tape backup, which says these files were in use and could not
be backed up!

The problem is that I think these two always-running "invisible" files are
causing conflicts with antivirus programs--I've had serious installation
problems with Norton AV 2004 as well as Panda Titanium 2004, though the
older Panda 2.05.05 works OK. I would like to completely "kill" Netsonic
Pro, but I have heard some horror stories of trying to get rid of it.
According to the MS KB article 299964, you can end up with a "Fatal Error:
Could not Create Socket" problem that may prevent you from browsing the
Internet.

NetSonic Pro 2.0 is installed on my PC, and partially disabled, and it
apparently doesn't have any spyware bundled with it (unlike later versions).
In the Windows Program Menu entries, it has its own uninstallation routine,
which invokes the file WebOut.exe. However, in the Control Panel, I also see
an entry for Netsonic 1.0, which would be my original software, just to
complicate things. The manufacturer apparently doesn't offer tech support
any longer, and just going to their website started an unwanted download to
my PC!

Has anyone had an experience in trying to get rid of NetSonic Pro safely?
Any tips or suggestions would be helpful.

-- Karl