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How to Remove Junk Icons
The tips on this page can be applied to any program (and AOL is not the only one) that produces ad icons on your desktop. Quicken and TurboTax are also notorious for this practice.
For the most part, the CD-ROM installation of AOL is fairly straightforward--I will give America Online that one. Also, they are pretty good at explaining things in Plain English.
However, once the AOL program is up and running on a computer, many people don't realize the amount of clutter (in the form of junk icons on the desktop and elsewhere) they are in store for. Here's how to clean up your computer desktop and keep it as clutter-free as possible:
Upon installation, America Online 7.0, with the efficiency of a Gunnery Sergeant, places no less than nine icons and one pop-up ad on your computer. I don't know about AOL 8 or 9, as I never installed or bothered to upgrade to those versions. Each icon is a mini banner ad, a waste of desktop space, and uses system resources. The AOL tray process program alone, which is installed on your task tray without your permission, uses 860kb of memory.
Nevertheless, here's what you can do to remove some of the debris left behind after a typical installation of AOL 7.0:
First, on your computer desktop, delete the following icons:
- FREE AOL Extras!
- FREE ICQ Click Here
- FREE ! Instant Messenger
- Get $$$ - Refer a Friend
- High Speed Broadband Demo
Second, you can delete the America Online 7.0 icon from your task tray. That icon is located on the gray bar across the bottom of your screen, next to the little clock on the right side. And, yes, tell it to not start AOL next time you turn on your computer. You can always start AOL yourself by clicking the AOL icon.
Third, click START, and move the curser up to the America Online icon at the top of that menu. Click the right mouse button and select 'Delete' to remove that icon as well.
Fourth, click START, then PROGRAMS, and look for a folder called 'Startup'. Inside that folder should be another AOL icon. Delete that one also. This will prevent the AOL tray process from automatically loading at startup.
You can leave the AOL 7.0 icon on your desktop. After all, you may need at least one way to start the program if use Instant Messaging, Buddy Lists, or need to hear what Britney Spears is doing.
In addition to the icons I mentioned above, AOL also monkeys around with your Internet Explorer web browser program settings and adds some Real Player website shortcuts to your Favorites Menu.
So mentally give yourself $1.00 (or £ or € or ¥ depending on where you're based) for each new AOL or Real Player or other useless advertising icon you find. You'll be a millionaire in no time.
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