Solved How can I get rid of ExpressVPN leftovers?


gtspeck

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Location
Kenner Louisiana
OS
Windows 11 Home
They won't delete, saying that I need "System" permission to delete this file. How do I get that? All the permissions are grayed out (add, remove, view, disable inheritance), so there's no way to change permissions from System to me. I have administrator permissions.
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 Home 22631.3296/23H2

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY
    CPU
    11th Generation Intel Core i7
    Memory
    12GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3” FHD Display
Easier way: Reinstall it, and then use revo uninstaller to remove all traces of it. (90% of the time Usually works)

Slightly more technical way: Manually remove all entries from registry, under program files, and user app data.

You can use the take ownership shortcut to take ownership and delete the files:

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 5700 X3D
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS
    Memory
    64 GB DDR4 3600mhz Gskill Ripjaws V
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 4070 Super , 12GB VRAM Asus EVO Overclock
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 2.0) 2560 x 1440 @ 170hz HDR
    Hard Drives
    2TB Samsung nvme ssd
    2TB XPG nvme ssd
    PSU
    CORSAIR RMx SHIFT Series™ RM750x 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
    Case
    CORSAIR 3500X ARGB Mid-Tower ATX PC Case – Black
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING FROSTFLOW X 240 CPU Water Cooler
    Internet Speed
    900mbps DOWN, 100mbps UP
  • Operating System
    Chrome OS
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Chromebook
    CPU
    Intel Pentium Quad Core
    Memory
    4GB LPDDR4
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14 Inch HD SVA anti glare micro edge display
    Hard Drives
    64 GB emmc
The Revo Uninstaller way would probably be best. But such stubborn files can usually be deleted from outside Windows by booting into recovery mode or accessing the command prompt with Windows install media. Since drives won't necessarily have the same identifying letters as they do inside Windows, you may need to check them out to locate whatever you want to delete. Suggest you try this only if you're comfortable using command lines.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win10 Pro x64 & 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-11700
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix Z590 Gaming
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200MHz 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX 3050
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 32UN650 32" 4k
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 @ 60Hz (175% scaling)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe 250GB; WD Gold (WD1005FBYZ) 1TB; WD Black (WD1003FZEX) 1TB
    PSU
    Corsair RM850x
    Case
    Antec P100
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO V2 with Noctua NF-P12 Redux & 120mm Case Fan x3
    Keyboard
    Logitech K740
    Mouse
    Logitech M310
    Internet Speed
    372 Mb down/12Mb up
    Browser
    Firefox & Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & Free MBAM
    Other Info
    Main PC
I ended up taking ownership of the left over files and folder. That allowed me to delete the left overs.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY
    CPU
    11th Generation Intel Core i7
    Memory
    12GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3” FHD Display
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