Removing HP ProtectTools?

[perry1291]

FIXED! So after a BIOS update from F.03 to F.18 it disabled my sound card in the BIOS? So I assume it had nothing to do with the ProtectTools removal!

[innocentbystand]

After being told by HP support that I needed to format my machine to remove the protect tools I dug in and found my answer.

History - laptop image was used to deploy a workstation by mistake.  HP protect tools was functioning for quite some time though.  One day decided to fail and could not log in "security manager not available..." click the more button and do not use security manager.  Not about to do that every morning.. 

Tried to uninstall - failed. 

Restore - disabled.

Tried to disable the service hpqwmiex no joy.

Updated to latest version and uninstalled - no joy.

My solution:

Removed from the registry any reference to protecttools.

Removed ITConcepts from the registry.

Removed all references to Infineon from the registry and lastly removed all references to Congnizance.

I was able to clean boot with no more HP ProtectTools.

[No-Bloatware]

I have been battling this as well and figured out a method.  You need to uninstall different application in a certain order before you can uninstall HP ProtectTools.  Many of these items do not show up in the windows add/remove programs utlility.

First, install CCleaner. (grab it off ninite for ease)

In CCleaner click on Tools, then Uninstall.  This will list all the programs hidden in the windows utility.

Try to uninstall HP ProtectTools.  it will get to a certain point and tell you you'll need to unstall something else first, note what it tells you, cancel the HP ProtectTools uninstall, then uninstall what it told you.  Reboot & Repeat until you're able to uninstall HP ProtectTools.  I had to repeat the process twice (I had to uninstall drive encyption & a data manager first) and on my third try i was able to uninstall HP ProtectTools.

Notes...

do not use a registry cleaner, it may delete something you need and you'll get an error.  (i.e. do not use revo advanced uninstall)

reboot between uninstalls (it will tell you to anyway)

if you've already deleted or changed registry keys or manually deleted files then this probably will not work. 

Good luck

[fmccown]

Our IT guy worked for over an hour trying to remove the HP ProtectTools Security Manager from constantly popping-up every time I logged-in to my laptop.  Ultimately we had to re-install Windows 7 to get rid of it. Why doesn't HP allow users to disable this annoying feature from Security Manager admin application?

[icp_wolverine]

pianoman have you tried reinstalling the HP Tools from your product support page.. this should put the dll files back.. then dont use that registry program

[imppress]

I combed the net and compiled this resolution for Windows 7 (some or all may apply to WinXP if that's your flavor.)

I did all the  steps below except for the last part about removing Sec. Mgr, ITconcepts, Infineion, and Cognizance entries from the registry.

These are among the steps I feel were critical:

1. Remove the HP applications listed when you try to uninstall ProtectTools from the "Programs and Features" control panel (additional programs are listed in the first step, but not all may be necessary)
2. Removing the specified VBscript and all Protecttools entries from registry
3. removing HP items from Startup items using msconfig tool
4. Disabling HP services in the services.msc console

Not all of these were necessarily required.  

You may be able to refine the process to fewer steps. 

If you're in a hurry and don't mind risking disaster with regedit, you may wish to skip to these steps.

Removing HP Protect Tools

Using the Programs and Features Control Panel, remove the following, in order:

1. Credential Manager for HP ProtectTools
2. Java Card Security for HP ProtectTools
3. Drive Encryption for HP ProtectTools
4. Smartcard security for HP ProtectTools
5. Embedded Security for HP ProtectTools
6. BIOS Security for HP ProtectTools
7. HP ProtectTools Security Manager"

If you run into trouble,

NOTE: Log in as admin for all remaining steps.

Try disabling the service "hpqwmiex":

1. As Administrator, open the "Services" console (part of Administrative Tools) then:
2. Scroll down to find "hpqwmiex" (without quote marks) under the "Name" column
3. Right click on hpqwmiex and select "Properties"
4. The "hpqwmiex Properties" window opens to the "General" tab
5. Click the "Stop" button to halt the service
6. Once the process stops, click the "Startup type:" drop list button (little down arrow) and select "Disabled"
7. Click the "OK" button
8. The process is disabled - you can close out of the "Services" window.

You may also wish to disable:

• HP ProtectTools Device Locking / Auditing
• HP Software Framework Service
• HP support Assitant Service

If still no luck,

Using cmd as admin, enter:

• cd %windir%\syswow64
• regsvr32 /u vbscript.dll
• regsvr32 vbscript.dll

If you still cannot uninstall,

Set a restore point then:

Type "regedit" in the START prompt field, right click it as it appears in the list and select "Run as Administrator"

Delete:

"HKCU\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\CLSID\{B54F3741-5B07-11CF-A4B0-00AA004A55E8}"

AND / OR

"HKey_Classes_Root\CLSID\{B54F3741-5B07-11CF-A4B0-00AA004A55E8}"

Delete the value set to "REG_SZ: VB script language" leave the subkeys intact.

The PROG ID subkey also has VBscript. It may need to go too.

If these don't exist or do not solve the problem, there may be other keys at fault, but thsi risks hosing your whole system. Be prepared to lose everything.

Try your uninstall again

Ready for desperate measures?

1. Set a restore point.
2. Remove from the registry any reference to "protecttools" (all one word) (NOTE: There are DOZENS of them.)
3. Reboot.

Try to remove HP ProtectTools again. (It may already be gone.)

You may need to kill HP products from the Startup Items list using msconfig and kill the HP services again in the services.msc console

STILL no luck?

Set another restore point.

You may also erase the all keys mentioning "Securitymanager", "Security Manager", ITConcepts, Infineon, or Congnizance. Some of these may be related to other software though and could be essential to something important.

[asurfer01]

Hi, It took me days to read about the subject, search on HP site en Windows 7 fora to discover a solution because I didn't see the uninstall possibility in Windows nor utilitie as Revo uninstaller. So I tried al the manual stuff but via msconfig that didn't work out quit good enough for me; the system would not start properly. So, by coincidence I discovered that CCleaner (www.piriform.com or download sites as cnet.com) has the ability to uninstall as well. And to my big suprise and GREAT JOY, I saw the programms to install. So first the Device Manager and than the HP Protect Tools. Restart and that's it.... Now I can breath again. Because the tools in themselves are great but I had to start up with a USB all them time because my SSD drive was not willing to make a partition free for the HP tools. And that's annoying and risky. So, good luck, Peer

[qoyane]

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@squall wrote:

Every now and then, HP hp protect securty Security Manager Setup pops up on my newly bought HP laptop. If I do the setup and reboot, it still keeps popping up. If I click cancel, it waits a random time between zero and ten minutes before popping up again.

I've tried unchecking it in msconfig, but upon reboot it still launches, and has re-checked its msconfig-entry.

I have a hard time not viewing this software as mall-/bloater, the way it's behaving. Is this really the way it's supposed to act? And, more importantly, how do I stop it from launching?

Thanks in advance!

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[Frustrated1953]

I am running windows 7 Pro SP1  There is no service by that name.  I am setting up laptops for a business, and I just do not want those tools available, but I do not want to delete them if I change my mind.  Hp Model is ProBook 6560B

[Frustrated1953]

Perfect Solution.  Vendor took back my ProBooks and I bought Think Pads.  I was able to create an image without all the bloatware and have deployed 10 computers in less than the time to diddle with all these workarounds.