University of Delaware

Removing File-Sharing Programs

The best way to avoid potential copyright violations (and, potentially, thousands of dollars of fines through the United States judicial system) is to remove all peer-to-peer file-sharing programs from your computer.

If you see any of these peer-to-peer (P2P) programs on your computer, remove them:

  • Ares
  • Bearshare
  • BitTorrent
  • Kazaa
  • Limewire
  • Morpheus
For a more extensive listing of P2P software, visit web resources such as Wikipedia's Peer-to-Peer Networking article. If you see any P2P software on your computer, remove it and you'll remove your liability for sharing copyrighted material over the Internet.

Directions for removing P2P software from. . .
Windows XP Computers        Windows Vista Computers        Macintosh Computers

Windows XP Computers

 Use the Add/Remove Programs window in the Control Panel to remove (uninstall) these programs – just as you would remove any program from your Windows system.

  1. Turn off all file-sharing programs and all of their components.

  2. Go to your computer’s Control Panel. You can get to it by following this path from your computer’s Start menu:
    Start -> Settings -> Control Panel or
    Start -> Control Panel

  3. Double click on the Add/Remove Programs or Add or Remove Programs icon.

  4. Select Change or Remove Programs.

    Click once to highlight the software you would like to remove, then click on the Remove or Change/Remove button.

    Follow the prompts on the screen to completely remove the software and its components. Some peer-to-peer file-sharing programs have companion programs that are not automatically removed (e.g., Kazaa and "My Search Bar"). If you have more than one program to remove, when prompted to reboot the computer, click No. Then repeat these steps until you have removed all file sharing programs.

  5. Make sure you reboot the system when you are finished.

Windows Vista Computers

Use the Programs and Features window in the Control Panel to remove (uninstall) these programs – just as you would remove any program from your Windows system.

  1. Turn off all file-sharing programs and all of their components.

  2. Go to your computer’s Control Panel. You can go to it from your computer's Start menu.

  3. Double click on the Programs and Features icon.

  4. Locate the P2P software you are removing on the list of installed programs. Click once to highlight the software. At the top of the list of programs, select Uninstall.

    Follow the prompts on the screen to completely remove the software and its components.

    Some peer-to-peer file-sharing programs have companion programs that are not automatically removed. If you have more than one program to remove, click No if prompted to reboot your computer. Then repeat these steps until you have removed all file sharing programs.

  5. Make sure you reboot the system when you are finished.

Apple Macintosh Computers

  1. Quit all file-sharing programs.

  2. Locate the folder containing the P2P software that you want to remove. It is usually in the Applications folder.

  3. Double-click the P2P program's folder to examine its contents.

  4. Some Macintosh-compatible P2P programs come with an "uninstall" program. If you see an "Uninstall" or "Uninstaller" program, run it to remove the P2P software.

    If you do not see such a program, go back to the Applications folder, and move the P2P program's folder into the trash.

  5. Empty your computer's trash folder.

  6. Go to the Apple menu and select Restart to reboot your computer.

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Updated: 12/5/07
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