On this page I will give step by step instructions on how to uninstall ZoneAlarm cleanly so that you can reinstall it or leave it off your system. You may need to do this method of uninstalling occasionally depending on what happened to your installation. First I will give you the general instructions, then other things you may have to do if the general instructions don't work.

1. If you are running a version other than the free version then backup your settings in ZA using the backup button. This will create a XML file with all your settings stored in it, remember where you placed that file, you may need it later. If you are running the free version then turn off ZoneAlarm and rename the folder named "internet logs" to oldlogs.



2. Then go into the start menu and the Zonelabs entry and right click on the uninstaller and select properties.
3. In the target box you need to add a space and then /clean to the end so that it looks something like this "C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zauninst.exe" /clean then click apply and then OK.



4. Open ZA and turn off the load on boot option, then reboot and then run the uninstaller (the one you changed the shortcut for) This will get rid of ZA for you.

5. Go to your windows temp folder and delete everything. The temp file I am talking about depends on your version of windows. It is the folder that things get unzipped to when you are installing them. For windows XP the location is C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Local Settings\Temp

6. Find the folder named Internet logs and delete it. Usually something like C:\windows\internet logs .

7. Empty your recycle bin. ZA should be gone.

8. Run the installer again and if it asks, select clean install. (If you are installing ZoneAlarm again, if not skip this step)

9. Restore your settings into ZoneAlarm (if you backed it up before) unless you have a free version, in which case you need to shutdown ZoneAlarm by right clicking on the ZoneAlarm Icon in the system tray and selecting shutdown. Now go to the new Internet Logs folder and delete it, and then rename the oldlogs folder back to internet logs.

10. Reboot windows again

11. Now check out ZoneAlarm and see if everything is working good. (If you reinstalled it)



1. Go to the run command in windows and run msconfig and select selective startup, uncheck everything below it and click apply then OK. Windows will then reboot.



2. Now go through the steps listed above and uninstall and reinstall ZoneAlarm.
3. Reboot windows and then manually start ZoneAlarm if it does not startup. Make sure that it runs normally.

4. Now run msconfig again and select full startup, then apply then OK. Let windows reboot, and then check out ZoneAlarm and see if its working OK.