Uninstalling Windows Scripting Host on Windows 98

• Known Klez variants and other malevolent software require the Windows Scripting Host in order to do their dirty work. If you uninstall the Windows Scripting Host, your machine should be immune to known malevolent software that requires it. This is a widely recommended step. We have taken it ourselves to protect the Windows 98 installation we maintain. We recommend it, albeit without guarantees of any kind.
• Remember, that if you depend upon any VBS scripts that run on your machine, they will cease to function after this uninstallation is complete. To restore the functionality of such scripts, you will have to reinstall the Windows Scripting Host. That is a simple process. Typically, you need only install a more recent version of Microsoft Internet Explorer than the one currently on your machine, and the deed is done. That installation can be time-consuming and therefore costly. We encourage you to determine whether you need the Windows Scripting Host before you decide whether to uninstall it.

Step-By-Step

Following are step-by-step Instructions for uninstalling the Windows Scripting Host on a Windows 98 machine.

1. Click the 'Start' button. By default it is in the lower left corner of your desktop.

2. Select 'Settings' menu.

3. A submenu will appear. From that submenue, select the "Control Pane" Then click your left mouse button.

4. When "Control Pane" window appears, double-click the "Add/Remove Programs" icon.

5. An "Add/Remove Programs" dialog box will appear. Click on "Windows Setup"tab at the top center of that dialog box.

6. An "Windows Setups" will search for installed components. Whether this search will require enough time and system resources to spawn an information box/window will depend upon your particular system. There may be more than one such information box/window during this process.

7. Double-click "Accessories."

8. An "Accessories" dialog box will appear. Scroll down to "Windows Scripting Host."

9. If the checkbox beside Windows Scripting Host" is checked, click on that checkbox to "uncheck" (disable) it. If however the checkbox beside Windows Scripting Host" is already unchecked, do nothing.

10. Click "OK" at the bottom of the dialog box and the dialog box will close.

11. In the "Add/Remove Programs" dialog window, click "Apply."

12. After you click "Apply," your Windows Scripting Host will be uninstalled.

13. Restart your computer and test key business software to ensure that it is working correctly.

Restoring Windows Scripting Host

If disabling the Windows Scripting Host has crippled any of your business applications, you can restore the scripting host in a way that should maximize the security of this unsecure application.

Go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.asp and click on "Download Now"beside the MSIE icon.

Follow Microsoft's instructions for downloading the latest version of MSIE.

Install the latest version of MSIE. The Windows Scripting Host is a part of that installation. So are the latest Microsoft security patches.

If you must have the Windows Scripting Host, you should have the latest version Microsoft distributes.

Following the installation, conduct a complete static scan of your system using your anti-virus software.

After that disinfection process is complete, uninstall any parts of the MSIE package, other than the Windows Scripting Host, that your company's security policy forbids you to use. For example, you may wish to uninstall Microsoft Outlook.