How to Uninstall Deep Freeze

Deep Freeze is a good program if you want to keep your system secure, but it can be a real pain if you’re no longer using it and want it off your system. Before you can uninstall Deep Freeze, you have to disable it. To disable it, you’ll need the password. If you want Deep Freeze gone for good, follow this guide to remove it with or without the password.

Method 1 of 2: Uninstalling With the Password

1

Locate the Deep Freeze icon in the System Tray. You will need to disable Deep Freeze before you uninstall, and to do that you will need to find the icon. It is located in the System Tray, in the lower-right corner of the desktop. The icon looks like a polar bear.

• If you have too many icons there, you may need to click the small arrow button to expand the list.

2

Open the Deep Freeze Preferences menu. Hold down ⇧ Shift and double-click the Deep Freeze icon. This will open the Deep Freeze preferences screen.

3

Enter your Deep Freeze password. You may be asked to enter your password multiple times. Click OK in each of the dialogue boxes. This will open the Boot Options menu.

4

Select "Boot Thawed". This will disable Deep Freeze the next time that the computer is rebooted.

5

Close any open programs and reboot your computer. When the computer reboots, you should see a red "X" over the Deep Freeze icon in the System Tray. This indicates that it has been disabled and can now be uninstalled.

6

Find the installation file. There is no uninstall file for Deep Freeze. Instead, you will need to run the file that installed the program to begin with. If you no longer have the installation file, you can download it again from the Deep Freeze website.

• The file for Deep Freeze 5 is typically: DF5Std.exe
• The file for Deep Freeze 6 is typically: DF6Std.exe

7

Run the installation file. Once the installation file has been opened, clickUninstall to start the uninstallation process. Deep Freeze will be removed from your computer. Your computer will reboot one more time after Deep Freeze is finished uninstalling.

Method 2 of 2: Uninstalling Without the Password

1

Reboot your PC and enter your BIOS. If you don't have the password for Deep Freeze, you're going to have to get your hands a little dirty in your system BIOS. Press your BIOS Setup key during the reboot process. The key varies by manufacturer, but is typically F2, F10, or ⌦ Del.

2

Change your computer's date. In order to bypass the password, you will need to set your computer’s date at least ten years ahead or behind the current date. This will trick Deep Freeze into thinking it should no longer be running. Once the date is changed, save and reboot your computer again.

3

Open the Windows Advanced Startup menu. Press and hold F8 during the boot process. This will open Window’s Advanced Startup menu. Select "Debug" or "Debugging Mode" from the list of options.

4

Open the Task Manager immediately. Hit ^ Ctrl+⇧ Shift+⌦ Del as soon as the Welcome screen disappears. This will open the Task Manager. Timing is critical here, so if you don’t hit it in time, you will have to restart and try again.

5

Find the "DFServ" process. To see all the processes that are running, click on the Processes tab of your Task Manager. End the process as soon as you find it. You may also need to end the process "FrzState2K.exe".

• To end the process, select it and click End Process at the bottom of the window. Your computer will ask you to confirm that you want to end the process.

6

Delete the Deep Freeze program folder. This is typically located atC:\Program Files\Faronics\. Delete the entire folder.

7

Open the Windows Registry editor. You can access the registry by pressing⌘ Win+R and typing regedit into the field in. Browse for the "Faronics" folder in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\. Delete the entire folder. Once you've done all of this, Deep Freeze should be uninstalled.[2]

• Be careful when deleting items in the registry. Deleting the wrong item could render Windows inoperable, forcing a reinstallation.

1. 8
   Format and reinstall. If you cannot get Deep Freeze to uninstall, you may be forced to format and reinstall your Windows operating system. This will erase all of the data on the disk, so make sure everything you need is properly backed up. See the following guides for details on reinstalling your operating system:
   • Windows 8
   • Windows 7
   • Windows Vista
   • Windows XP