How to uninstall Windows Mail?

Question

How do I uninstall "Windows Mail" (not Windows Live Mail).

When I want to use IMAP (or POP), I normally use Windows Live Mail. I have no need for Windows Mail. (Windows Mail, in its old incarnation, used to be called "Outlook Express").

I have looked under Control Panel. I have done Google Search. Have come up with nothing so far.

Hence my question...

Update:

I had already looked under Control Panel → Programs and Features → Add/Remove Windows Components → and Windows Mail does not appear here.

Solution 1

Windows Mail is a Windows system component and cannot be uninstalled or removed, so Microsoft has not supplied any means for that.

To remove, try renaming WinMail.exe to something else, found in C:\Program Files\Windows Mail. You might first use autoruns to see if it's set to start automatically with the computer.

If all you want is to disable WinMail, see details in the article :
How to Enable or Disable Windows Mail in Vista.

The procedure is to open the Local Group Policy Editor -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Mail, right-click on "Turn off Windows Mail application" and click on Properties, then select "(dot) Disabled or Not Configured" and click OK.

Solution 2

The OP's question was how to remove WinMail from a computer. The other suggestions will disable or only rename the file. If you want WinMail permanently gone from your system, this simple BAT file will do it:

:: Take ownership of the folders
TakeOwn /F "C:\Program Files\Windows Mail" /R /D Y
TakeOwn /F "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Mail" /R /D Y

:: Grant full control to Administrators, the user running this, and SYSTEM
ICACLS "C:\Program Files\Windows Mail" /T /Grant:R "Administrators":(OI)(CI)F
ICACLS "C:\Program Files\Windows Mail" /T /Grant:R %UserDomain%\%UserName%:(OI)(CI)F
ICACLS "C:\Program Files\Windows Mail" /T /Grant:R "SYSTEM":(OI)(CI)F
ICACLS "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Mail" /T /Grant:R "Administrators":(OI)(CI)F
ICACLS "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Mail" /T /Grant:R %UserDomain%\%UserName%:(OI)(CI)F
ICACLS "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Mail" /T /Grant:R "SYSTEM":(OI)(CI)F

:: Unhide WinMail.exe
Attrib -S -H "C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\WinMail.exe"
Attrib -S -H "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Mail\WinMail.exe"

:: Delete the WinMail folders
RD /S /Q "C:\Program Files\Windows Mail"
RD /S /Q "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Mail"

Solution 3

See If there is an entry in Control Panel> Programs and Features>Add Remove Windows Components, if not, then you can attempt to delete the program folder.

Comments

[Moab]

"Windows Mail, in its old incarnation, used to be called "Outlook Express" So is WLM, but is more flexible.

[joyjit]

As I mentioned in my original query "I have looked under Control Panel...". Windows Mail does not appear under "Windows Components". It cannot be uninstalled from there.

[Moab]

You were not specific as to where in control panel you looked.

[fixer1234]

Can you expand your answer to explain how to accomplish this? There isn't enough information here to really be useful if the reader doesn't already know the answer.

[jitbit]

you should select "Enable", not "DisableNot-configured" in GPEdit. It's a double negative - "turn off" should be "enabled" to be really "off". If you *enable* this setting, access to the Windows Mail application is *denied*. - quote from the help there

[manit]

this is the best way I've found to remove windows accessories that cannot be uninstalled.

[SUB-HDR]

from Microsoft help quote session it said ` "If you enable this setting, access to the Windows Mail application is denied. If you disable or do not configure this setting, access to the Windows Mail application is allowed." `