Cannot uninstall RealPlayer Cloud

Anonymous
2014-04-24T16:14:06+00:00

Updated to Windows 8.1 last night. Today I found RealPlayer Cloud listed as a device on my computer, which I had never seen before. Haven't used it in a long time, (unwittingly installed recent update) so I attempted uninstall in Control Panel.

Control Panel told me it had a problem uninstalling it, perhaps it was already uninstalled, did I want it to remove RealPlayer from list of programs? I opted to keep it there until I was sure it was uninstalled.

Searched the web for solutions to not being able to uninstall RealPlayer. Surprisingly, RealPlayer came up in the results, so I clicked on the link that took me to http://www.real.com/realplayer/cloud/product/uninstall. That started a brief survey at the end of which I expected the uninstall would happen. It did not.

Frustrated, I returned to the search results and tried the instructions at http://blog.joemanna.com/how-to-uninstall-realplayer/ but found RealPlayer would not allow me to remove the program files because they were "in use."

I then launched Task Manager, ended every process associated with Real or RealPlayer I could find, and also stopped any service associated with it. Still was unable to remove the program files for the same reason.

Then I removed all the related icons on the task bar and start window.  Still cannot remove the program files, and RealPlayer Cloud is still listed as a separate device in My Computer, although it does not appear at all in the device screen (so I cannot remove it from there, either). 

The only RealPlayer Removal Tool suggestions I have found so far are on an eHow page at http://www.ehow.com/how_7295117_remove-realplayer-completely.html. I am both wary and skeptical of these recommendations.

How can I get rid of this pest?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2014-05-11T04:57:52+00:00

I discovered an uninstall command inside the real folder c:/program files/real/RealPlayer/RPDS  . I used it and it deregistered the files and removed most of the folders, including the pesky cloud shortcut. I'll be checking for stray files, but seems to have done it.

Program was not listed in installed programs and Website removal tool was useless.

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Anonymous
2014-08-02T16:01:11+00:00

If you just want to disable that annoying popup asking you to sign in to the Realplayer Cloud you can follow these steps on a Windows 8 PC:

  1. Open Control Panel
  2. Click on Administrative Tools
  3. Double click on Services
  4. Scroll down and locate “Realplayer Cloud Service”
  5. Right click on the Realplayer Cloud Service icon and select Properties.
  6. Click on the “Startup type” dropdown box and change it to manual. (Default setting is “Automatic”).
  7. Click on Apply, and then click Ok.
  8. Close all open windows and restart the computer, the annoying login popup should be gone.

So far this has worked for me. I was getting really tired of the sign in popup every time I logged into my PC.

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Anonymous
2014-07-11T13:28:51+00:00

This worked for me  too.

Good program or not, I just could not stand having something forced into my system without my knowledge.  Every time I looked at Explorer I was vividly reminded of it.  I learned to hate RealPlayer cloud and now  will never use it.  

Actually, I am thinking of deleting everything related to RealPlayer.

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-06-08T06:49:49+00:00

    This was as good as a solution. A couple of program folders still exist but in all most of the program is dead.

    The folders that exist calls for Administrator permission before they will be deleted.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-05-24T14:08:12+00:00

    I used RealPlayer happily until it installed Cloud without asking if I wanted it, which I didn't.

    I used the Control Panel to uninstall but it left various bit and pieces behind. However it did uninstall the directory, so I can't use the suggestion to use that to uninstall again.

    I've used just about every suggestion in this forum without luck, and I used every method I could find to search for anything appertaining to RealPlayer and the deleted it. I no longer have any folder - directory - registry - files with RealPlayer in it. But I still have the pesky RealPlayer cloud listed as a 'drive'.

    I've used CCleaner to rid the RealPlayer cloud, which it does, only to find that next time I use it new a  varying number of RealPlayer files are again listed and the Cloud is there again.

    The only thing I haven't tried is to reinstall and then delete as I don't want the pesky program anywhere near my PC. I'm concerned I'll have all this hassle all over again.

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