I'm a student, and I've noticed that Sophos antivirus is slowing down my school laptop significantly. Even though I technically have admin access to the computer, I can't seem to uninstall Sophos—either the option is greyed out or it says I don't have the necessary permissions. Is there a way to remove it or at least prevent it from running in the background? I already have another antivirus that I trust more and prefer to use instead.
4 Answers
Without access to the admin password or someone disabling tamper protection for you, removing Sophos might require a complete OS reinstall, which could block you from connecting to the school's network afterwards. Have you thought about removing the other antivirus instead? It could make a difference, especially if they're both trying to do the same job.
It really depends on your situation. If your school has a strict policy on devices, you could end up in a mess by trying to uninstall it. But if it's your personal laptop, there are ways to dual-boot another OS that doesn't run Sophos. Just keep backups of everything!
Honestly, the best way to deal with this is to talk to someone at your school about it. If you have a valid reason and they can see how it's affecting your work, they might help remove it. But if the school is managing the device, you need to play by their rules.
Yeah, totally. It's just frustrating when you're stuck with software that performs poorly.
You might be out of luck here. Since the school owns the computer and has installed Sophos, they likely have policies in place to monitor any changes. Removing it could get you in trouble since it contacts the school admin. Just be careful and consider whether it's worth the risk.
I get that! I paid a lot for my laptop too, but the school's rules apply since they installed the software.
That's actually a smart tip! Setting up a separate OS might be a good compromise.