Cannot disable module

I installed Content Access to try it out to see if it was suitable for my purpose. It wasn't, so I disabled it in administer | modules. Since doing that, new nodes cannot be read by anyone except the super-user. I have tried deleting the module from my server but that does not help. The only way I have been able to salvage my site is to re-enable the module. Am I stuck with it for ever even though I don't want it or is there a way to return to the position I was in before I installed it?