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Software Removal Tips

Tips To Uninstall Software

Incorrect program uninstall and removal is one of the greatest enemies of your PC. If you think that just deleting the software’s folder from Program Files will do the trick, then you are mistaken.

When you install an application, one or more directories are created on the PC to store the files related to that application. Additionally, a number of entries are added to the Windows registry.

If you do not uninstall the program by following the correct procedure, then many of these orphaned files and registry entries will stay behind and unnecessarily fill up the hard disk and the registry and clutter them. The accumulation of a large amount of unwanted data will eventually deteriorate the system performance of your PC and may also generate system errors and cause system freezes.

Therefore, to prevent such problems from occurring, it is very important that you follow the correct program uninstall procedures.

Let’s now have a look at some of the common and not-so-common methods that you can use to perform a proper program uninstall.

Control Panel

90 percent of all software that you install on your Windows computer, adds an entry to Add or Remove Programs. Therefore, when you are trying to remove software, you should first check to see if it is listed in the Add or Remove Programs list. If it is, then you must uninstall your application from here. To do so, follow the steps listed below:

  1. Open Start menu and select Control Panel.
  2. Select the Add or Remove Programs link.
  3. Scroll through the Currently installed programs list and select the software you want to install.
  4. Select Change/Remove or Remove button, whichever available, to start the uninstallation process.
  5. Follow the screen instructions to complete the uninstallation and restart your PC, if required.

You can also uninstall Windows components that come packaged with your Windows systems from the Add or Remove Programs window.

For instance, if you want to uninstall Windows Media Player, in the Add or Remove Programs window, select the Add/Remove Windows Components button from the left panel. Next, clear the Windows Media Player checkbox and click Next to proceed with the uninstallation.

Software Uninstall Option or EXE

Many software programs that do not make an entry in Add or Remove Programs list, usually, provide you with their own uninstallers. The shortcut to uninstall is included in the Program’s folder on the Start menu. Therefore, to uninstall these programs, open the Start menu, navigate to the program’s folder, and select the Uninstall This Program shortcut to start the uninstallation process.

Software Uninstallation CD

Certain software applications, such as Microsoft Office 2007, can be uninstalled with the help of their installation CD. For instance, if you insert the Office 2007 CD, it will display the Office 2007 setup screen that provides you with options to install/uninstall features, repair existing installation, or uninstall Office 2007 from your PC.

Third-party Uninstallers

You can also use third-party uninstallers to remove programs from your system. You can search for and download a reliable and efficient program uninstaller to scan your system for various installed software programs and uninstall the ones you no longer use.

On the websites of software manufacturers such as Norton and Adobe, you can find uninstallers that you can download to uninstall their products. For instance, to uninstall Adobe Shockwave Player or Adobe Flash Player, you can download and run the Adobe uninstaller to remove these products from your system.

Registry Cleaners

Whichever uninstall method you choose, it is recommended that you follow up the process with a thorough registry scan and remove any entries that were left behind in the registry. To perform this task, you may download a reliable registry cleaner tool from the Web and use its features to scan and repair the registry of your system.

 



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