Comments for How do I uninstall software that doesn't provide a way to uninstall?

Comment from Usman on 2009-08-20

2009-08-20T17:55:46Z

hi leo i ve got avast antivirus which is not working properly. i ve tried to delete it by add remove prog but it didnt work i tried to delete it manually but it also didnt work. i dont know how i ll b able do delete it. now niether ican use this antivirus nor can i install a new one. please help

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Comment from MmeMoxie on 2008-10-25

2008-10-25T23:04:57Z

Oh, I am so sorry, I forgot to mention that Revo Uninstaller is absolutely FREE and it is a FULL version software! I apologize, for forgetting to mention that.

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Comment from MmeMoxie on 2008-10-25

2008-10-25T23:01:32Z

Leo,

I am in full agreement with Dennis, who posted 10/21/08. Revo Uninstaller is just about the best that I have found, after 11 years working with computers. Now, I have Windows XP Pro and it works just fine with that version. Revo's website states the following:

System requirements:

Minimum system requirements:
Microsoft Windows 2000
64 megabytes (MB) of RAM
5 MB of free Hard Disk space
133 MHz or higher
Pentium - compatible CPU

Please note: Revo Uninstaller will only work with the Vista 32-bit version, at this point in time. They are working on 'upgrading' to the 64-bit version of Vista.

What I like about Revo is that you have control over how much or how little you want to uninstall. In other words, there are 4 different Modes, "Basic", "Safe", "Moderate" and "Advanced". The first 2 modes Basic and Safe are the 'safest' modes and even beginners should feel 'safe' using them. The Moderate mode is a little more advanced, but still pretty 'safe'. The Advanced mode is the one that really goes deep into the registry and the files, looking for left-over entries and files. I tend to use the Advanced uninstaller, most of the time. I know, from experience, that left-over registry entries and files can create havoc.

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Comment from fastfreddie1959 on 2008-10-24

2008-10-24T14:47:17Z

This is what i do and works every time.
Works in both XP & Vista.

Delete registry keys...
Star-Run-type in regedit-go to edit-find-next-
type in-*program*-find next-right click-delete any key that
says-*Program*-keep clicking find next and deleting.
When all is gone you will get a popup
That says finished searching.
I have used this time and time again
with great success.

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Comment from Bernard Winchester on 2008-10-23

2008-10-23T10:19:43Z

The "Windows Installer CleanUp Utility", which can be downloaded from Microsoft or software hosting sites, can also be of help sometimes with uninstall problems.

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Comment from Alan Masterman on 2008-10-23

2008-10-23T07:36:12Z

Even if the program is not listed in the Control Panel, and does not offer a menu option to uninstall, look in the program folder and you may find a file called "unwise.exe" or perhaps even "uninstall.exe". Double-click on it to initiate the uninstall routine.

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Comment from Bosque Bill on 2008-10-22

2008-10-22T17:40:02Z

Leo and everyone,

Here's something to watch out for if you have installed an old program on Vista and that program does not have an uninstall option.

Some old programs used to store user data along with the executable files in C:\Program Files\my_program. Vista will not allow that, but creates a virtual folder to fool the program into where it is storing files. Browsing file locations using the program showed folders and files that were invisible in Explorer. I finally found them, but only with an advanced search of non-indexed locations.

The files were in C:\Users\my account\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\my_program There are over 30MB of files there that would have not been deleted.

So, if you are on Vista and manually delete a program, check that VirtualStore location. In fact, I have now found many orphans from programs that did have uninstall options, but didn't properly clean up after themselves.

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Comment from Norm on 2008-10-21

2008-10-22T04:23:32Z

Hi Leo,

Re: Uninstalling Programs - In some cases people have had success in simply reinstalling the offending program. I did this once, just installed over the existing program. A check of the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs then showed the offending program and I was able to uninstall it.

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Comment from Ian Mack on 2008-10-21

2008-10-21T23:54:30Z

I have used Revo Uninstaller with great success

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Comment from Dennis on 2008-10-21

2008-10-21T22:56:51Z

RE: "I uninstalled Eprompter, but the popup materializes...." Go here->
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:slsnpNwMgJ8J:www.eprompter.com/faqs.htm+Eprompter+uninstall&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

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Comment from Richard Berman on 2008-10-21

2008-10-21T20:57:37Z

Hi Leo...re: un-installing programs...a process I've found and use on my machine works wonderfully well...after uninstalling, whether it be thru Control Panel A&R, or manual deletion, I will run Search, using the program name in the appropriate area...Search seems to turn up all of the residual garbage still remaining after yoou've done your uninstall...now you can just highlight and 'Delete' right from the list that shows up in Search...frequently the "can't delete, etc" message appears, but this can be overcome by altering the sequence of your file deletion process...works for me.

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A comment on: How do I uninstall software that doesn't provide a way to uninstall?

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Comment from Dr. J. on 2008-10-18

2008-10-18T16:51:01Z

1) I uninstalled Eprompter, but the popup materializes on my screen when I turn my machine on. How do I get rid of it?
2) How do I delete from Google Chrome, a site/image that I only used once and want to remove from the start page?

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A comment on: How do I uninstall software that doesn't provide a way to uninstall?

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Comment from Roger Williams on 2008-10-16

2008-10-16T09:42:29Z

Hi Leo,
Does this work for programs that need to be uninstalled then re-installed? Wont the registry and other remnants you refer to cause problems on a re-install?

There's no real way to answer that, as it totally depends on the software itself. Some may be affected, some may not. By definition the software is already ill-behaved by not providing an uninstall. Best advice I can give is to try and hope for the best.

- Leo
16-Oct-2008

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A comment on: How do I uninstall software that doesn't provide a way to uninstall?

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