Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.
Revo Uninstaller is a useful utility to remove things from your computer that won't otherwise uninstall.
One of the more common scenarios I hear about frequently are incomplete or failed uninstalls. People attempt to uninstall a program and that process fails, leaving some data around, and leaving the program itself in a kind of in-between state. The program remains, but the uninstaller is either missing or non-functional.
This is where Revo Uninstaller comes in.
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Revo comes in two versions: free and paid. The free version performs basic uninstalls of 32 bit applications (even in 64 bit versions of Windows, though it may not be able to set a restore point prior to its work) while the paid version performs more exhaustive scans and fully supports 64 bit applications. A full feature comparison can be found on the download page.
It's a quick and easy decision: if you're having trouble uninstalling something go grab the free version and give it a try.
That's the free version of Revo on my Windows 7 64-bit machine, listing all the applications it's found, not unlike Control Panel's "Programs" section.
If you right click on an item you get the menu you'd expect, including "Uninstall". Click on that and you'll get:
Revo does more than a normal uninstall - not only does it run the uninstall program if it can, but after doing so will perform various levels of scans to remove the "left overs". The tradeoff here is simply time - the more advanced and through scans take more time.
After doing so, Revo presents a list of what it found:
Naturally, you'll need to choose what to delete. In most cases, Revo starts by setting a restore point so that your registry is backed up should you choose inappropriately. A follow-up dialog asks you to also confirm additional files that Revo will delete for you as well - in this case your own good backup strategy will protect you from errorneously deleting something you shouldn't.
In general, you should always start with the Control Panel's Programs (or Add/Remove Programs) section, or look for uninstall options in a submenu on the All Programs menu that installed software may have added.
But not finding those, or having those fail ... or just wanting a more thorough cleanup than those might provide, Revo Uninstaller is a handy tool for the toolbox.
I recommend it.
Article C4267 - April 9, 2010 « »
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
July 3, 2012 9:01 AM
I'm having trouble getting rid of ZoneAlarm with Revo.
There is no uninstall information, and using Hunter Mode (to drag & drop the taskbar icon) does nothing. Having read this article, I can only put it down to it being a 64-bit program. Short of re-downloading, re-installing and uninstalling the (annoyingly still working) program, I am at a loss.
July 25, 2012 9:43 AM
Two points about Revo (which I use and recommend):
1. On Toshiba computers, it sometimes deleted Toshiba applications other than the specific ones I asked Revo to delete. I no longer use Revo to delete manufacturer-installed applications.
2. On a Windows 7 laptop, Revo did not list AVG. Per the AVG web site, I used the Control Panel to remove AVG. That did not work -- AVG was still installed and active even after "successful" uninstallation. So I used AppRemover (trying several methods within the AppRemove interface) to finally remove AVG.
August 10, 2012 10:33 AM
Greetings.
Though a long-time user and fan of Revo, a new uninstaller that might be well worth investigating is GeekUninstaller (which offers native 64-bit support). Originally released on 1 May 2012, it is still being refined, with the fifth version having been released on 2 July - http://www.geekuninstaller.com/ .
I'm sure that I speak for many when I say that a review by Leo would be most welcome.
August 11, 2012 9:03 PM
I have used Revo Uninstaller free for four years on 32 bit machine and now paid on 64 bit machine for one year with no problems.
I also had one program the would not uninstall in any way and got the paid vers. and used the forced uninstall. Worked like a charm.
March 26, 2013 4:51 PM
How do i use Revo Uninstaller to remove Strongvault Online Back up which comes on when i open one of my garage managing packages ?
i have tried all sorts now have revo but dont know how to do it , Thanks