There are a lot of reasons these days to remove software from your computer. As it turns out, keeping your computer pared down and free of old files and applications is good practice. It can also save both time and money in the long run.

Removing Software Can Be Easy

Disk maintenance is something that everyone should do and few people actually manage to find time for. Realistically, software and other files accumulate on the computer for months or years. The hard drive fills up with useless files and software. Expired demo software quits working but never gets removed. Sensitive files that should have been removed or stored elsewhere don’t find their way to the proper storage solution and before you know it, you have a barely usable computer.

Perfect Uninstaller is a great PC maintenance tool. You can quickly pare down software you no longer need, and be sure that all remnants of the application are gone. Perfect Uninstaller goes to work instantly on targeted applications and removes the application files, support files and registry entries. When Perfect Uninstaller is done, there is no trace of the unwanted application or file.

Perfect Uninstaller works to remove software that the Add/Remove Programs tool can’t find or can’t remove. Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t rely on the same information that the Add/Remove Programs tool does, so you can rely on Perfect Uninstaller when the Add/Remove Programs tool fails to get the job done.

Many computer professionals use Perfect Uninstaller as their first choice in software and file removal. Perfect Uninstaller will work hard to remove every trace of the unwanted software. You won’t find any ghost errors that crop up because Perfect Uninstaller “forgot” about a program component.

Perfect Uninstaller also doesn’t make decisions about the programs you target for removal. If the program is targeted, Perfect Uninstaller will remove it. It’s just that simple.

One of the things I like best about Perfect Uninstaller is the fact that if Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t get the offending software on the first pass, the program includes a Force Uninstall option that simply doesn’t take no for an answer. Force Uninstall gets rid of the software you want gone without hesitation. I also like the fact that Perfect Uninstaller backs up the registry before it begins work, so you have a protected copy of the registry that you can revert to if needed.

I’ve included Perfect Uninstaller in my PC toolkit and recommend it!

Photo Credit: Ray Zhou, via Flickr

Throwing away an old computer can be complicated. First, many municipalities have special policies regarding the disposal of old electronic equipment. These policies are in place because the electronic components in a computer have a very long life expectancy – they don’t break down well in the landfill. Second, they’re filled with dangerous (as in toxic) materials like arsenic and lead, which also don’t do very well in the landfill. Third, some materials can be recycled – like plastics and metal, so they have scrap value. But what about removing old software and other data on old hard disks and storage devices?

Where Do Old Computers Go To Die?

The answer may surprise you. Often, nothing happens to it. Thousands of computers are disposed of each year with completely readable, accessible and operable hard drives. Data stored on the disk may be sensitive. Business documents, personally identifiable information, credit card and checking account information, licensed software, Social Security numbers and other information just sits on the disk, often waiting for nothing in particular. Resourceful individuals can (and do) gather this information and exploit it for personal gain.

Industrial espionage sounds enticing, but companies throw away valuable business information stored on hard drives every day. Here’s the kicker: once the original owner throws something away, the law says that anyone can scavenge it and the original owner has no recourse.

When you throw away a computer, or dispose of data storage devices, your best bet is to make sure the entire disk has been cleaned and cleaned again. A few forward-thinking companies require that hard disks and other storage devices be formatted, magnetically erased, broken or destroyed before being disposed of. Most, however, simply let their retired computer equipment go without erasing a single item on the hard drive.

Perfect Uninstaller can help ensure that your data stay safe, even when you’ve parted company with your data storage systems. Install Perfect Uninstaller on your hard disk prior to retiring it, and use the easy interface to select the files you want removed. Click the button and Perfect Uninstaller will go to work, erasing the files, and preventing them from getting into the hands of persons unknown.

Perfect Uninstaller works quickly and efficiently to remove applications and stored data. It can also help you remove licensed software from the hard disk, so it can’t be used elsewhere illegally.

Perfect Uninstaller is a great technical tool, and I’m happy to recommend its use.

Photo Credit: Jeff Kubina, via Flickr

Finding software is easy. There are literally thousands of programs available for computers, many of which are free. Online databases of freeware, shareware, and demonstration software hold software tools that can do just about anything you can think of. Software removal, on the other hand, can be hard.

Not All Uninstallers Are Alike

Microsoft has included the Add/Remove Programs tool with its operating system. With the Add/Remove Programs tool, in theory, you should be able to remove whatever applications you installed on your computer. The breakdown in this theory occurs regularly, though. Taking a program off of your computer can be far more difficult than putting it on.

A lot can happen to software between the time it is installed and the time it’s removed. Files can become corrupted, damaged, or deleted, making software removal seemingly impossible. Other software packages don’t come with an uninstaller, and the Add/Remove Programs tool may not work correctly on them. Finally, some software programs (not very nice ones… like viruses and adware) may deliberately evade removal attempts. Getting rid of these programs and cleaning up the mess they leave behind can be time-consuming and frustrating. Then there are the programs that don’t fall into any of these categories, but may be considered a part of the operating system, and are “ineligible” for removal.

That’s why computer users need tools that are more powerful than the Add/Remove Programs tool. Users need programs that will remove software, regardless of what condition it’s in, or what its function is with regard to the operating system, or what other programs that may have been bundled together in a suite. Users also need tools that can remove stubborn, unwanted or dangerous software from their computers permanently.

Perfect Uninstaller works in all of these cases to remove the software you no longer want. Perfect Uninstaller does more than just remove the software; it removes all traces of the software, including support files that may have been installed at the same time. Perfect Uninstaller works hard to locate and remove the software you no longer want without damaging other software that remains on your computer.

Perfect Uninstaller is easy to install and simple to use. The user interface is designed for one-click use. Simply locate the software you want removed and press one button. Perfect Uninstaller begins work immediately on your software removal. Unlike some uninstallers, Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t forget about the registry entries, data files and libraries a software program may have installed.

Perfect Uninstaller works simply and reliably every time, which is why I have no problem recommending it.

Photo Credit: Tambako the Jaguar, via Flickr

Perfect Uninstaller is fast becoming my favorite software removal tool. Why? It removes software fully and carefully at the same time. What you no longer want is removed, and what you need gets left behind.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Removing software doesn’t sound like a high-powered task and it shouldn’t be, but often it is. Take the case of a suite of software programs. Often software suites use related components, so removing one part of the suite may have negative consequences for the suite-mates left behind.

The Add/Remove Programs tool doesn’t always get these relationships, so removing one part of a software suite can either have disastrous consequences can turn out to be completely ineffective at removing the software. In some cases, the software manufacturer may claim that a certain portion of its software is “integral” to the function of other software in its suite, and will try to disallow the removal of any part of the software suite.

That’s where a program like Perfect Uninstaller comes in. Perfect Uninstaller understands the software on your computer, including software suites. It removes what you want removed and leaves the portions of code that other software relies on alone.

Perfect Uninstaller works tirelessly to remove unwanted software, including those packages that the Add/Remove Programs tool can’t see or can’t touch. Unlike the Add/Remove Programs tool, Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t rely strictly on the installation logs for direction. Perfect Uninstaller can detect software components without needing the installation log. This frees Perfect Uninstaller to remove what it finds cleanly and completely.

Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t play favorites either. If the file is one the computer, Perfect Uninstaller can see it and remove it. This is a great way to get rid of stubborn or corrupted applications that seem to get stuck and hang around forever.

Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t leave any stone unturned. Perfect Uninstaller will back up the registry and then remove all entries related to the target program. With Perfect Uninstaller, gone is gone.

For those programs that Perfect Uninstaller can’t remove completely on the first try, there’s Force Uninstall, a component of Perfect Uninstaller that will work endlessly until the target software is gone for good. Why not just start with Force Uninstall? In the vast majority of cases, forceful removal of software isn’t necessary, but it’s good to know that Perfect Uninstaller offers the option, and that the option works!

I recommend Perfect Uninstaller because it works, and in today’s demanding IT environment, that says a lot!

Photo Credit: Leeks, via Flickr