Removing software doesn’t sound like a difficult PC maintenance task, and as a professional technician, I agree with the notion that it shouldn’t be difficult. A long time ago, when computers were more of a novelty, removing software was as simple as deleting it. Didn’t like what you had, just type a DEL and the file name, and the offender was as good as gone.

Modern OS Design Complicates Simple Things

Modern operating systems aren’t all that simple. In fact, they’re tirelessly complex. The introduction of the graphical user interface (you know, the pretty windows and the drag-and-drop functions) made computers seem simpler, but that level of “simplicity” is a lot harder to achieve.

To support that kind of approach, software designers had to rebuild the modern operating system, pretty much from the ground up. There are an awful lot of things that go on “behind the scenes” of an operating system and most users don’t appreciate the herculean effort that has been put forth to keep things “simple.”

One of the most complex additions to the modern operating system has been the registry. The registry is talked about as a single unit, but it’s made up of several files, and it turns out to be more like a database rather than a simple file. Information about the computer’s attachments, installed software, and configuration are stored in the registry. As the computer accumulates more software, more hardware and more normal use, the registry grows.

Updates to software may write new information into the registry and cancel out old information from the registry. In all of this activity, information stored in the registry may become corrupted. The corruptions may cause additional problems for the computer, and may make what seem like ordinary tasks exceeding difficult to pull off.

Installers are supposed to conform to certain standards, and for the most part, they do. Some installers, however, don’t behave the way they should, or the information they leave behind may be inaccurate, incomplete, or damaged. Installers are supposed to write a log of what they do, so that when it comes time to uninstall software, the uninstaller tool can figure out how to undo what was done.

Without the log, uninstallers have no hope of finding all of the program files and configuration changes, and are therefore likely to balk at removing an old piece of software.

For just this reason, I use Perfect Uninstaller. As a technician, my time is valuable, and I need as much of it as I can gather because there are just some problems that require my effort, but removing stubborn software isn’t usually among them. Perfect Uninstaller works reliably and predictably every time.

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Computers can sometimes be frustrating to work with, especially when you don’t have a good idea of how they work. Occasionally when you want to remove a program from your computer, the Windows Add/Remove Programs tool won’t work. Does that mean you’re stuck with the unwanted software forever? Will you need to hire someone to remove the program that won’t go away? No and no. The Add/Remove Programs tool isn’t the only way to dispose of software you don’t want. It’s a utility that Microsoft created to help improve the process of getting rid of old software.

What Would Cause An “Add/Remove Programs Tool” Failure?

The seeds of your computer’s discontent may be sown long before you try to remove an unwanted program. In fact, the software package’s installer may be responsible for some of your software removal frustrations.

Software installation is more involved than simply copying program files to a specific location. A lot of other information has to be written to both the disk and the operating system. Specifically, the installer routine copies program files, registers shared files, installs drivers, makes icons, links other installed programs to the new software, and so on. Important information about the software may be written into the computer’s registry, too. Everything the installer does is logged in a file. The log is then saved, usually in the application’s folder. The uninstaller will use this log to “undo” whatever got done during the installation process. So… what could possibly go wrong?

Well… just about everything. Some applications don’t actually make installer logs. This may be true of freeware, shareware and other similar programs. No installer log means no directions for the Add/Remove Programs tool to follow when it tries to remove the program. Aside from that, the installer log could get thrown away, damaged or moved to a location where the computer can’t find it. Any of these conditions would also give the Add/Remove Programs tool a little heartburn.

In the absence of knowing what the installer did, how can you get rid of a program? If you know a lot about computers, you can make some educated guesses about where the program files reside. You may also be able to determine whether other programs are sharing libraries with your removal target. You may even be able to locate the correct registry entry. In this case, you can manually remove the offending program and be done with it.

Realistically, however, if you don’t have the time or the interest to track down what the software installer may (or may not) have done to your computer, a safer and easier removal method involves using a software removal tool like Perfect Uninstaller. Perfect Uninstaller can locate and safely remove all of the files associated with an application, reverse or eliminate relevant registry entries and clean up a stubborn installation in no time. I recommend Perfect Uninstaller because it’s so easy to use and so thorough in what it does.

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Making changes to your computer can be scary, especially when you don’t know what the impact of your changes will be. As a professional technician, I counsel people and organizations to back up their data regularly, but more often than not, that warning goes unheeded. Inevitably, valuable business information and personal information are lost. Some users, rather than back up and maintain their data, simply keep data and programs stored on their computer seemingly forever. Once a file is created or a program is installed, the software never gets removed, either out of simple neglect or fear of making changes.

Perfect Uninstaller Makes A Restorable Backup

One of the reasons I like Perfect Uninstaller so much is that Perfect Uninstaller makes a backup of system files before it removes anything. If the removal of an application causes some instability in the system, Perfect Uninstaller has you covered. You can simply restore the system files that Perfect Uninstaller changed.

In my book, though, there are lots of reasons to like Perfect Uninstaller. Perfect Uninstaller does exactly what it says it will do and doesn’t stop until the offending program files are gone. Perfect Uninstaller removes everything because it sees everything. Unlike the Add/Remove Programs tool provided by Microsoft, Perfect Uninstaller gives you instant access to every file in the file system.

The installation and use of Perfect Uninstaller couldn’t be easier. Simply download and install the program. When you run it, you’ll be presented with a simple interface that lets you see your entire file system. Simply select the files you want removed and Perfect Uninstaller goes to work.

Everything, and I mean everything, is uninstalled. The application files, associated libraries, registry entries, data files… whatever got put on the computer when the program was installed are removed, just like that. No fuss, no muss, and no mistakes.

For those really tough removal situations, where Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t get the offending files on the first pass, the program also provides a Force Uninstall option. Force Uninstall works until the programs you want to remove are gone. That’s what makes Perfect Uninstaller so…well… perfect!
Uninstalling software shouldn’t be difficult, but some software can’t be removed normally, either because it’s damaged or it’s designed to stay on your computer, even when you want it gone. Perfect Uninstaller makes certain that the software you want off your computer goes away and nothing is left hanging around.

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The Windows Add/Remove Programs tool is the tool provided by Microsoft to uninstall programs that have been added to a Windows PC. If all goes well, a user can open this tool, select the program to be removed and all of the program components will be removed, the registry entries will be deleted or disabled and everyone is happy.

What Happens When This Doesn’t Happen?

Somewhere along the line, reality will intrude on this scene and the Add/Remove Programs tool won’t work properly. Either it doesn’t “see” the program you want to remove, or it doesn’t work at all. What’s going on here?

Some programs, particularly anti-virus programs, can affect the way the Add/Remove Programs tool works. In some cases, the A/V software can prevent the Add/Remove Programs tool from working altogether. The Add/Remove Programs tool may display a “blank” list of programs or may labor fruitlessly to come up with a list of installed programs on the computer.

Anti-virus interactions should always be considered when a “management” program of some type isn’t working properly. A/V programs have a habit of not making nice with other programs that have a lot of “authority” such as the Add/Remove Programs tool. Some clever malware authors use system components to add, remove or hide programs, so A/V software tends to get very suspicious of these kinds of operations.

If you’re experiencing a problem with a seemingly dead Add/Remove Programs tool, you can quickly check this out by disabling your A/V software (temporarily, of course) and re-starting your computer. If your Add/Remove Programs tool comes up dandy, then you know that the A/V software is exerting some kind of additional control over the Add/Remove Programs tool. You can either disable the A/V when you need to install or uninstall programs, or you can try a third-party software removal tool like Perfect Uninstaller.

Perfect Uninstaller works hard to get all of the unwanted programs off of your computer, quickly and permanently. Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t take “no” for an answer, so you can be sure that you have the programs you want on your computer, and the programs you don’t want are gone for good. You don’t have to put up with a lot of trash on your computer. With Perfect Uninstaller, you can remove the garbage you don’t want and it’s gone for good!

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