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.

Photo Credit: Rich Anderson, via Flickr