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.

Photo Credit: Milan Boers, via Flickr

Finding software for your computer is simple. With open source software, freeware and shareware, you can often find the software you need at the right price, too. Removing software isn’t always so easy. Some software gets left behind on your computer when the Add/Remove Programs tool doesn’t work completely or correctly. Sometimes software gets damaged and seemingly can’t be removed. Sometimes, software doesn’t want to be removed, and in still other cases, software (like viruses, spyware, adware and other malware) just makes a big mess.

Don’t Get Frustrated. Get Perfect Uninstaller

Saying goodbye to software isn’t always an easy proposition with Windows. Software components are written all over the computer, so getting rid of software isn’t as simple as throwing it in the Recycle Bin. You can do that, but that won’t get rid of the software, and just might earn you an unending stream of error messages from the computer, which will waste time looking for software you thought you got rid of.

The Add/Remove Programs tool doesn’t always catch stray software, either. Nothing is more frustrating than wanting to get rid of a software installation and finding out that the Add/Remove Programs tool doesn’t see the same things you see. How do you get rid of software that won’t go away?

When this happens to me, (and it happens more than I would like) I use Perfect Uninstaller. As a professional, I don’t have time to diagnose the reasons that the Add/Remove Programs tool isn’t working on a particular software package. There are also a whole set of program components that don’t want to be gotten rid of. Just as I don’t have time to find out why a certain program can’t be uninstalled, I don’t have time to argue with the computer about what software stays and what software goes.

When I use Perfect Uninstaller, I can be assured that the software I want removed will be removed. Instantly. Completely. Immediately. The software is easy to use. I simply open the application and choose the target software from the complete list that Perfect Uninstaller provides. I press a button and the software is removed, along with all of the components that were installed with it.

Perfect Uninstaller sees the programs that the Add/Remove Programs tool misses. It also removes them without question. In a few stubborn cases, the software won’t go. Perfect Uninstaller has a plan for those applications, too. Force Uninstall removes those stubborn programs completely. It keeps working until the application is completely removed. At the end of the day, that’s what I want, and I suspect it’s what you want, too.

Photo Credit: Christine K, via Flickr

PC software removal isn’t often though of as a maintenance task, but today, it really is. As personal computers have evolved, they’ve gotten less expensive and easier to use. They’ve achieved this status by becoming more (not less) complicated. More people use computers regularly, but the computer actually has to perform many more hidden tasks – tasks users don’t see- in order to keep up the illusion of “ease-of-use.”

Software Management Can Be A Hidden Task

Take the Add/Remove Programs tool for example. If you want to get rid of a piece of software, why not just drag it to the Recycle Bin and be done with it? That’s one approach to getting rid of program files, and it will break the program but it won’t get rid of the program.

Programs aren’t self-contained in the application file anymore. There are registry entries that need to be removed, libraries that may (or may not) require removal, support files that help the program operate and other files (like icons) that don’t reside in the application itself. These files are distributed around the computer when the application is installed. Truly getting rid of the program means getting rid of everything that goes along with the program.

The user may still wonder. “Well, so what? If I get rid of most of the application, I’ve gotten rid of the program, right?” Not exactly. Registry entries that belong to the program may cause the computer to slow down or stall. You may find irritating error messages indicating that there’s a problem with the now-recycled program. If the program were set to start up automatically, the computer may complain each time you boot that the program or some of its files can’t be found.

Removing an application requires a tool that can help you remove all of the files associated with it. It also may require some registry editing to silence the error messages or time-outs that may occur if the computer continues to wait for the non-existent program to respond.

For software removal, I always recommend Perfect Uninstaller. Perfect Uninstaller does what Microsoft’s Add/Remove Programs tool doesn’t or can’t. Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t care what condition the application or file is in. Perfect Uninstaller can remove everything it sees, and it sees everything. For those stubborn cases where removal isn’t a first option, Perfect Uninstaller provides Force Uninstall, which doesn’t give up until the offending file is gone.

Perfect Uninstaller is part of my maintenance toolkit and I recommend it to everyone.

Photo Credit: Maurizio Agelli, via Flickr