• Powerful Forced Uninstall Mechanism
  • Clean Unwanted Driver & Registry Entries
  • Backup PC System Files
  • Erase Corrupted Programs
  • Simple Easy to Use
  • Remove All Evidence

Tag: software removal tool

Removing Trial Software From A New Computer

Removing Trial Software From A New Computer

If you’ve just purchased a new computer, you’ll probably note that it comes with a lot of applications pre-loaded onto your computer. You may or may not want these applications; in many cases, the demo version works for a limited period of time – perhaps 30 or even 90 days. Once the demo period is expired, the application may stop working, or worse, it may generate pop-up messages periodically telling you that your free usage period is finished. Acquiring this software was easy, since it came pre-loaded on the computer you purchased. Removing software may not be as easy, however.

Software Uninstallers Don’t Always Work

Getting rid of programs may be more difficult than it seems. Programs sometimes have a hidden file structure that will prevent you from removing software. These hidden file structures may make it seem as though the software re-installs itself every time you reboot. This can be exasperating because no matter what you do, the software just seems to re-appear again and again and again.

That’s why I use Perfect Uninstaller to remove unwanted software from a computer. Perfect Uninstaller installs easily and offers a simple software removal interface. If a file is on your computer, Perfect Uninstaller will show it in its control pane. You select the application you want removed and Perfect Uninstaller goes to work. It continues to work until your file is gone, gone, gone.

Perfect Uninstaller finds all of the files associated with an application, hidden or not. It also finds all of the registry entries, libraries and support files associated with the application. Everything is targeted for removal and everything goes. Perfect Uninstaller also backs up the registry before it starts making changes, so you can restore a previous version of the registry if something isn’t working right after you’ve removed a piece of software.

Perfect Uninstaller works hard to find and remove the unwanted software components on your computer, as well as the leftovers that can cause persistent error messages and other problems like crashes. With Perfect Uninstaller, you can keep your system clean. You can also be sure that your system will be free of the software you didn’t ask for, don’t use and don’t want.

For those special cases, (and there are a few), where Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t get everything on the first pass, there is a built-in option called Force Uninstall. Force Uninstall doesn’t take “No” for an answer, and works until ever trace of the unwanted software is gone.

Perfect Uninstaller is reliable, accurate, easy-to-use, fast and complete. Nothing is left to chance and nothing is left behind.

Photo Credit: Justin Cozart, via Flickr

Why The Add/Remove Programs Tool Sometimes Doesn't Work

Why The Add/Remove Programs Tool Sometimes Doesn't Work

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

What Might Cause Add/Remove Programs Tool To Work Incorrectly?

What Might Cause Add/Remove Programs Tool To Work Incorrectly?

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!

Photo Credit: Jon Dawson, via Flickr

What Can Perfect Uninstaller Do For You?

What Can Perfect Uninstaller Do For You?

There’s a little more involved in software removal than you might think. For the most part, software is distributed, which means that parts of the program get installed in one place and other parts of the program get installed elsewhere. That doesn’t include the registry entries that may get made or drivers and libraries that may get installed. Some applications even install toolbars, viewers and plug-ins that work with a browser or mail client. Getting rid of all parts of a program can take a lot of time, especially if you don’t know exactly what the program’s installer did when it loaded the software.

Perfect Uninstaller Is A Problem-Solver

Aside from that, there are software programs that become corrupted and won’t allow themselves to be uninstalled by the system utilities provided with the OS.

Sure, you could manually remove all of the components of a program, as long as you know where they are and have the permissions to get rid of the software. Manually eliminating unwanted software puts the rest of your system at risk, though. You may accidentally delete a file or library that other programs on your computer need. Program components you’ve missed may start generating error messages when you start up or launch a particular application. Editing the registry opens up a whole new class of danger, especially for the inexperienced user.

With Perfect Uninstaller, you don’t have to worry about any of these things. Perfect Uninstaller will remove the software you no longer want in its entirety. Perfect Uninstaller will remove registry entries, drivers, libraries and other components that go along with the software you’re eliminating. Perfect Uninstaller also removes software that’s been so corrupted that it can’t be seen or removed by the Add/Remove Programs tool.

In addition, Perfect Uninstaller creates a backup of your PC system files and enables you to restore your system to a previous version should your system become unstable after you’ve removed software. Perfect Uninstaller also removes all of those annoying toolbars that applications can add to your system. With Perfect Uninstaller, unwanted software is as good as gone!

Perfect Uninstaller is simple to use. Download the program files, run the installer and you’re ready to start cleaning up your disk. The simple user interface allows you to target any file or application on your disk and a single click will make it all go away.

Photo Credit: EJ Hogbin, via Flickr