Windows users have long been familiar with the concept of malicious software. Viruses, malware, spyware and other not-so-goodies are written specifically to target flaws in the Microsoft operating system. In response, Microsoft released the Malicious Software Removal Tool, an integrated part of the Windows operating system. The software removal tool is designed to target the most serious threats to the Windows operating system.

How Does The Malicious Software Removal Tool Rate?

The Malicious Software Removal Tool is updated by Microsoft once each month, so that should tell you that the software removal tool is meant as a stop-gap rather than a primary line of defense. The Malicious Software Removal Tool isn’t a real-time anti-virus or anti-malware tool, though it will remove selected virus and malware infections. Unfortunately for some users, the Malicious Software Removal Tool is the only defense they use. Monthly updates are relatively infrequent for anti-virus and anti-malware packages, and sometimes, anti-virus removal/protection requires immediate action.

Should you rely on MSRT? It’s probably not a bad idea to run the tool. If you have no other A/V software, then running the MSRT is probably a given in your situation. (Something is always better than nothing when it comes to anti-virus software.)

Malicious Software Removal Tool does have the advantage of being free, and the updates are fee as well. Most other anti-virus software packages require you to license the base product and then pay for periodic updates for virus definitions. The virus definitions are what determine how effective (and up-to-date) your anti-virus protection is, so it’s not sufficient to license the base product and move on. The MSRT also runs in the background and will inform you of new infections it knows about.

Removing viruses isn’t part of Microsoft’s core business, however the company at least acknowledges that keeping up with the ever-growing amount of malware is tedious and time-consuming, and may tempt users to look at less lucrative targets like Apple or Linux as an option. With a regular (read: predictable) update schedule, however, I’d be somewhat concerned that malware producers may try to “time” their releases to maximize the amount of time between their malware release and the release of updated Malicious Software Removal Tool definitions in an effort to extend the run of new malware.

With the prevalence of malware “in the wild” having Malicious Software Removal Tool operational (it works for Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000) on your computer is better than having defunct anti-virus protection or worse, nothing at all.

As a professional computer technician, I’d like to be able to spend time learning why something doesn’t work. I like to be able to understand the way things fail because it increases my personal knowledge and helps me do my job. Unfortunately, some problems don’t allow me the luxury of developing a full explanation of the failure. Software removal failure is one of these things.

Many different things can cause software removal failure. A corrupted program component can throw off the Add/Remove Programs tool. A missing or damaged install log can eliminate valuable clues. Some software simply doesn’t want to be removed.

In the absence of time to understand the problem, my goal is to fix the problem. For stubborn software removal, or software removal failure, I always turn to Perfect Uninstaller because I’ve found it to be the ideal software removal tool.

Perfect Uninstaller sees what the Add/Remove Programs tool doesn’t see and removes what other third-party software removal tools don’t remove. With Perfect Uninstaller, nothing gets left behind. All program files are gone, all registry entries are gone, all program components like libraries are gone. And gone means gone for good.

Perfect Uninstaller also has the advantage of being easy to understand and easy to use. You don’t have to do anything other than install it and identify the software you want removed. Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t ask a bunch of questions or fail when it comes to removing programs. For the few programs that aren’t removable with the standard Perfect Uninstaller remover, there’s Force Uninstall.

Force Uninstall works. I don’t know how else to put it. Force Uninstall simply removes all of the software that other removers won’t or can’t touch. Gone is gone, and gone is good with Perfect Uninstaller. That’s why I use it myself and I recommend it for use with any Windows PC.

Perfect Uninstaller will provide access to all files on the computer. Choose the offending program from a list, a group of icons or by the program details. Once you’ve identified the program(s) you want removed, press the button and that’s it.

Perfect Uninstaller goes after the old, empty or corrupted registry entries, too. Nothing, and I mean nothing, gets left behind. More than 1,000,000 downloads of Perfect Uninstaller means that the program works like it says. It’s also easy to use … perfect for the novice user.

Photo Credit: Kaiton, via Flickr

Reliability is worth something. When you’re dealing with computers – especially computers that are used in a work or business environment – you need tools that you can rely on to help keep your computer running smoothly. There are many different kinds of tools that fall into this category – anti-virus software, disk maintenance, driver maintenance, registry cleaners, performance monitors and diagnostic tools… the list goes on. One software tool that I recommend and use is Perfect Uninstaller. Perfect Uninstaller is the perfect third-party software removal tool.

Sticky Software Gets Unstuck

Most PC users know that removing software isn’t a matter of dragging an unwanted application to the Recycle Bin and emptying it. If only software removal were that easy. Software installers place a lot of different files in different places all around the computer. Program files aren’t centralized, so that complicates software removal.

Windows’ built-in Add/Remove Programs tool is supposed to manage the process of software removal. In many cases, it works just fine. If you use a PC, however, I guarantee that you will eventually run across a program that the Add/Remove Programs tool won’t touch. It simply doesn’t show up in the list of programs that you can remove.

That doesn’t have to be the end of the story for you. Perfect Uninstaller was created for just these circumstances. For whatever reason (usually a corruption of some kind) the Add/Remove Programs tool stops seeing the software you no longer want. A third-party removal tool like Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t operate like the Add/Remove Programs tool does, so it continues to see all files that are located on your computer.

Nothing hides from Perfect Uninstaller. Perfect Uninstaller is easy to understand and use. Simply install it and identify the program or software you want removed. Press the button and it’s gone. Just like that. Perfect Uninstaller just works. Every time.

Granted, there are a few programs that defy the standard Perfect Uninstaller approach to removing software. You’re not out of luck, though. Perfect Uninstaller provides Force Uninstall, the guaranteed removal routine that leaves nothing behind. Force Uninstall doesn’t take no for an answer and will forcibly remove the software. When Force Uninstall is done, the software is definitely gone, as are all traces of it. That’s why I recommend Perfect Uninstaller as a safe, reliable and effective software tool. It’s in my maintenance kit. Shouldn’t it be in yours, too?

Photo Credit: Zena C, via Flickr

When you want to remove software, you should be able to remove software. You shouldn’t have to fight with your uninstaller to get software to go away. The perfect uninstaller would also clean up the entire installation of a program, from the program files to libraries to registry entries.

Enter Perfect Uninstaller

There’s nothing NOT to like about Perfect Uninstaller. It’s easy to get, easy to install and easy to use. You don’t have to be a computer professional to use Perfect Uninstaller. You also don’t have to understand all of the intricacies of how software gets installed and remains installed, despite your best efforts to the contrary.

You can spend a lot of time trying to get rid of software, or you can spend a little time to install Perfect Uninstaller. Once Perfect Uninstaller is installed, there’s no software on your computer that can’t be removed. And removal is complete.

Perfect Uninstaller doesn’t leave anything behind. That’s nice to know because a lot of third-party installers leave program components behind. This can cause problems for your computer after you’ve removed the unwanted software. Incomplete removal can produce slow computer performance, error messages, hangs, stalls and crashes. Your computer can get stuck looking for program components that no longer exist.

Don’t have time to argue with your computer about what goes and what stays? Perfect Uninstaller will do the trick. The only question it asks is “What goes?”

Installation is easy. Once the program is up and running, it will present you with the list of software that’s on your computer. Select the software you want to remove and that’s it. Gone.

If you have a really stubborn file or application that won’t go away with the standard removal routine, you’re still not out of options. Perfect Uninstaller provides Force Uninstall. What escapes Force Uninstall? Nothing. Not one thing. Perfect Uninstaller has the ability to get tough when it needs to in order to clean your hard disk of the programs and applications you don’t want – or maybe never wanted in the first place.

It helps that Perfect Uninstaller is easy to recommend. It’s been downloaded more than 1,000,000 times by users all over the world who are looking for a simple, safe and strong software removal tool that does what it’s asked to do. Perfect Uninstaller is one of the most reliable tools I’ve used and I recommend it.

Photo Credit: Laurel Fan, via Flickr