How to Uninstall Unwanted Software

When you get a new PC, all it will normally have installed is the operating system and possibly a few utility programs. So, the hard disk is relatively empty and the registry is in pristine condition. The first thing you then do is install the programs you use regularly — your word processor, spreadsheet, video editor and so on — and copy over all your documents, music, videos and the like. Your hard disk starts to fill up but, hopefully, not too much and your registry gains a few more entries.

Everything is fine as long as you don’t overdo it. However, the temptation is to install various programs to try them out — some people are serial downloaders and installers of all sorts of programs off the internet. The problem is that your hard disk becomes increasingly full, your registry gets cluttered with a mass of entries and the various programs may conflict with each other and cause errors.

What you really should do is to uninstall unwanted programs regularly, especially the time-limited trial versions that don’t even work anymore. Also, if you are updating a program to a new version, you may have to uninstall the old version first. There are different ways to do this, although all may not be fully effective. It is important that you uninstall a program properly. Simply deleting its desktop icon or program folder is definitely not the way.

As a general rule, don’t uninstall something if you don’t know what it is. It may be something that is required and cause problems if removed. The operating system should create a restore point automatically when uninstalling. However, to be sure, you may want to create a restore point manually so you can go back if you have problems. Essentially, there are two main ways to uninstall unwanted software plus other things you can then do to tidy up afterwards.

During the uninstall process, you might be asked if you want to delete a file that may be shared by another program. The safe option is to not delete.

Uninstalling Unwanted Programs Using the Windows Uninstaller

At the Control Panel, select Programs and Features or Add or Remove Programs (depending on your operating system version) and you will see a list of all the programs that are currently installed on your PC. This may give an indication of how frequently you use the program, although this is not always reliable.

Click the program you want to remove and select Uninstall. Follow the prompts to uninstall the program and, on completion, the list of programs reappears. Repeat the process for anything else you want to get rid of.

Uninstalling Unwanted Software Using a Program’s Uninstaller

In many cases, a program will have its own uninstall routine, which will be specific to the program and so should, in theory, handle the uninstall more efficiently. In this case, find and open the program group at the Start menu and, if there is a remove or uninstall option listed, select and run it. If not, and the software was installed from CD, check its content to see if there’s a routine available.

The uninstall routine will generally be wizard-based. You only need to follow the steps to uninstall the program.

Tidying Up

When you uninstall unwanted software, this will remove its entry in the Start menu, clear any desktop shortcut and delete the program folder. It should also remove all its registry entries but rarely does this efficiently. Additionally, the deleted files remain on the hard disk although the areas are marked for re-use.

To complete the process properly, you can follow a number of steps:

Clear Registry Entries. The Windows registry has many entries that control your system. These include those for specific programs and, when you uninstall unwanted software, the relevant entries should be cleared. Invariably, all aren’t and you should really get rid of them.

One way to do this is to edit the registry manually. Before doing this, create a restore point so you can get back if you hit problems. Then, at the Start menu, click Run, type ‘regedit’ and press Enter. Click Edit/Find and ensure ‘Match Whole String Only’ is unticked. Type in the name of the deleted program and click Find Next. Right-click and delete each key then repeat the process for other programs.

Many people don’t like to edit the registry and with good reason. Incorrect entries can cause problems and even make your system unusable. An alternative is to use a dedicated product that will clean up your registry automatically. There are plenty available but choose carefully because some are better than others.

Run a Disk Cleanup by selecting Accessories at the Start menu, then System Tools and Disk Cleanup. Although this is not directly related to uninstalling unwanted programs, you can clear temporary files and so free more disk space.

Defragment the Hard Disk. The final step is to defragment the hard disk, which you should do regularly anyway. This removes the spaces created when files and programs are deleted, improves disk reading and makes your PC run faster.

At the Start menu, select Accessories, System Tools then Disk Defragmenter, which may take a while to run. There are also third party products to do this and you may find them more efficient.