Manual uninstalling of programs 2

[RBHirsch]

Very often a program will not really uninstall properly via the usual Windows/Add Remove programs listing, or even the Uninstall capability of programs like Ccleaner.

To do the job manually, it's usually necessary to delete the complete program folder, and then remove all the Registry entries directed at the program in question.

There can be lots of Registry entries, and I was wondering if a program like Ccleaner, which has a Registry cleaner feature would be of help here.

If any files are called which were in the program folder/subfolders, will a Registry cleaner bring up those keys for deletion, as they would appear to be dead keys (I assume)?

Of course, if there were DLL and other files which were related to the program, and stored in various of the Windows folders, such as "System32" I guess that the Registry cleaning would not work. But would the "regular" cleaning function of say Ccleaner note them as available to be purged?

Actually, I'd guess that DLL files installed by the removed program probably wouldn't be doing anything other than taking up space anyway.

Any info/suggestions on manual removals?

This page seems to have some good info

http://www.theeldergeek.com/manually_uninstall_programs.htm

Ron Hirsch

 

[SirBlack]

Hi Ron,

Here are a few Uninstaller apps you can download:

http://www.download.com/Revo-Uninstaller/3000-2096-10687648.html

I've been running it for a few months & find it quite useful. Another one that I know of but have not used (also free) is:

http://downloads.zdnet.co.uk/0,1000000375,39190456s,00.htm

Hope this helps!

Bob B-)

 

[RBHirsch]

Hi Bob,

The Revo program looks interesting, and I downloaded it.

Am I correct in that it cannot do its work if the program to be uninstalled was installed before Revo was present, as it won't have any install record info to go by?

Ron

 

[SirBlack]

No. All app should be listed in Revo. If for some reason it does not display, use Hunter Mode to search for shorcuts or click on view to see all installed apps. Revo will scan twice, before & after uninstalling apps to be sure all traces are wiped off your OS. The Auto Run Manager is another tool to eliminate unnecessary apps from starting up at boot & using resources in the backround. I also run Process Explorer when PC starts to slow down. It gives more details than Window$ Task Manager & comes in handy in finding possible threats. You can download it free at:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/processexplorer.mspx

Not sure if you checked your earlier thread on spyware protection, but I sent you another free app from Fortego called All-Seeing Eye that you might want to consider as well.

Bob B-)

 

[RBHirsch]

Hi Bob,

I installed Revo. It does look interesting.

The program that has been a problem is Acronis True Image 11. It's been freezing up. It wouldn't uninstall via its own uninstall option. Nor will it REPAIR via its option. Nor can I Install it via its option. And Add/Remvoe programs won't uninstall it.

Everything just freezes when I attempt to uninstall it. Nor van I reinstall it - that just freezes also

Revo could also not uninstall it.

So I see no way to do the job other than manually.

I have to believe that if I follow the steps in this paper

http://www.theeldergeek.com/manually_uninstall_programs.htm

That hopefully it should manually get uninstalled.

It's a very strange situation

Ron

 

[RBHirsch]

Bob,

I finally got True Image uninstalled. I did all the manual deletions, except for one Registry entry which absolutely refused to be deleted. It's an entry for the "scheduler".

A Ccleaner scan then picked up a lot of other Reg entries, and it took care of all of them nicely. Now when I check for Registry "problems" in Ccleaner, nothing shows, and things seem to be working smoothly all around.

I don't know what transpired with True Image. It has been acting a bit strangely for a while. And when I did a recent Windows REPAIR, along the way, Windows asked for the location of a specific file for TI, but I didn't know where it was, so I had to just bypass that.

After the REPAIR, I reisntalled TI 11, which went fairly well. But from then on it was acting strangely. For now, I will not try to reinstall it. I had too much grief these past few days from it.

When I want to create my regular images, I'll just boot via the recovery CD that the program created, and generate the images from there.

I did run Revo on another program I wanted removed. It did a great job of finding all the junk that was left in the Registry and elsewhere. Ccleaner is also a good choice for picking up leftovfer Reg entries after an uninstall.

Thanks again for your help and Revo.

Ron

 

[SirBlack]

Hi Ron,
For those stubborn stubborn files that refuse to be deleted, try using Unlocker. It's come in handy for me a few times. Download it free at:

http://filehippo.com/download_unlocker/

Don't forget to check out Fortego's All-Seeing Eye. It monitors any unusual changes in your OS & alerts you to them. Like Zone Alarm, it takes a few days to teach it but it's a fast learner & is well worth it. It's a free download at:

http://www.fortego.com/en/ase.html

Glad I was able to help!

Bob B-)

 

[RBHirsch]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for your reply

I downloaded Unlocker some time ago, but haven't had the need to use yet. I originally downloaded it for the situation when a USB device says it's "busy", and can't be safely removed,

I can understgand that it also can be used to remove files which can defy removal. But I wasn't aware that Registry entries are in the same category as "files".

How does one use Unlocker on a stubborn Registry entry?

The one remaining Registry entry for True Image appears to be very passive, and not a problem. But, if I could readily remove it, I would.

I will also check out All-Seeing Eye

Ron