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So I've finished with an installed application. I can just delete
the installation folder, right? Wrong!
When the software gets installed, it updates many parts of the
operating system. To remove that software you will need to run the
uninstall routine that comes with the software.
Just deleting the application's installation folder might remove
it to reclaim the lost space, however it will not remove unneeded
driver files from the Windows folder, and will not remove the newly
redundant Registry entries. As far as the system will know, the
software is still installed, and this may cause errors somewhere
down the line. Should you ever need to reinstall the software, You
may encounter further problems as it is supposedly already installed.
Other considerations are that of the registry. The registry is
a central point for hardware information, file relationships and
software controls for a Windows PC. When you install software, the
registry gets updated. If you just delete the software folder, the
Registry entries will not get removed, therefore the Registry will
just grow and grow with each application you install and not uninstall.
As the PC uses the registry continually, it will slow the PC down
considerably over time.
So how do I uninstall the application?
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Remember to close all applications and utilities before uninstalling
any software. This includes antivirus software and firewalls. |
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If there is an uninstall option in the Start menu,
use this and follow the instructions that are displayed. |
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If the uninstall option in the start menu is not
present, use the 'Add/Remove Programs' utility in the Control
Panel. |
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If there is still not an option to uninstall the
application, then it probably wasn't fully compatible with Windows.
It should be safe just to delete the installation folder, as
there won't be any entries in the Registry, or Windows folders. |
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If there is an entry in 'Add/Remove Programs'
for the application you want to remove, but it won't let you
run the uninstaller then one of two possibilities could exist.
Firstly, the installation folder for the application has already
been just deleted. Or there is a corruption or problem with
the installation. The best way to fix the latter is to reinstall
the software, then try again to remove it in 'Add/Remove Programs'.
You can remove the entry for the deleted application by using
TweakUI (in the Control Panel) if it is installed. However
do not use this for general application removal, as it only
removes the entry in the list. |
The Add/Remove Programs utility is located here...
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs
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