Uninstall Applications Without Using Add/Remove

Don Bradbury takes you through the alternative route to removing programs

Windows is not a perfect beast, and that includes its Add/Remove applet. Readers will recall that Add/Remove is Windows' own feature for removing an unwanted application from your system, either because you don't require it anymore or because it has become corrupted and you want a clean reinstall.

Another way, indeed preferable if it's offered, is the software manufacturer's own Uninstall facility, usually listed in the Start/Programs menu itself. Use that when you can as the manufacturer knows best what files, folders, and Registry entries need to be removed.

However, Add/Remove generally works well enough, though you may still have to tidy up your disk drive after using it by deleting the application folders themselves, and, if you want, files created by yourself using the program (they will have a particular filename extension such as DOC or XLS, say).

Add/Remove failure

When that Add/Remove process fails, as it occasionally does, you have to resort to a manual process to recover the disk space the application uses. Do that by, first, emptying Recycle Bin to make space for the deletion (after making sure you won't need what's in there first). Then fire up Windows Explorer and locate the folder (directory) you installed the application into.

That will usually be subsidiary to Program Files, but not always. You may be in the habit of choosing your own installation folder when loading new programs. Either way, make sure you have the correct folder (look for an executable filename that refers to the program, such as IExplore.exe for the Browser application, as an example).

Drag and Drop

Left click on the top level folder to highlight it, and then click and hold on it and drag the folder to the Recycle Bin and drop it there, adjusting the Windows size if necessary to let you see Recycle Bin on the Desktop. That way you can be sure the entire thing goes to Recycle Bin and not direct deletion - just in case you need to restore it later if you change your mind. In which case, just double click on Recycle Bin, select the folder you deleted by right clicking, and then select Restore.

This crude way of recovering disk space should be followed by manual deletion of the program's Start Menu entries. Right click on a clear part of the Windows Taskbar and choose Properties. Then click on the Start Menu Programs tab and choose the Advanced option and Advanced again.

The display you see shows your Start Menu entries, and there you can select (left click on) and delete (Edit/Delete) any you don't want to see.

In conclusion

The uninstall will not be total following this route, as some files will probably have been placed in the Windows or Windows\System folders, and Registry entries will remain in place to be redundant, but you should not try to locate and delete any of these unless you really know what you're doing. Just put up with that amount of lost disk space and redundancy; it won't amount to much.

Don Bradbury