When you actively use your computer, sooner or later a mountain of unused and malicious software accumulates on it, which can significantly slow down the speed of your PC. In most cases, the only way out is to completely reinstall the system. However, if you do not want to lose important files, you can perform a selective removal of programs.
Why do I need to uninstall programs completely?
Each program has access to all computer resources. Some, especially demanding, may load them too much, which affects the performance of the PC. This is especially noticeable on older computers.
In addition, installed programs of new versions most often have built-in systems for automatically searching for updates, which tend to slow down the Internet connection. It is highly undesirable that some remnants of the application continue to burden the system or "litter" the registry with unnecessary parameters.
By removing the program completely, you not onlyfree up disk space, but also improve the performance of your computer as a whole.
How do I uninstall a program from my computer?
If you just remove the shortcut from the desktop, the program will not stop working or start if it is not a Portable version or a small utility. Therefore, one of the most effective ways to remove programs is to use the built-in uninstaller. This is a file that is usually located in the original folder of the program. It may have the following names: Uninstall, Unis, DEL, UnSetup, etc. What is needed to uninstall the program? Just run the file and follow the prompts.
This uninstall method may not completely remove programs, and entries in the registry, hidden folders, and other system settings may persist, preventing re-installation. In this case, you can use free programs to remove programs from your computer or use the built-in Windows utility.
Uninstall using Windows
Windows has a built-in software management tool. You can open it by going to the control panel and selecting "Programs and Features" or "Add or Remove Programs". The name may differ depending on your system configuration.
To remove, you can select any program from the displayed ones, double-click on it and follow the prompts of the wizard. It is worth saying that Windows uses built-in uninstallers and their options, so the process will not differ from runningremoval manually from the root folder of the program. This method is applicable to uninstall programs on 10/8/7 Windows. It differs from starting the uninstallation manually only in that it can remove some programs that do not have an uninstaller, as well as in the presence of a window in which the entire list of software is presented and all basic information is immediately shown.
Using third party programs
In most cases, using the built-in Windows program to delete files is not enough, then third-party software comes to the rescue. There are quite a lot of utilities that can cope with such tasks. Here are some of them:
- CCleaner.
- Unlocker.
- IObit software suite.
- The Should I remove it program that not only removes unwanted software, but also helps you find it.
- Uninstall Tool and others.
Let's take a look at some of them and see how they work.
CCleaner - a faithful assistant in cleaning your computer
One of the most useful utilities is CCleaner. Managing uninstallers of third-party programs is not all of its features. CCleaner in a few seconds will clean the registry of unnecessary settings left over from the removed programs. At the same time, you can make backup copies in case something goes wrong. Of course, often everything works fine, but sometimes failures occur.
In order to remove the Cleaner program, you must perform the following steps:
- Open utility.
- Select the "Service" tab, then - "Deleteprograms.”
- There are two buttons here: uninstall and delete. The first completely removes the program from the computer. The second removes the program only from the registry. This may help with a reinstall or upgrade, but will most likely just disable the product without uninstalling it.
- Use the "Uninstall" item to completely remove the program from your computer.
- After the download is complete, restart your computer to update the information.
IObit Uninstaller
The utility is easy to understand and can be used on most computers running different operating systems. It has a nice, simple interface and does its job perfectly.
In order to remove unwanted software with this utility, do the following:
- Open the program.
- The main window will display a list of all programs installed on the computer. Mark the ones you need and click on the trash can icon or on the "delete" button at the top.
- In the window that appears, select "Automatically delete residual files".
- Wait for the download to finish and restart your computer if required.
It's worth noting that IObit comes with not only a software uninstaller, but also other computer care utilities such as a driver manager and a defragmentation wizard that can be just as useful.
Uninstall Tool
Another shareware uninstallerprograms from a computer - Uninstall Tool. This is a small utility designed to work with Windows OS. Uninstallation in the Uninstall Tool can be done in two ways - regular uninstallation and forced removal.
Choose the first one if you just want to get rid of a program that is stable. Forced removal will be useful during reinstallation or complete removal of programs from the computer.
Using the utility is quite simple.
Instruction:
Step 1. Select a program from the lists provided in the main window.
Step 2. In the column on the left, click on one of the desired actions.
Step 3. Confirm the action.
Step 4. Wait for the download to finish.
From the pleasant little things, it can be noted that the utility sorts installed programs by importance:
- Applications.
- Hidden.
- System.
- From the Windows Store.
Thanks to this sorting, you can not be afraid to delete the system program by accident. In the application, you can also customize the interface to your liking or use Windows theme styles. It is also possible to monitor the installation of the selected program, in case the installer decides to get into other programs, files, or turns out to be not an installer at all.
