If you are like the vast majority of PC users, you generally uninstall software either by using the Windows uninstall feature or the uninstall program that came packaged with whatever software it is you’re trying to get rid of. While this method gets rid of the majority of the related program files and gets it out of your sight, there are generally a bunch of registry keys and other files that get left behind. Over time, these leftover items can help to bog down Windows performance.
Thankfully, there is a great free utility that can help put an end to poor uninstallations. The program is called Revo Uninstaller and the most recent version (v1.83) was just released earlier this year. Revo picks up the slack where the built-in Windows add/remove options fail. The program itself is a tiny 1.5 MB installation and only takes a couple of minutes to get up and running.
When you open Revo Uninstaller, you are presented with a nice list of all of the programs that are currently installed on your machine. When you uninstall a program with Revo, the software will run the pre-packaged uninstall program, then follow that up with a deep search for any leftover registry strings or files. You are presented with a list of Revo’s findings and you’ll have the option to pick what you do and don’t want to delete.
Revo also comes with a really cool junk file finder that can help you to further clean up your system. The built-in Tools Tracks Cleaner accesses cache-cleaning features including browser cache functions as well as crash memory dump files, and much more. Also included with Revo is what they call the Hunter. The Hunter allows for click-and-drag uninstall and process-killing functionality.
This is a very simple, but useful free tool that should be part of your Windows maintenance arsonal. The only warning that I do want to mention is to be extra careful when deleting a program that shares a parent folder with another program that you want to keep. Generally this is an issue when you have two programs made by the same company. In this situation, it is especially important to pay attention to which files you are deleting. Also, keep in mind that doing a full delete of a program will also erase any saved user settings and license keys that may have been saved in the registry. Just be sure that you don’t plan to install the software again in the future or that you have the license key saved somewhere else.
You can download the free Revo Uninstaller here
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