Uninstallers

[ng4ever]

Are uninstallers snake oil ? (Don't really do what they say) Like for example Revo uninstaller, etc ?

Is it worth buying one for the more advanced features ?

 

[TairikuOkami]

Uninstallers remove leftovers and that is pretty much it. Some better than others. I guess the question is, whenever is it really needed. You do not need it, though there were cases (in the past), where leftovers could cause some issues, like preventing installation of other software or cause crashes. I reinstall Windows twice a year, but I still like to clean everything. It also tells me, how reliable the software is, if it leaves too many leftovers, it is just not right. Some leave absolutely nothing.

Is it worth buying one for the more advanced features ?

That depends, do you need any of those features?

Download Revo Uninstaller Freeware - Free and Full Download - Uninstall software, remove programs, solve uninstall problems

I use forced reinstall a lot, because my setup breaks installations, but using Wise Uninstaller, it is free, there is also Geek Uninstaller.
Though there is one nice features of RevoPro, it can scan for leftovers after restart, which is required by some software, quite handy.

 

[Handsome Recluse]

It's probably better to limit installs on a production machine and have images (or Rollback RX) in case of changes.
You can try the open-source BCUninstaller, however.

 

[dinosaur07]

Revo Uninstaller Pro is still a good uninstaller and yes sometimes a good uninstaller helps us to remove stubborn or unremovable software through normal uninstallation. Of course, that it will be better to restore an image but an uninstaller is very handy.
I will avoid some kind of uninstallers that delete important files and renders the Windows unbootable or unstable.
Good uninstallers IMO: Total Uninstall Pro, Uninstall Tool and Revo Uninstall Pro.

 

[roger_m]

Uninstallers do work as advertised. Uninstallers which scan for leftover files and registry keys, after running a programs included installer, such as Revo, IObit, etc. usually won't find all leftovers. They will find things that the programs included uninstaller will miss, but won't find everything. This usually doesn't matter too much. A notable exception is antivirus software, as in some cases leftovers components can still be loaded and can cause issues. After uninstalling antivirus software, I would highly recommend running the removal tool provided by the publisher of the antivirus, to ensure that every single trace is removed.

If you are regularly installing and uninstalling software, then I think using an uninstaller is a good idea. If you rarely install software, then it may not be worth worrying about. In my case, I am constantly installing and uninstalling software, and never do a clean install of Windows, so I find uninstallers very useful.

IObit Uninstaller is excellent and the free version is really all you need. It can do batch uninstalls, where you can select multiple programs to uninstall and it will uninstall them one by one and then scan for leftovers for all the programs that were uninstalled when it's done. Also, unlike Revo, it can scan for leftovers after rebooting.

I also use Comodo Programs Manager. It automatically monitors any files and registry keys created when you install software and then can use this data to remove all traces of a program, after uninstalling it. But, something like IObit or Revo is a bit more straightforward to use.

 

[Danielx64]

It's probably better to limit installs on a production machine and have images in case of changes.
You can try the open-source BCUninstaller, however.

Pretty much this, and if you need to play with something I try it in a VM

 

[212eta]

Good uninstallers IMO: Total Uninstall Pro, Uninstall Tool and Revo Uninstall Pro.

Spon on!

 

[Syafiq]

@ng4ever, you can get Revo Uninstaller Pro for 50% OFF here: Revo Uninstaller Pro - Buy Now

 

[CoherentCrayon]

I used IOBit Uninstaller in the past but the UninstallMonitor process consumed too much disk usage so I bought and switched to Revo Uninstaller Pro Portable. I use it because I hate leftover junk spread across the whole computer after uninstalling some software.

 

[Faybert]

I do not see the need for uninstall programs today, Windows already does the service well, and Microsoft does not recommend cleaning the registry because you can make Windows unusable and so on, this leftover thing from unused programs that leave your computer slow and so on, is false, does not interfere with anything, I confirmed this several times with an MVP here from Brazil.

 

[roger_m]

I do not see the need for uninstall programs today, Windows already does the service well, and Microsoft does not recommend cleaning the registry because you can make Windows unusable and so on

There is a big difference between using a registry cleaner and scanning the registry for leftover traces with an uninstaller. If you install and uninstall a lot of programs, then a third party uninstaller can be very useful.

 

[tim one]

In addition to Revo, I would like to remind Geek Uninstaller, a minimalist and amazingly functional software to manage the uninstalling of any program.

 

[boredog]

Does CCleaners uninstall tool do anymore then the built in Windows uninstaller?

 

[roger_m]

Does CCleaners uninstall tool do anymore then the built in Windows uninstaller?

It just runs the program's own uninstaller.

 

[boredog]

Back in Windows 95 days, I used a program called Inctrl5. It would monitor any install to be undone later.Stay In Control

 

[ItsReallyMe]

Revo Uninstaller is great!

 

[spaceoctopus]

1.Revo uninstaller
2.Soft organizer
3.Iobit uninstaller.
I think those 3 are the best on the market.It's good to have a uninstaller, it helps in cases where programs fail to uninstall properly. Windows uninstaller in many cases isn't the best uninstaller.

 

[Sunshine-boy]

Tried wise program uninstaller and I love it:notworthy: removed Soft organizer because wise works better no reason to pay for Iobit when there is wise for free of charge.

 

[CMLew]

90% of my programs are USB-portable. Hence nothing much is uninstallable in my laptop. Only security softwares are installed.
Usually I just use the window uninstall to remove them.

 

[roger_m]

Tried wise program uninstaller and I love it:notworthy: removed Soft organizer because wise works better no reason to pay for Iobit when there is wise for free of charge.

When I tested it last year, I found both IObit and Revo to be much better.
Uninstaller Software

At the moment, in my opinion Wise Program Uninstaller is a terrible product. It takes a long time to scan for leftovers, for the programs I uninstalled with it, it found no leftover files, missed registry leftovers that IObit and Revo found, and usually found registry keys not belonging to the program that was just uninstalled. Also, once it froze when scanning for leftovers. Due to the poor performance, and issues with false positives, I can't recommend it, and if you do use it pay close attention to what it wants to remove. I'm sure it will improve over time.

Revo and IObit usually do a comparable job of finding leftovers, but sometimes Revo will find more. IObit is a lot faster at scanning for leftovers than Revo is.

While I still have it installed on my system, I have not tested it again, to see if more recent versions perform better

While I mostly use Comodo Programs Manager. I really like the batch uninstall function in IObit where you can uninstall a number of programs in one go.