Which program is the most thorough software uninstaller for Windows?

[bobby holla]

I was told by computer Expert, that the reason why Computers started out quick, but it began to slow down more and more. is as a result of pileup of old applications and software, even ones you thought you deleted/uninstalled. These files stack up and slow down your system. he did recommend getting Revo Uninstaller but i found another Called Soft Organizer. i have been puzzle and wanting to know which of these Uninstaller can perform better? any other suggestion is welcome.

 

[NullByte]

Well, having a New Uninstaller will not make your PC faster, the same goes with PC Cleaning Apps. You can use the Default Windows Uninstaller

You can only speed up your PC using a Disk Defragmenter or upgrading your hardware (or windows updates if you have them enabled).

 

[DGLauren]

I've been impressed with what REVO finds after a program's own uninstaller has run, but my opinion doesn't have any real clout as I barely know what I'm doing.

My edit: I should add that I have REVO Premium because I have a 64 bit system. Used the free version for years before my present computer, though.

 

[Av Gurus]

I use Geek Uninstaller portable, better then Revo free on x64 OS

 

[SHvFl]

The best program to uninstall is a system image. Google Macrium Reflect.

 

[Noxx]

Revo or Iobit for thoroughness. If you want something extremely simple with no hassle and mostly getting all remnants, as AV Gurus recommended, Geek Uninstaller.

 

[LASER_oneXM]

I've been only using in the past few years the standard windows uninstaller. I've never had any
problems with uninsatalling programms. Some months ago i thought: maybe it could be useful
to have a "professional" software for the case something goes wrong ("emergency").... .
After collecting informations in forums/internet i decided to buy the full version of "Revo uninstaller"

 

[frogboy]

I have been using Soft Organizer for the past 12 months and i am happy in the way it performs.

 

[mojaveron]

I've done some testing in a VM and Soft Organizer did very well and I like its ability to find left over files from previously uninstalled programs.

by the way there is a promo now to get Soft Organizer 5.11 for free the page is in Russian and probably need translating I used slimjet.

Soft Organizer 5.11 (Comss.ru) - бесплатная лицензия - Новости и Обзоры

 

[Logethica]

I have no experience of either of the options,but have heard good things about each of them...
I have only ever used a combination of CCleaner Free & The SUPERDelete Tool of SAS Free to Uninstall Software... I have been happy with the results so did not investigate other options.

 

[Deleted member 178]

Using Iobit Uninstaller portable, do its job decently.

 

[Cohen]

I've been using Revo Uninstaller (Pro) for about 6 months now and I love it, it does its job correctly (and thoroughly) and I have never had a problem with it.

 

[DracusNarcrym]

I've used Revo Uninstaller Pro, and I was happy with it, until I found it was too much of a bloat in the end.

After that, every time I did a very large installation (e.g. VMware Workstation), I created a system image before it, just in case.

If I ever uninstall an application, I like to manually clean up any leftover files. There's actually some typical locations and registry entries that house leftover items, and if you clean those up, chances are you won't need any third party uninstaller software.
This practice however is more recommended for advanced users, as it may pose some risks if any mistakes are made.

 

[Solarlynx]

Now I'm happy with Revo Pro. Before that I was happy with Advanced Uninstaller Pro when it turned freeware now it again turned paid with AV on the top .

 

[Deleted member 178]

If I ever uninstall an application, I like to manually clean up any leftover files. There's actually some typical locations and registry entries that house leftover items, and if you clean those up, chances are you won't need any third party uninstaller software.

yes me too, but good luck with IDM and its hundreds of leftover keys

 

[DracusNarcrym]

yes me too, but good luck with IDM and its hundreds of leftover keys

That's why people should be careful of what they install, before they install it... and if they do, they should be eager to take the blame.

Believe it or not, I've manually uninstalled the entire Autodesk EC Suite manually... (thousands of files and registry items)

(broken uninstaller)

Now, as for IDM... Thanks for letting me know.

 

[spaceoctopus]

Using Iobit uninstaller. Great product for a free one.

 

[Solarlynx]

I've used Revo Uninstaller Pro, and I was happy with it, until I found it was too much of a bloat in the end.

You are really proficient to find after Revo! (btw why we don't have a "thumb up" smiley? I would use it here!)

After that, every time I did a very large installation (e.g. VMware Workstation), I created a system image before it, just in case.

Maybe it's better to try a Time Machine like Rollback Rx? You just jump back to a previous snapshot. Though TM imposes its own inconveniences and risks.

If I ever uninstall an application, I like to manually clean up any leftover files. There's actually some typical locations and registry entries that house leftover items, and if you clean those up, chances are you won't need any third party uninstaller software.

When I check what registry entries Revo suggests to remove I see that for some programs it's a crazy lot work to do that manually. Some of them aren't directly connected to the program I remove, it's just impossible to guess them for me.

 

[Overkill]

I am happy with Revo, it always does a great job. I have never heard of the other program.

 

[DracusNarcrym]

You are really proficient to find after Revo! (btw why we don't have a "thumb up" smiley? I would use it here!)

Maybe it's better to try a Time Machine like Rollback Rx? You just jump back to a previous snapshot. Though TM imposes its own inconveniences and risks.

When I check what registry entries Revo suggests to remove I see that for some programs it's a crazy lot work to do that manually. Some of them aren't directly connected to the program I remove, it's just impossible to guess them for me.

Well, takes practice, but it's easy to do it after a few tries. I wouldn't do it, but a couple of times I was suspicious and a couple other times I was just not satisfied with my uninstallers, so I decided to give it a try. From there, one thing lead to another and I became my own uninstaller. lol

I have done research enough into RollBack Rx (I've been testing rollback software ever since COMODO Time Machine, which by the way is the software on which RollBack Rx is directly based) and I have concluded that it simply doesn't work for my case. I do software installations (updates, actually), especially game installations, and that is a big no-no for snapshots (though I install games on a different partition, but still I update software so frequently that snapshots are becoming annoying to manage). So, I just settle with full images. (my computer is rather powerful, too, so the whole process of creating an image takes 10-20 minutes, and around the same time for restore)

Yeah, some times it's just impossible to cleanup leftovers manually. Some file associations, for example, are so chaotic in the registry, that you simply get lost. Also, there are some obscure entries which you simply cannot tell whether they are associated with the uninstalled software or not.