With the active use of the computer, sooner or later a mountain of unused and malicious software accumulates on it, which can significantly slow down the speed of the 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 selectively remove programs.
Why uninstall programs completely?
Each program has access to all computer resources. Some, especially demanding, can load them too hard, which affects the operation 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 for any remnants of the application to continue to burden the system or “litter” the registry with unnecessary parameters.
By deleting the program completely, you will not only free up disk space, but also improve the performance of the computer as a whole.
How to remove a program from a computer?
If you simply remove the shortcut from the desktop, the program will not stop working or launching unless it is a Portable version or a small utility. Therefore, one of the most effective ways to uninstall programs is to use the built-in uninstaller. This is a file that is usually located in the original program folder. It may have the following names: Uninstall, Unis, DEL, UnSetup, etc. What is needed to uninstall a program? Just start the file and follow the prompts.
With this method of uninstalling, programs may not be completely deleted, and entries in the registry, hidden folders, and other system settings may be saved, preventing re-installation. In this case, you can use free programs to remove programs from your computer or use the built-in Windows utility.
Windows Removal
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 vary depending on your system configuration.
To delete, 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 the built-in uninstallers and their parameters, so the process will not be different from starting the removal manually from the root folder of the program. This method is applicable to uninstall programs on 10/8/7 Windows. It differs from starting removal manually only in that it can delete some programs that do not have an uninstaller, as well as the presence of a window in which the entire list of software is presented and all basic information is immediately displayed.
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 capable of coping with such tasks. Here is some of them:
- CCleaner.
- Unlocker.
- A set of IObit programs.
- The Should I remove it program, which not only removes unwanted software, but also helps to find it.
- Uninstall Tool and others.
Let's look at some of them and get acquainted with the principle of their work.
CCleaner - a faithful assistant in cleaning the computer
One of the most useful utilities is CCleaner. Managing third-party uninstallers is far from all of its features. CCleaner in a few seconds will clean the registry from unnecessary parameters left from remote programs. In this case, you can make backups, in case something goes wrong. Of course, often everything works fine, but crashes sometimes happen.
In order to remove the program "Cliner", you must perform the following steps:
- Open utility.
- Select the “Service” tab, then - “Uninstall programs”.
- There are two buttons here: uninstall and uninstall. The first completely removes the program from the computer. The second removes the program only from the registry. This may help when reinstalling or updating, but most likely it will simply disable the product without uninstalling it.
- Use the “Uninstall” item to completely remove the program from the computer.
- When the download is complete, restart the 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 completely copes with its task.
In order to remove unwanted software with this utility, you must do the following:
- Open the program.
- The main window displays a list of all installed programs on the computer. Mark the necessary ones and click on the trash can icon or on the "delete" button at the top.
- In the window that appears, select the option “Automatically delete residual files”.
- Wait until the download is complete and restart the computer if necessary.
It is worth noting that the IObit package provides not only a program removal program, but also other utilities for computer care, for example, a driver manager and a defragmentation wizard, which can be no less useful.
Uninstall tool
Another shareware program for removing programs from a computer is Uninstall Tool. This is a small utility designed to work with Windows. Uninstallation in the Uninstall Tool can be done in two ways - regular uninstallation and forced removal.
Choose the first if you just want to get rid of a program that works stably. Forced removal will be useful during reinstallation or complete removal of programs from the computer.
Using the utility is quite simple.
Instruction:
Step number 1. Select the program from the presented lists in the main window.
Step number 2. In the left column, click on one of the necessary actions.
Step number 3. Confirm the action.
Step number 4. Wait for the download to finish.
Of the nice little things, it can be noted that the utility sorts installed programs by importance:
- Applications
- Hidden.
- Systemic
- 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 the styles of Windows themes. It is also possible to monitor the installation of the selected program, in case the installer decides to climb into other programs, files or is not an installer at all.