How to remove a program from your computer using utilities. How to remove a program from your computer? Complete removal of programs
From time to time, users encounter a problem when, after uninstalling a program, its remnants interfere with the operation of other programs or even the operating system.
This problem can manifest itself in different ways. For example, when installing new version or a program from another manufacturer, a message may appear that an old version of it (or a product from another manufacturer) was found on the computer, after which the installation process is interrupted. There are also cases when, after deleting a program, the context menu items of the deleted program remain in the Explorer context menu. Trying to run them results in an error.
This is due to the fact that there are traces (remnants) of the deleted program in the system, which interfere with work. They can be located both in the system registry and on disks.
Most often, antivirus users encounter this when, when switching from one antivirus package to another, a message appears stating that a version from another manufacturer is already installed on the computer. After this message, the installation process is interrupted.
How to correct the situation and remove the incorrectly deleted program?
1. Check the list of installed programs
First, we need to make sure that we really uninstalled the program. Although this is an obvious step, there are times when an app next to it in the list is mistakenly deleted. To eliminate this misunderstanding, you just need to check the list again.
To do this, launch the program removal tool and try to find there the name of the application that we want to remove. If it is not there, then move on.
2. We are looking for special removal utilities from manufacturers
If we're talking about about antiviruses or security tools, the developers of such programs often create specialized utilities to completely remove their own products. As a rule, they are called something like this: %AntivirusName% Removal Tool. Instead of %AntivirusName% you need to substitute the name of the antivirus product.
Such utilities are precisely designed to completely remove a product from the system. And antivirus developers try to keep such products up to date, because users often need them. They are the ones that are recommended to be used first if you want to remove the antivirus solution completely.
Below is a list of links to such utilities for several popular antivirus solutions.
3. Removing remnants of deleted programs in the Reg Organizer uninstaller
If we are not talking about antiviruses, but about a simple application program, then there is a chance that data on traces (residues) is available in the database of the program removal tool in Reg Organizer.
To do this, launch Reg Organizer and go to the uninstall tool. On the left side panel there will be an item “Traces of already deleted programs”.
If after the name of the item you see a non-zero value in brackets, then the Reg Organizer utility managed to find the remains of some programs. Check to see if the program you want to remove is among them.
If deleting remnants through Reg Organizer did not help or remnants for the program you need were not found, then go to the next point.
4. Manually search for leftovers on the disk
Now let's move on to manual methods of searching for residues. First, let's check the disks for traces of the program that we want to completely remove from the system. To do this, we will use regular Explorer (or any other file manager convenient for you).
C:\Program Files\ and C:\Program Files (x86)\
These folders store the main working application files.
We need to find and delete the folder with the name of the program. Just sequentially go through the folders in Program Files and when you find the one you need, delete it.
When doing this, you need to remember the name of the manufacturer of the product, because sometimes they place program folders in a shared folder with the name of the manufacturer.
%AppData% and %LocalAppData%
These folders are used to store files that are created while the application is running. These could be configuration files for your system, logs, and more.
To open them, just enter %appdata% or %localappdata% in the address bar of Explorer and press Enter. The operating system will automatically redirect you to the appropriate disk folder in your user profile.
We open the %appdata% and %localappdata% folders sequentially in Explorer and look inside these folders for the name of the manufacturer or directly the name of the product whose remains we want to delete.
Most often, AppData/LocalAppData first contains a folder with the name of the manufacturing company, and already in it there is a folder with the name of the product itself.
Some programs are installed entirely in %AppData% instead of Program Files.
Once you have found the product name folders in AppData/LocalAppData, simply delete them.
5. Manually searching for traces in the registry using Reg Organizer
In the system registry you can also find many traces of programs that were deleted a long time ago. To find them, launch Reg Organizer and select the “Registry Editor” tool.
In the upper right corner there is a line for entering a search query. There we will enter the name of the program or the name of the manufacturer. But first we need to set up the search so as not to get a mountain of unnecessary keys, among which it will be difficult to find anything.
Open the search settings and leave a checkmark only opposite the “Key names” item in the “Where to search” block. This will give the program a command to look for matches only in the names of the keys, which will significantly reduce the number of entries in the search results and simplify working with them.
As soon as the settings are changed, enter a search query in the form of the name of the manufacturer or the name of the program (it is better to start with the first) and start the search.
As a result, you will receive a small list of registry keys, the names of which contain the name of the manufacturer's company or the name of the program itself. You need to find those that satisfy the following construction:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ %Company name%\%The name of the program%
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\ %Company name%\%The name of the program%
HKEY_USERS\%NUMBER-WITH-HYPHEN%\Software\ %Company name%\%The name of the program%
HKEY_USERS\%NUMBER-HYPHEN%\Software\WOW6432Node\ %Company name%\%The name of the program%
Designations:
%Company name%— the name of the company that produced the program, the remains of which need to be removed. Doesn't always exist. Instead, there may be a %Program Name% field.
%The name of the program%— the name of the program whose remains need to be removed.
%NUMBER-WITH-HYPHENS%— user identifier in the HKEY_USERS key.
Those keys that satisfy the above structures must be checked and deleted using the context menu (called with the right mouse button).
You can also check and, if detected, remove references to the remote program in the keys located at the following addresses:
\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\
\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\
Deleting data through the Reg Organizer registry editor requires the creation of a backup copy, which, if necessary, can be restored through the “Undo Changes Center”, which launches in the lower right corner of the main window.
6. Automatic registry cleaning in Reg Organizer
The last step in searching for traces of a deleted program in the registry is automatic cleaning using Reg Organizer. The utility analyzes key registry sections and looks for links to non-existent/ deleted files to then remove them correctly.
This is useful in cases where remote program recorded in startup, context menu, file extension associations and other similar sections.
Registry cleaning is carried out completely automatically and therefore does not require user intervention. You just need to be patient while the utility conducts an in-depth analysis system registry looking for links to deleted files and folders.
When deleting keys while cleaning the registry, Reg Organizer automatically creates a backup copy of the deleted data, which can be restored if necessary through the “Undo Changes Center” (opens in the lower right corner of the main program window).
This procedure is performed last. This is due to the fact that it searches for links to deleted files. If you first clean the registry and then delete files, then traces will remain in the menu, startup and other places, since the files were present on the disk at the time of cleaning the registry.
Often, when trying to uninstall a program, users are faced with the fact that the program is not uninstalled. When trying to uninstall a program through the Control Panel, the user receives an error that interrupts the uninstallation process. After which the program remains on the computer.
If you also don't know how to remove a program that won't uninstall, then this article should help you. Here we will look at three simple and effective ways solutions to this problem.
Method number 1. Stop all processes that are associated with the program.
If the program is not uninstalled, then most likely it is currently running. In order to stop the program, open “ ” (for example, using the key combination CTRL+SHIFT+ESC) and go to the list of processes. In the list of processes you need to find those processes that are associated with the program and stop them.
If you have Windows 8 or Windows 10, then you need to right-click on the process you want to end and select “End task” from the menu that appears. On Windows 7 and older Windows versions, the menu item you need will be called “End Process”.
After all processes associated with the program have been stopped, you need to try to remove the program again. If this method does not help you remove the program, then try restarting your computer and try again. Perhaps something is frozen on your computer and thus blocked the program from being uninstalled.
Method number 2. Use a special program to remove programs.
If the program is not removed even after a reboot, you can try to remove it using special program. The most popular program of this kind is. This program allows you to remove any other programs. Moreover, uninstallation is possible even in cases where the uninstaller does not work or the program is not displayed in the control panel.
Using Revo Uninstaller is quite simple. First you need to run this program and wait until it scans your computer and displays all installed programs. After this, you need to right-click on the program you want to remove and select “Delete”.
After this, a window will appear in which you need to select how to remove the program. In most cases, the Moderate option will do.
Here you can click on the “Select All” button and confirm the deletion by clicking on the “Next” button.
Method number 3. Uninstall the program through safe mode.
If none of the above helps you remove the program, then you need to boot your computer into and try again.
IN safe mode Only the main components are loaded operating system, other programs that may block deletion are not loaded. Therefore, in safe mode, deletion should proceed without problems.
If you need to remove any program or application installed on your computer, there are several ways to do this.
1. The first method is suitable for a program that you have downloaded, but have not yet started the installation process. To delete, just right-click on the program file and select Delete. In this way, you have moved the program to the trash. To completely remove it, all you have to do is empty the trash.
2. Through the control panel. This is the second and easiest way to properly remove an installed program from your computer.
To do this we open Control Panel – Programs and components.
In the window that opens, search in the list the necessary program, click on it once and press the button above the list Delete.
After this, the program uninstallation tool will launch; all you have to do is follow the prompts on the screen to confirm your action.
3. Using third party programs. Today, there are many third-party programs for removing third-party software from a computer, some of which are both paid and free.
The most popular and best programs are:
Revo Uninstaller– has both paid and fully free version. The free version has, although limited, a sufficient set of functions. Allows you to remove even those programs that are not in the Programs and Features list. It also has a hunter mode, which allows you to identify a program by simply pointing the scope at traces of its activity.
CCleaner– the program also has both paid and free versions. The main function of the program: cleaning the system, i.e. removing unnecessary garbage, history, temporary files, etc. which can cause your computer to freeze. Among its program tools, it also has an uninstaller of programs and applications (including standard Windows 10 applications).
It’s quite easy to figure out how to remove a program from your computer. But what may remain from it are files, configurations, registry entries, saves (if it’s a game), tools (if it’s a graphics or video editor), and so on. They take up disk space.
Under no circumstances should you erase utilities directly by moving them to the trash. Use services specifically designed for this.
Usually an uninstaller is installed along with the program. It automatically cleans up almost all application data. If you created a utility folder in the taskbar, open it. There must be a file there that triggers the deletion.
Here's how to remove unnecessary programs from your computer, if they are not in the Start menu:
- Go to the application directory.
- If you don’t remember where you installed it, right-click on its shortcut.
- Select Properties.
- The “Object” field will contain the path to the directory.
- Open it and find the executable file “Uninstall.exe”. This is a universal name for uninstallers. Used in many applications. But the name can be different: for example, “Uninst.exe”
- Open it and follow the instructions.
- The uninstallation process is different for each utility. In some cases, you may need to click “Next” several times. Or select the items you want to erase. Sometimes they ask you to indicate what you are not happy with about the software and why you decided to remove it.
Built-in Windows Tools
Here's how to remove unnecessary programs from your computer using the operating system's built-in tools:
- Go to "Control Panel". It can be opened through the Start menu.
- If it is not there, right-click on the taskbar and select “Properties”.
- Start tab.
- “Customize” button.
- In the list that opens, find “Control Panel” and check the “Display” checkbox.
- Save your changes.
- Now you can go to the “Control Panel”.
- In it, open the “Uninstall a Program” (or “Programs and Features”) menu.
Click on “Programs and Features”
- In the list, find the utility you want to get rid of.
- Select it. A “Delete” button will appear above the main work area.
- Or right-click on the desired line. The “Delete” option will also be available in the context menu.
Click Delete
- What you do next depends on the application. Follow the uninstaller instructions.
Third party software
Even if the utilities are erased correctly, some data, registry entries, and files with saved settings will still remain. Most practical option- use removal utilities. Specialized software will not only remove the application, but also destroy all traces of it in the system. This way they won’t take up extra space and clog up the OS.
Suitable programs:
- Revo Uninstaller. Completely erases utilities, temporary files, cleans the registry and . There is a so-called “Hunting Mode”: you press a button, a sight appears, point it at the program (more precisely, at the program file) and click. The applications will be added to the Revo list.
- IObit Uninstaller. Independently determines what data remains after “standard” deletion. There is a built-in uninstaller.
- CCleaner. Designed to clean the disk, registry and system from junk data. If you erase programs through it, there will not even be any mention of them left.
Uninstalling programs in CCleaner
- Ashampoo Uninstaller. When deleting, you must check the box next to “Search folders/files/registry entries.”
- Portable modification with a simple interface.
How to clean the registry manually?
If you don’t use special software that “cleans up” the remnants of the program, links to it will not go anywhere in the registry. It's not scary because they don't lead anywhere. The deleted utility will not be restored without your knowledge. But if there are too many “useless” entries in the registry, problems will arise. The system will work slowly and slow down. You will have to wait a few minutes to open the document.
It is necessary to periodically clean the registry of entries that point to non-existent utilities. It is better to use applications designed for this purpose: for example, Registry Fix or Advanced SystemCare. You can also clean it manually. But it's a risky business. It's better to try other methods.
If you decide to figure it out yourself, first create a backup copy of the registry. So that it can be restored.
- Go to Start - Run, in the window that opens, enter “regedit” without quotes and click “OK”. The Registry Editor will appear.
- Click File - Export. In the save window, specify the path and create a file name. Subsequently, you can restore the registry from it by selecting the “Import” command.
Now start cleaning:
- In the Registry Editor, click Edit - Find. Or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F.
- In the input field, write the name of the program that you recently erased.
- A list of items that relate to this utility will appear on the right. You need to get rid of them (right-click - delete).
- If something goes wrong, you can return the registry to its previous state.
If the program is not uninstalled
You run the uninstallation and it gives an error? Most likely, the utility is currently “busy” - being used by other applications or services. Here's how to remove a program that won't uninstall:
- Open "Task Manager" (keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Del or Ctrl+Shift+Esc).
- On the Applications tab, shut down everything associated with the utility.
- Go to the "Processes" section.
Go to the Processes section
- In the list, find the program you want to remove. Typically, the process name is the same as the name of the executable file used to run the application.
- Complete the process. It may become active again after rebooting your PC unless you uninstall the utility.
- Try deleting the app again.
If the program still remains on the computer, it may be a virus. Scan your system with a good antivirus.
Chinese programs
Particularly worth highlighting are Chinese utilities. They are installed on the PC in the background without asking the user's permission. It is very difficult to get rid of them. But they cannot be classified as a malware family. Such applications include baidu, a kind of antivirus. Even if you erase it, it will load again.
And the uninstaller is not so easy to figure out. It contains only hieroglyphs. Here's how to remove the Chinese program:
- Open "Task Manager" (keyboard shortcut Shift+Ctrl+Esc).
- Processes tab.
- “Display all” or “Display all users” button. Such utilities are often disguised as system processes.
- Find all services of the unwanted application. In our case - baidu.
- It is better to organize the lines by image name or description. To do this, click on the top of the column.
- There can be many processes. But they all have hieroglyphs in their descriptions. And the name must include the name of the program.
- Right-click on one of the processes.
- Select Open Storage Location.
- Save the folder path in some text file.
- Repeat this for all baidu processes. Even if the directories are repeated.
- Quit processes related to the application.
- You can erase a program using Windows features. Go to “Control Panel”. Open the Programs and Features menu (or Uninstall a Program). Find the unwanted application and get rid of it.
- The uninstaller will contain hieroglyphs. Unfortunately, you will have to act by feel. But there are several factors that will help you decide. The undo deletion function is usually highlighted additionally: in color or volume. As in Russian installers, the “Next” button is on the right, the “Back” button is on the left.
- After uninstallation, restart your computer. During startup, press the F key. This is necessary to initiate another boot mode. Select "Safe Mode".
- Now the Chinese utility will not be able to activate its processes. And they can be removed.
- Open the file in which you saved the paths to baidu.
- Go to the folders indicated there. To do this, open the Start menu, copy the path into the input field at the bottom (it usually says “Search for files”) and press Enter. The desired directory will appear.
- Erase everything that is in it. Better yet, delete the directory itself.
- Repeat for each path.
For a comprehensive system cleanup, use special uninstallers. This way you won’t have to “catch” files and registry entries yourself. And there will be no risk that any element of the hated utility will remain in memory.
It's up to you to decide how to completely remove the program from your computer and what software to use for this. You can limit yourself to built-in using Windows. But this way the system will accumulate unnecessary data and links that were not erased along with the application. It is better to install special utilities designed to remove programs and the garbage left behind by them.
This is uninstallation using the program installer. This removal method works great and requires minimal effort from the user. However, it also has disadvantages. The main disadvantage of this method of removing programs is that in most cases the program is not completely removed. After it, some of its files and registry entries remain on the computer.
In this regard, the question arises of how to completely remove the program from the computer. The easiest way to do this is with special software. The most popular solution of this kind is Revo Uninstall. Therefore, in this material We will describe the process of completely removing a program using Revo Uninstall, and also look at some other programs.
Complete removal of programs using Revo Uninstaller
The first thing you need to do is download Revo Uninstaller. To do this, go to this program and download the installation file. On the site you can download a trial PRO version, which can be used without restrictions for 30 days, or a simplified free Freeware version. The free version is also suitable for our purposes.
Installing Revo Uninstaller should also not be difficult. Just run the installer and click on the “Next” button several times.
After installation, run Revo Uninstaller. After launching this application, you should see a list of all installed programs. In this list, you need to select the program that you want to remove from your computer and click on the “Delete” button.
After this, a warning window will open. Here you just need to click on the “Yes” button.
The next step is selecting the deletion mode. Here you can choose one of four deletion modes:
- Built-in – standard mode for uninstalling a program;
- Safe – uninstall the program while searching for additional files and registry entries;
- Moderate – uninstall the program with an advanced search for additional files and registry entries;
- Advanced - uninstall the program with the most thorough search for additional files and registry entries;
In order to completely remove the program, select Safe, Moderate or Advanced removal mode and click on the “Next” button. After selecting the uninstall mode, Revo Uninstaller will run an initial analysis, and once completed, the program installer will open.
After completing the removal of the program through the installer, you need to return to Revo Uninstaller and click on the “Next” button.
After this, Revo Uninstaller will start searching for non-deleted files and registry entries.
After completing the search, you need to click on the “Next” button again and you will see a list of files and registry entries that belonged to the remote program. To remove them, check the boxes and click on the “Delete” button.
After deleting the found files and registry entries, click on the “Next” button, and then on the “Finish” button. This completes the complete removal of the program from the computer.
Other programs for completely removing software
If Revo Uninstaller did not suit you for some reason, then you can try other similar applications. Now there are many programs that specialize in removing software from the operating room. Windows systems. Below we will look at just a few of them.
IObit Uninstaller is software for quickly uninstalling a large number of programs. IObit Uninstaller allows you to simply mark the programs you want to remove and get rid of them in one go. In addition, IObit Uninstaller can remove not only full-fledged programs, but also browser extensions, as well as third-party applications that were installed along with shareware software. IObit Uninstaller can also remove files remaining after uninstallation, thus ensuring complete removal. IObit Uninstaller is not overloaded additional functions, so it’s not difficult to understand and is suitable even for inexperienced users.
IObit Uninstaller is free software, but at the time of installation it offers to install additional software from partners. There is also a paid version, which costs only 400 rubles. In the paid version, the program provides more complete removal. You can download IObit Uninstaller.
Ashampoo UnInstaller is quite powerful software for completely uninstalling programs. Ashampoo Uninstaller monitors the installation of new software on your computer, which allows you to remove even what was installed without the user’s permission. At the same time, Ashampoo Uninstaller allows you to uninstall one program at a time or in entire groups.
In addition to the main functions, Ashampoo Uninstaller has a number of additional features. The program can clean the drive of unused files, perform defragmentation, optimize the Windows registry, and also change the settings of system services and startup.
Ashampoo UnInstaller is completely free. But to start you will need a license key, which you can get by simply registering.
Uninstall Tool is an application for completely removing unwanted programs with the function of cleaning the registry and remaining files. At the same time, the Uninstall Tool allows you to perform both single and batch uninstallation. One of the features of the Uninstall Tool is the ability to monitor the installation process. This ensures a more complete removal of the program in the future. Also this application can control some system parameters, such as startup.
The Uninstall Tool is a paid software and costs about $20. But, you can take advantage of the 30-day free trial. You can download the Uninstall Tool.
Total Uninstall is a utility for completely uninstalling programs and cleaning temporary files. Total Uninstall analyzes the program you want to remove and identifies the files associated with it. This ensures that all traces of the program are completely removed from the computer. Total Uninstall can also monitor the installation process in order to record all the changes that have been made and then cancel them. Using this utility, you can remove even those programs that do not have their own uninstaller.
Total Uninstall is a paid solution and costs from $20. You can download Total Uninstall.
Display Driver Uninstaller is a fairly highly specialized utility for . Using Display Driver Uninstaller, you can completely remove the driver from an NVIDIA or AMD video card. Display Driver Uninstaller has a minimum of settings. In order to remove the driver, you just need to run this utility, select the manufacturer (NVIDIA or AMD) and click on the remove button. It is advisable to perform this entire procedure from safe mode.
Display Driver Uninstaller is a completely free solution, you can download it.
