Do a Program Uninstall the Correct Way

The Windows operating system you see is quite simple and user friendly however behind the scenes the operating system is quite complicated. One of the most important tasks to maintain a health computer is to uninstall programs using one of the following procedures. If you fail to uninstall a program using the correct procedure, orphan files, registry entries, and programs shortcuts are left behind. This unnecessary data clutters your computer, and leads it toward system errors, freezes, and crashes. Below are the correct procedures for uninstalling programs and preventing uninstall errors.

Using Add or Remove Programs:

Programs installed using the Windows Installer utility, add an entry in the Add or Remove programs list. This is the  first method to use when uninstalling programs.

To use this method use the following steps:

1. Open Start menu, and then select Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window, select the Add or Remove Programs link.
3. Scroll down the installed programs list and select the option to uninstall program you want to remove.
4. Next, select the Change/Remove button to uninstall the selected program.
5. Restart your system after the uninstall process is complete to ensure that all registry entries and related programs are removed from the system.

Using Program Uninstaller:

Add or Remove Programs is the most commonly used utility to uninstall programs. However it is not efficient in performing a complete uninstall, especially when you are trying to uninstall large applications. This is the reason why separate uninstaller programs are made available for many applications from the program manufacturer.

Use the Program Uninstall Option:

Many programs do not add their uninstall option in Add or Remove Programs. The uninstall option for these programs is usually available in their program folder and a shortcut to it is usually added in the Start menu as Uninstall Program Name.

Because programs add a number of files and registry entries, it is recommended that after you have uninstalled a program, you scan your registry and the hard disk for any left over information and remove it from the system. To remove unwanted and orphan entries from the registry, you may use a reliable registry cleaner tool to scan and remove these entries. Also, use the Disk Cleanup tool included in your Windows XP or Windows Vista computer to remove unwanted program files from the system.