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Ezine InformationWhen Annoying Programs Won't Go Away
by:
Stephen Bucaro
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When Annoying Programs Won't Go Away
By Author Bucaro
Are you a software system junkie? Have you installed and removed
many programs from your computer? This can do your
computer take longer to start and run sluggish, or even
cause reoccurring error messages.
During installation a program copies files to the
applications folder, the Windows folder, and creates
entries in the registry. The problem is that once
you
uninstall a program, it may leave behind pieces of itself
and entries in the registry. Your hard disk and registry
can become bloated.
To solve this problem, Microsoft accredited the Install
Shield software system to establish a standard Install and
Uninstall procedure. Once
you install an application on
your computer it copies its own uninstall utility to your
hard drive. This Uninstall utility properly removes every
piece of the program and removes every entry that it made
in the registry.
If an application makes not mechanically
install itself,
you can install it with the Add/Remove Programs utility in
Control Panel. Once
installation an application this utility
searches the application for a program named setup.exe.
Programs that follow with Microsoft's logotype requirement
provide a setup program that lists the application in the
Add/Remove Programs list and registers an uninstall utility.
To move out an application from your computer, use the
Add/Remove Programs utility. Simply deleting the program
without exploitation the Add/Remove Programs utility leaves behind
pieces of the application and entries in the registry.
Unfortunately sometimes the Add/Remove Programs utility
doesn't work. Either the application didn't register an
uninstall utility, or the uninstall utility is not at the
location indicated in the registry. Sometimes the uninstall
utility can't move out all the pieces of the program because
they're not at the location indicated in its uninstall log.
Some programs, particularly software system programs, don't list
themselves in the Add/Remove Programs list. To delete
these programs, 1st check for an uninstall utility in
the program's Start menu, or in the program's folder. If
none exists, drag the program's folder to the Recycle Bin,
then restart your computer. If your computer restarts
without an error message, you can safely empty the program
from the Recycle Bin.
If you obtain an error message once
you restart your
computer, check the folder
c: WindowsStart MenuProgramsStartup
for a link to the program that you removed. If there is no
link, run the Register Editor (Start | Run | regedit) and
check the following keys.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
SoftwareMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersionRunServices
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
SoftwareMicrosoftWindows CurrentVersionRun
If you find an entry related to the error message that you
are receiving, cautiously record that entry, or back up
your register before deleting that entry. If there is no
entry in those register keys, you may want to restore the
program's folder from the Recycle Bin until you discover how
to dispose of it cleanly.
If you are not comfortable messing with the Windows
registry, you can purchase a commercial utility like
McAfee's UnInstaller or Norton's CleanSweep to do the job
for you. These utilities are experts at removing abandoned
program pieces and orphan register keys.
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