What is the best freeware program for uninstalling other programs from
your computer?
I've been using a little app called RegShot when installing most
programs. It creates a list of all the registry changes plus new and
changed files. Later, if I want to uninstall, I use Windows 'Add, remove
programs' in the control panel and check the RegShot file to make sure
all the program's files, especially those in the windows folder, are
actually gone. Using this system allows me to remove most left over
files, but relies completely on Windows to undo registry changes.
It works reasonably well... but I wonder if anyone has a better solution?
For one I'd be cautious about recommending this method. And that's
all, I'm not going to add anymore comments..heh ! What I'm saying is
just that when you compare with Regshot what it will show in the
compare will also include a fair amount of things especially if there
have been installations inbetween. So I'm assuming you go through
whats there as you put "relies completley on..", plus you are asking
as well but that said I just don't think what you have written would
(ok, pedant mode...necessarily) be obvious to someone else.
I don't want to bore you but I'll just say that my personal opinion is
that the way the registry database has turned out in being implemented
(uh, does that make sense) is flawed, some aspects might have been
forseable but a lot of them (shock!) arn't even Microsofts fault. I
can't say I would have come up with the best idea first, but looking
at the way things have gone I'd have a decentralised cache of .dat
files those files being in the applications folder and some kind of I
don't know..maybe XML like structure where there is tight controls on
the way some fields operate and also a little room for things to not
be in standard. The registry in the windows folder would contain
nothing but pointers to those files and would not have write ability
by other processes under most circumstances. The simplest answer to
shared files is not to have them, otherwise some kind of digital
signing of them by the install application and automatic archival of
existing DLL's of the same name which would have some kind of
"advanced" button on the Add/Remove applet and then take you to an
interface to manage it, who knows it could even get fancy where it
allows you the choice of mailing either the author or Microsoft or
both when faults like that occur. "And meanwhile..."
So anyway...it's like fixing something thats already broke. How would
I do it, difficult. Some of the most useful utilitys I found for this
were once avaliable from PC Magazine, theres InCtrl5 which monitors
both the file changes and registry changes, and FolderMon which just
monitors file changes but the way it does it is clever.
) I think
the way InCtrl5 saved reports could have been better anyway, what
would be more ideal is (renamed) .REG files which both reapply what's
been added and unapply whats added, or was there something like that
included I can't remember. Files changed and added to the windows
folder/s (and possibly "shared files") could go into sub folders of
InCtrl5's given the name of the application, and the renamed .REG
files go in there as well... Even though I've not downloaded every
program to test out if the do already do this (and don't know what
they all are anyway) it would be possible for me to have some kind of
procedure using maybe three different utilitys..one being a good file
manager for a start !
Instead of that theres the option of using whats already freely
avaliable which might not be that much, theres Total Uninstall (
http://www.softrom.net/description.asp?SiteID=102 ), that's the only
one I remember right now... less hassle.
One last bit of general advice I would give to anyone is not to worry
about asking other peoples experience of using the software before you
install it, the differing opinions can help build a better overall
picture and when it doesn't it's no great loss to anyone (unless they
are having emotional difficulties and then at least people can have a
bit of a laugh). So yeah, f*ck it all ! That's what I say. Infact I am
saying that because I'm so tired of problems with installations going
wrong and do you know what ??!!? I'm seriously making considerations
about making backups of my entire system from time to time, instead,
because...all in all, I think it will be quicker.
) NoRtY GhOsT and
MiCkEy SoFt..sitting in a twee...k,i,s,s,i,n,g... tee hee *blush*.
