Windows 7 Maintenance Tools – Part 3 Uninstall or Change a Program

This is the third part of a series of articles on performing maintenance on your computer. Installing new software generally is easy as most programs contain an automatic installation program.

Installing a New Program

1. Place the new program disk in the CD/DVD drive.
2. Generally Autoplay commences.
3. Follow the prompts.

Uninstalling a Program

However, uninstalling an application can be a different matter.

• Sometimes you can do this directly from the application’s folder in the All Programs menu.
• Other times you need to access the Control Panel and in Programs choose Add and Remove Applications.

A Cautionary Note!

Whatever you do, DO NOT fall for the trap some users make by trying to remove the offending program directly from the Programs Files folder. While you may think you’ve removed  it, only some parts of the program are deleted. Remnants remain behind, particularly in Windows Register, and these leftovers can cause trouble later on.

Why uninstall a program?

• You no longer use it.
• You want to free up space on your hard disk

You can also use the Uninstall feature to modify or repair the program. Each installed program offers different options. Some applications allow you to:

• Change the original installation adding or removing elements of the program.  Microsoft Office allows this.
• Repair the original installation to fix a reoccurring problem.

Opening Uninstall or Change a Program

You can access the uninstall feature in a number of different ways. The most common methods are described below.

• Start > Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program
• Start > Search > Type: uninstall > Click Uninstall a program

Let’s use the first method.

1. Click the Start menu.
2. In the right-hand side of the Start menu select Control Panel.
3. When Control Panel opens, under Programs, click Uninstall a program.
4. In the Uninstall a program right click on the program.
5. When you do that, Windows choose the option in the pop-up menu which may include Change or Repair as well as Uninstall.

Note:  Again the User Account Control (UAC) may intervene. If this happens, click the Yes button in the dialog box to confirm.

Note:  Each application takes a different approach. As mentioned previously some programs include three options, Uninstall, Change or Repair while others only offer the option to uninstall.

1. Choosing Uninstall commences the removal process. Windows will always ask you if you wish to proceed.
2. Click the Yes box.
3. Windows uninstalls the application.

Generally, uninstalling is a painless exercise with Windows 7. However, you may find another application, Revo Uninstaller, available as a free download, a little more efficient.