Productivity Portfolio

Since spring is here, I thought it might be nice to remind people to so some cleaning up of their PCs. I see too many people who put up with programs long after they've lost their value. I'm not talking about programs you use infrequently, but items you have no desire to use. Just because you have a hard drive with ample space doesn't mean you should keep these programs.

Windows Add or Remove Programs

Windows does include the Add or Remove Programs applet in Control Panel, but it doesn't provide as much flexibility and information as MyUninstaller. This applet is available from your Start button and then selecting Control Panel. You can see in the screen snap below Windows shows program name, size and install date.

Although you can use the Sort by: list box in the upper right for items such as Date Last Used or Frequency, it's not always accurate. I've had the program display dates from several months back on applications I use daily.

This application is good for times when you need to modify an installed application such as adding a component to Microsoft Office.  

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An Easier and Faster Way to Uninstall Software 

A more powerful free uninstaller program is from Nir Sofer. MyUninstaller provides an interface that is considerably faster than Windows especially if you use the Quick Mode feature. You can see from my screen snap below, more information is provided than the Windows utility. The program also allows you to customize the list by selecting columns and their order. You can resort the list by clicking on a column title.

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One item that needs stressing is MyUninstaller is using the uninstaller of the program you're trying to remove. The program does not have its own method for deleting programs and cleaning up. In other words, if you use MyUninstaller to uninstall WeeklyShoppingList program, it will run that program's uninstall routine as defined by the developer.

If the developer didn't include an uninstall routine, you can delete the entry from the list and manually delete the program. When you right click a program listing, a pop up menu appears with options to Open the Installation Folder and Open Entry in RegEdit. In these situations, I would be inclined to first go to the program's Web Site which the program lists and see if they have a support document on uninstalling or removing the program. If not, we would suggest you review Elder Geek's Uninstall Programs Manually article

Like Window's Add or Remove applet, MyUninstaller can be a little tricky to find. The program can be found on the NirSoft web site, but it is hidden among a long list of utilities. I've included the direct page in the resource section. Once you've downloaded the program, unzip the files into a directory of your choice. The program doesn't have a built in installer. And I wouldn't worry about the program consuming file space as the executable and the help file are just 49K.

I think you'll find after using MyUninstaller, it takes the pain out of uninstalling software. The one exception being malicious software which calls for special removal tools.

Additional Resources:

Version Reviewed: 1.34
Cost: Free
URL: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/myuninst.html
Rating: ★★★★☆

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