When removing a program, how do you remove all signs of it in the Windows registry?

Answer 1

See if this will work http://www.ccleaner.com

Answer 2

To remove a program, go to Start menu > Control panel > Add/ Remove Programs... Unfortunately, there will be some registry keys and files which remain after you remove the program. There are a few ways to remove the obsolete keys and file; but, it involves editing the Windows registry. If you are not comfortable with editing the registry then do not change it because you will do more harm than good. Always create a system restore point before making any changes!

Option 1: You can use Windows registry editor to remove obsolete keys. Go to Start menu > Run > enter "regedit" (without the quotation marks) > [Enter]. Once in the registry editor, go to Edit > Find > enter the name of the program (e.g. Nortons SystemWorks) > [Find Next]. The registry editor will find the first key that has the string "Norton SystemWorks." Right click the exact key and choose "delete." When the computer asks if you really want to delete the key, click [O.K.]. Press "F3" and the editor will go to the next key with the string "Norton SystemWorks" and so on. Delete all keys which contains the string and then exit the program by choosing File > Exit. This method should only be used if you have a good understanding of the registry.

Option 2: Use a third party registry cleaner. Someone mentioned CCleaner, which is a decent choice. I would also recommend: EZCleaner, RegCleaner and Eusing's Registry Cleaner.

Option 3: Use a third party uninstaller. This is the option I think you should try first. An uninstaller is a software program which removes all registry keys and files of a program. There are several good uninstallers. Unfortunately, none are free. But, they do come with a 30 day free trial period. In addition, the uninstaller is only one module of a larger utility suite. I recommend Tune-Up Utilities 2006, Iolo's System Mechanic 6 and Your Uninstaller.

1. Tune-Up Utilities 2006 (www.tune-up.com)
2. System Mechanic 6 (www.iolo.com)
3. Your Uninstaller (www.ursoftware.com/)

You might also want to read this article from PC World Magazine:

"Answer Line: Clean Up What a Messy Uninstall Leaves Behind" -- written by Lincoln Spector, pcworld.com (http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,117824-page,1/article.html?findid=52218)

I recently installed a program, decided I didn't want it, and uninstalled it. But there are still bits and pieces of it all over my computer. How do I truly get rid of this program?

Alexander Sitt, Gillette, New Jersey

Uninstall routines seem to be written by people who can't imagine that anyone would ever want to remove their beloved program. Too many uninstall routines leave too much behind, including alterations that mess up Windows.

Here are tricks for cleaning up after an uninstall. But don't expect miracles. I've tried to err on the side of caution; 'tis better you see an occasional obsolete menu option than render Windows unusable.

If you uninstalled the program only a few days after installing it and you didn't install anything else in between, simply restore the Windows Registry from a backup made before the installation.

If a Registry restoration isn't possible, open Windows Explorer and navigate to the C:\Program Files folder (you may get a warning that you shouldn't go there; just click the link that takes you there anyway). If the folder for the offending app is still listed within Program Files, keep the window open and handy for a bit. Eventually you'll delete the folder, but for now you just want easy access to its name.

Next, make sure that the program isn't still loading every time your system boots. Select Start, Run, type msconfig, and press Enter. Click the Startup tab and look for anything that appears to be related to the outgoing program. (Windows 2000 lacks the System Configuration utility, so download and install Mike Lin's free substitute, Startup Control Panel, if you use that OS.)

Now verify that no file types are associated with the unwanted program. In Windows Explorer, select Tools, Folder Options (View, Folder Options in Windows 98). Click the File Types tab and check the list of file types for any mention of the unwanted program (see FIGURE 1).

If you find one, consider whether that file type should be associated with some other program (this is primarily an issue with such common file types as .jpg and .mp3). To reassign a file type, click the Change button and follow the instructions. Otherwise, just delete it by clicking the Delete button and confirming your decision. Don't worry, this doesn't delete any actual files, just the associations. The next time you attempt to open a file of that type, Windows will prompt you to choose a program to open it with.

To do a thorough job of uninstalling, you need to clean the Registry. This is a slow and potentially dangerous chore. Before undertaking it, make sure that you have backed up the Registry.

Once you've backed up your Registry, select Start, Run, type regedit, and press Enter. Navigate the left pane of the Registry Editor as if it were Windows Explorer until you get to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications. Click the plus sign next to this key (Registry-speak for a folder), and look for a subkey that matches your program's file name (you may have to guess at this a bit). If you find one, right-click it and select Delete, Yes.

Now navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software, click the plus sign, and look for a subkey named for the vendor of the program. If you find it, click the plus sign there, too. Delete the subkey for the program you've uninstalled (if it's there). Otherwise, delete the vendor key entirely. Do the same in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE key.

Press Home to return to the top of the Registry Editor's left pane. Press Ctrl-F to open the Find dialog box. Enter the program name in the 'Find what' field, make sure that all of the options under 'Look at' are checked, and click Next or Find Next, depending on your version of Windows. If a match turns up, delete the entry and then press F3 to search again.

When there are no matches left, run the same search using the file name, vendor name, and path--if you have this information. When you're done, close the Registry Editor and reboot your PC.

Lastly, check to see whether the folder for the program still exists inside the C:\Program Files folder. If it does, now is the time to go back and delete that folder.

Answer 3

Messing with the registry is pretty advanced and you will screw something up. If you knew enough to be able to do this, you wouldn't need to ask the question.

Even when you know what you are doing, it is very hard to get everything. In general, you search for keys with the software's name and delete them. But even this can damage things depending on where it is in the registry. And there are often keys that are associated that aren't obvious.

The easiest way, is to reinstall the system.

Answer 4

Safest... use the "Remove programs" functionality, that will do it. If you are not familiar with the registry you might remove files used by other programs.
Better be safe than sorry.

Answer 5

Not always, in fact some files even remain in program files or program files/common files

search on regedit for remnants in the registry to delete

Answer 6

pretty sure if you do it through Add/Remove programs it will remove it from the registry. or if it doesnt you can just go through and erase that stuff because its no longer needed.

Answer 7

put in in your recycle bin and then erase it from the recycle bin and the computer will no longer have the trace of the item