Intalling vs Uninstalling?

Question

Why does it takes longer to install programs/games/softwares then it is to uninstall it? I was just wondering.

Answer 1

Installing configures your machine so it can interact with it. It adds registry data and creates files. Now, if you go into C:\Program Files, you'll usually see the whole program isn't gone... just a file or 2 and some other data. Uninstalling doesn't mean the whole thing goes away so in reality, it takes longer to uninstall because you have to delete that file unless there's saved data in it (such as saved games, etc). When uninstalling, it's just basically deleting everything.

Your computer doesn't really delete everything anyways. When you delete something, it's changed to something else. Say if you have: C:\Program Files\Games it just goes to X:\Program Files\Games. (That's how CSI and the like can see what's on your computer even if you simply delete it.) You can't simply just go see what you deleted, you have to use special software. But again, it's just mainly changing the file path which is quicker than putting new data on the hard drive.

Oh and that data that's been deleted eventually goes away after getting rewritten over. (It's still salvagable but not likely). It takes awhile for it to happen.

So, changing the file path is quicker than adding new data. That's the short answer.

Answer 2

When you install a program, it acutally has to copy every bit of every file to your computer and then do set up and registering.

When you uninstall, it does not actually remove the files from your hard drive. It just deletes the directory entry that points to them and marks them as "free space". Eventually those files were be written over by something else you save. Since that only means changed about 4 or 5 bits, not the whole file, it is much faster.

Answer 3

This is not necessarily true. It all depends on what the program is doing when installing or uninstalling. I have had programs that take only a few seconds to install, but longer to uninstall.

Answer 4

Installing a soft,games or any thing is like extracting the files from the folder and copying the contents to ur pc so there is lots of serch for space and linking the files within ur harddisk using FAT(File Allocation Table) or NTFS.

but uninstalling is the thing which break the links and chains present in the pc.

everytime destroying a thing is easier than creating a new one

Answer 5

It should be approx 6.6 times or more*depending on how complex and lengthy a file prog is, faster to uninstall. The reason is simple there is no read write verify steps going on in uninstall as there is with install, there`s no work load on the CPU or memory and or background services involved.
Example Write 12,900 pages of technical and mathematical equation on a chalk board, then erase it.. which takes longer? CHEERS!

Answer 6

In simple words, installation means writing new files and information to the disk, whereas when you uninstall or delete, the files are actually not deleted but their name is marked as deleted in the file information database.
So, when you install you might be writing a 1G file that takes, say 1 minute, but when you uninstall it, it just takes a few miliseconds to change the entry in the file information database.

Hope it helps.

Answer 7

I assume the you mean installing from a CD. CD's transfer data much slower then does a hard drive. When installing we work at CD speed, and when uninstalling we work at hard drive speed.

Answer 8

software will inspect the system before installing them.therefore it takes more times.Some software check the OS componants as well as Software componants installed in the system before installation.
for an example if you are installing norton 2007 it inspects your system for previous norton installations.

Software should inspect the user previllages as well as group policy.It also create some registry settings.