I dag kan du finde masser af software, som hjælper med at fjerne programmer og rydde op i resterende filer, mapper og indstillinger i registreringsdatabasen. I teorien er dette en god ting, da det hjælper med at fjerne noget af oppustethed på din Windows -computer. Men er disse løsninger virkelig effektive til at fjerne alle spor? For at finde ud af det testede jeg nogle af de mest populære applikationer i denne niche, både gratis og kommercielle. Lad os se, hvad jeg opdagede.

Metoderne til^(Approaches) at afinstallere software^{(Uninstalling Software)}

Der er to hovedtilgange, der kan anvendes af et softwareprodukt, der beskæftiger sig med afinstallation af anden software:

1. Kør først det originale afinstallationsprogram af et program, scan de steder, der almindeligvis bruges af programmer til at gemme filer og registreringsindstillinger for elementer, der ikke blev fjernet, og slet dem;
2. Overvåg^(Monitor) installationen af ​​et program, lav en log over de filer, mapper og registreringsnøgler, det oprettede, og fjern alt baseret på dette indledende øjebliksbillede, når du afinstallerer det.

Jeg valgte at teste IObit Uninstaller (version 2.0), Ashampoo Uninstaller (version 4.2) og Revo Uninstaller Pro (version 2.5.5) af tre grunde:

• De er nogle af de mest populære løsninger i denne niche;
• De er repræsentative for de to tilgange, der kan anvendes til at fjerne software fra et system;
• Vi modtog henvendelser fra vores læsere, der ønskede at vide mere om disse løsninger, og hvor gode (eller ej) de er.

IObit Uninstaller bruger kun den første tilgang til at fjerne software, mens Ashampoo Uninstaller kun bruger den anden tilgang. Revo Uninstaller Pro er et godt tredje alternativ, da det kan bruge begge tilgange.

Testproceduren

Jeg vurderede, hvor godt afinstallationsprogrammer fungerer ved at bede dem om at fjerne følgende programmer: Firefox , Skype , Google Chrome , Panda Internet Security 2012 , Adobe Reader X og LibreOffice . Jeg oprettede også en manuel skrivebordsgenvej til Panda Internet Security 2012 for at se, om den ville blive fjernet.

Da jeg testede IObit Uninstaller , installerede jeg alle disse applikationer, undtagen Panda Internet Security 2012 , ved hjælp af Ninite (en løsning, der automatiserer installationen af ​​nogle af de mest brugte applikationer) for at fremskynde installationsprocessen. Da jeg testede løsningerne fra Ashampoo og Revo , lærte jeg, at det ikke virker så godt at bruge Ninite , så jeg har brugt både ^(Ninite)Ninite- installationsprogrammet (når det gav mening) og de individuelle installatører til hvert af disse programmer. Installationerne blev foretaget ved hjælp af standardindstillingerne.

Alle disse programmer blev startet og brugt én gang, så de genererer deres sædvanlige brugerfiler og indstillinger. Panda Internet Security 2012 blev også opdateret til de seneste malware-signaturer.

Når jeg afinstallerer Firefox og Google Chrome , indstillede jeg med vilje afinstallationsfunktionen for disse programmer til at efterlade brugerdata og tilpasninger for at se, om afinstallationsprogrammerne vil fjerne det eller ej.

For at evaluere afinstallationsydelsen scannede jeg computeren med CCleaner for at identificere de ugyldige registreringsnøgler, der var tilbage, efter at hvert afinstallationsprogram afsluttede sit job. Derefter søgte jeg manuelt efter resterende filer og mapper på steder som: Programfiler, Programdata og brugermapperne^(User) ( Skrivebord^(Desktop) , Startmenu , Alle brugere^{(All Users)} & AppData ). For at vurdere, om Panda Internet Security 2012 blev fjernet korrekt, kiggede jeg også listen over Windows - tjenester igennem og tjekkede, om Panda -tjenesterne stadig vises eller ej.

IObit Uninstaller 2.0

Jeg har ikke brugt IOBit- applikationer før, og jeg må sige, at oplevelsen af ​​at arbejde med IObit Uninstaller var en dejlig overraskelse. Først^(First) og fremmest behøver du ikke installere dette program, du skal blot køre dets eksekverbare. Det er også det slankeste produkt af alle tre, med en størrelse på kun 1,2 MB. Dette gør den meget bærbar og nem at have med dig hele tiden.

Den tilgang, som IObit Uninstaller har valgt , er meget sikker: Når du fjerner en applikation, opretter den først et gendannelsespunkt for at sikre, at du kan vende tilbage i tilfælde af fejl. Derefter kører den den originale afinstallation af det pågældende program, venter på, at det slutter, og scanner derefter en række almindelige placeringer, der bruges af programmer til at gemme data. Hvis den finder resterende mapper, filer og registreringsnøgler, informerer den dig og giver dig valget mellem at slette det, du vil have fra listen.

Fremgangsmåden er nem at følge af enhver bruger, med eller uden viden om systemfiler og registreringsdatabasenøgler. IObit Uninstaller foreslår heller ikke sletning af filer, der tilhører andre programmer eller til selve Windows . Hvis du vælger at slette alt det, den anbefaler til sletning, vil du ikke bryde dit operativsystem.

Dette betyder også, at det ikke vil slette absolut alt, hvad en applikation har efterladt. CCleaner identificerede et par registreringsnøgler, der var tilbage. Dog ikke noget stort, kun et par nøgler som: installationsreferencer til LibreOffice , en forældet softwarenøgle til Panda Internet Security 2012 og få manglende MUI -referencer ( Multisproget brugergrænseflade^{(Multilingual User Interface)} ) til Adobe Reader , Skype og LibreOffice . Alle disse nøgler kan bidrage til at gøre Windows -registreringsdatabasen en smule større end nødvendigt, men de påvirker ikke systemet negativt.

Med hensyn til filer og mapper kunne jeg godt lide det faktum, at IObit Uninstaller scannede mit skrivebord^(Desktop) , identificerede genvejen, jeg oprettede til Panda Internet Security 2012 , og slettede den. Det var det eneste stykke software, der gjorde dette. Det svage punkt ved IObit Uninstaller er, at det ikke scanner og fjerner filer, der er oprettet af applikationer på almindelige brugerplaceringer som: "C:UsersUser nameAppDataLocal" , "C:UsersUser nameAppDataRoaming" eller "C:UsersAll Users" . Det er generelt ikke skadeligt at fjerne de mapper, der er oprettet af applikationer på disse steder, da de for det meste gemmer brugerfiler og brugerkonfiguration.

En ting, som jeg fandt forvirrende ved IObit Uninstaller , er, at den har et afsnit om Windows-opdateringer^{(Windows Updates)} , som får dig til at tro, at det kan hjælpe med at fjerne dem. På mit testsystem viste det dog ingen opdateringer, og jeg kunne ikke bruge det til denne opgave. Det er dog en god ting i sidste ende, da jeg ikke vil anbefale at overlade afinstallation af Windows-opdateringer^{(Windows Updates)} i hænderne på tredjepartssoftware. Risikoen for at bryde din Windows-installation stiger eksponentielt, hvis du gør dette.

IObit Uninstaller har også en feature kaldet Forced Uninstall , der også findes i Revo Uninstaller Pro . Funktionaliteten er næsten identisk mellem de to produkter. Jeg var dog ikke i stand til at teste det på et ødelagt stykke software for at vidne om dets ydeevne. Jeg anbefaler forsigtighed, når du bruger en tvungen afinstallation^{(Forced Uninstall)} . Chancerne er, at du vil blive anbefalet at slette filer eller registreringsnøgler, som ikke tilhører den applikation, hvis spor du forsøger at fjerne.

Ashampoo Uninstaller 4.2

Brugergrænsefladen til Ashampoo Uninstaller 4.2 er meget farverig. Du får adgang til muligheder vedrørende afinstallation af software men også til alle mulige andre værktøjer, der ikke nødvendigvis er relateret til dette emne, såsom: Internetoprydning^(Internet) , sletning af duplikerede filer og midlertidige filer, "fortryd sletning" af filer osv. Da jeg var interesseret i at test kun afinstallationsfunktionen, jeg dvælede ikke ved alle de andre tilgængelige funktioner.

Ashampoo Uninstaller vælger først at overvåge installationen af ​​programmer, så det kan hjælpe dig med at fjerne dem senere. Når du starter en installation, popper Ashampoo op og beder dig vente, indtil den laver en scanning af dit system. Hvis du har et par partitioner på en stor harddisk, tilsluttede du en USB -stick og en ekstern harddisk, som jeg gjorde, du satte dig selv til at vente, da Ashampoo Uninstaller insisterer på at scanne alt. Når du er færdig, informerer den dig om, at du fortsætter med installationen af ​​applikationen.

Når du har installeret programmet, bliver du bedt om at køre programmet én gang. Derefter foretager Ashampoo Uninstaller en ny scanning for at identificere ændringerne på dit system. Hvis du ikke er patienttypen, vil du ikke kunne lide dette.

Jeg kunne ikke lide denne adfærd fra det øjeblik, jeg så den. I løbet af min karriere arbejdede jeg på at skabe tilpassede installationsprogrammer til forskellige typer forretnings- og forbrugersoftware, og mange klokker begyndte at ringe, da jeg så Ashampoo Uninstaller i aktion for første gang. Desværre gik alle mine bekymringer i opfyldelse, da denne tilgang kun fungerer godt for simple applikationer, som ikke kræver systemgenstart og ikke installerer anden software, så de kan fungere.

For eksempel distribueres LibreOffice som et selvudpakkende arkiv. Ashampoo Uninstaller opdagede det selvudpakkende arkiv som et installationsprogram og bad mig lave en installationslog for det. Derefter opdagede den installationen af ​​LibreOffice som et separat installationsprogram og lavede også en scanning for det, såvel som installationen af ​​andre afhængigheder som Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables , som LibreOffice har brug for . Pludselig var min skærm fyldt med vinduer og meddelelser fra Ashampoo Uninstaller, det var at scanne systemet og derefter bad mig om at gemme logfiler for de installationer, der fandt sted. Det store problem var, at jeg ikke kunne holde tempoet med, hvilken installationslog er for hvilket program. Der var ingen måde for mig at identificere, hvad der er hvad, og Ashampoo gjorde ingen indsats for at give mig ledetråde. Jeg endte med tre installationslogfiler, og jeg var ikke klar over, om jeg gemte dem korrekt eller ej.

Dette er et stort problem, da mange applikationer distribueres som selvudpakkende arkiver. Især computerspil har også en tendens til at installere tredjepartssoftware, der er nødvendig for at køre spil (såsom DirectX - opdateringer eller Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables ). Ashampoo Uninstaller vil simpelthen ikke være i stand til at klare dem med succes.

På grund af denne tilgang bør du heller aldrig bruge software som Ninite til at installere applikationer. Ashampoo Uninstaller vil betragte dem som én applikation, der installeres.

Et andet stort problem, jeg stødte på, da jeg installerede Panda Internet Security 2012 , som kræver en genstart. Ashampoo Uninstaller når simpelthen ikke at afslutte installationsloggen, da den ikke genoptager scanningen efter genstart. Derfor var jeg nødt til at vende tilbage til mit system til en tilstand, før jeg installerede Panda Internet Security 2012 og derefter gemme installationsloggen, før jeg genstartede. Dette var dårligt til at begynde med, da Ashampoo Uninstaller ikke kunne fange alle de ændringer, der blev foretaget efter genstarten.

Problemerne fortsatte, da man bad Ashampoo Uninstaller om at fjerne de programmer, jeg lige har installeret. For det første^(First) , hvis der ikke oprettes en installationslog for et program, så beder Ashampoo Uninstaller dig blot om at fjerne den selv ved at bruge dens standard afinstallationsfunktionalitet. Det er det!

Hvis du har en logfil over installationen, skal du indlæse den, og derefter begynder fjernelsesprocessen. Dette svarer til, at Ashampoo Uninstaller manuelt fjerner alle de filer, mapper og registreringsnøgler, den fandt under installationsprocessen.

Med små og enkle applikationer som Skype fungerede fjernelsen uden problemer. Men når du fjernede LibreOffice , blev tingene rodede. Installationsloggen, som jeg troede var til LibreOffice , fjernede noget andet. Derefter afinstallerede jeg alle applikationer installeret af LibreOffice , ved at bruge alle de installationslogfiler, jeg oprettede på det tidspunkt. Desværre endte jeg med, at LibreOffice stadig var aktiv på min computer, og selvudtrækkeren, der installerede det, og dele af Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable blev fjernet. På et tidspunkt under fjernelsesprocessen anbefalede Ashampoo Uninstaller mig at fjerne nogle ukendte filer fundet i"C:WindowsInstaller" . Jeg var virkelig forvirret på dette tidspunkt, og jeg lod simpelthen Ashampoo Uninstaller gøre, hvad den anbefalede.

Dette lammede min Windows -installation, og jeg begyndte at modtage mærkelige fejlmeddelelser.

Da Panda Internet Security 2012 blev fjernet , blev tingene virkelig rodede. Jeg begyndte at modtage fejl om, at Ashampoo Uninstaller ikke kan fjerne visse filer. Den eneste mulighed var at ignorere dem og fortsætte med fjernelsesprocessen. Jeg genstartede systemet, når det hele var færdigt, og da jeg loggede ind igen, fik jeg en grim overraskelse!

Først fyldte Ashampoo Uninstaller min skærm med fejl om, at den ikke længere kan fungere. Tilsyneladende fjernede den på et tidspunkt under alle softwarefjernelser de filer, den skulle bruge for at fungere.

Så fortalte Windows mig, at Panda Internet Security 2012 holdt op med at fungere. Tilsyneladende blev de fleste af dets filer stadig fundet i Programfiler^{(Program Files)} , dets tjenester blev ikke fjernet, men så ud som startet og virkede ikke.

Mit system var alvorligt forkrøblet, og der var fejl overalt. Og alt dette ville have kostet mig "kun $49,99".

Revo Uninstaller Pro 2.5.5

Da jeg testede Revo Uninstaller Pro , begyndte jeg at føle mig godt igen. En ændring var nødvendig efter Ashampoo Uninstaller- oplevelsen.

Ligesom Ashampoo tilbyder Revo Uninstaller Pro yderligere værktøjer uden for omfanget af fjernelse af applikationer, såsom: browserrensere, Microsoft Office - renser, bevisfjerner osv. Jeg testede dog kun funktionaliteten til at fjerne applikationer.

I modsætning til Ashampoo giver det dog et valg om, hvordan du vil håndtere fjernelsesprocessen. Du kan spore et program siden dets installation, hvilket betyder, at du kun kan fjerne det ved at bruge installationsloggen.

Når du installerer et program, som overvåges af Revo Uninstaller Pro , bliver du advaret om et vigtigt aspekt: ​​kør ikke andre opsætningsfiler, programmer eller andet under installationen af ​​programmet^{(do not run other setup files, programs or anything else during the installation of the program)} . Dette taler højt om de begrænsninger, denne tilgang har. Hvis du er ved at installere en mere kompleks applikation såsom et computerspil, en kontorpakke, en forretningsapplikation, bør du ikke spore installationen og gemme en log over den.

Alligevel bad jeg Revo Uninstaller Pro om at overvåge installationen af ​​Panda Internet Security 2012 for at se, om den håndterer tingene bedre end Ashampoo . Jeg lavede også en separat test uden at bede Revo Uninstaller Pro om at overvåge installationen af ​​denne sikkerhedspakke.

Når du fjerner applikationer, der ikke er sporet, opretter Revo Uninstaller Pro først et systemgendannelsespunkt, derefter laver den en sikkerhedskopi af registreringsdatabasen^(Registry) og starter først derefter afinstallationsfunktionen for det program, du vil fjerne. Dette hjælper virkelig med at sikre, at du er sikker, hvis noget går i stykker. Når det er gjort, laver den en scanning, som du kan indstille dens aggressivitet til, og anbefaler dig at fjerne de resterende filer, mapper og registreringsnøgler, den identificerer.

Pas på ikke at vælge og Avanceret^(Advanced) scanning, da det er mere sandsynligt, at du anbefaler, at du sletter filer eller registreringsnøgler, der tilhører andre programmer eller til selve Windows . De sikre^(Safe) og moderate scanninger gav gode resultater og anbefalede at slette ting, der kun tilhørte de programmer, som jeg tidligere har installeret.

Når du foretager en sporet afinstallation af et program, fjerner Revo Uninstaller Pro først alle de ting, det inkluderede i installationsloggen. Derefter registrerer den, at der er nogle data relateret til det program, du afinstallerede, som ikke blev slettet, fordi de blev genereret efter installationen fandt sted. Det er sandt. Jeg var glad for at se , at Revo Uninstaller Pro indså dette og fik mig til at foretage en avanceret afinstallation^{(Advanced Uninstall)} .

Problemet med den avancerede afinstallation er, at du virkelig har brug for at kende dine ting. Du bliver bedt om at træffe valg om, hvad du skal fjerne, og visse beslutninger er svære at træffe, selv af specialister. For eksempel beder Revo Uninstaller Pro dig om at træffe en beslutning vedrørende sletning af nogle Windows - tjenester-relaterede registreringsnøgler. Selvom du kender Windows -registreringsdatabasen godt, er det svært at træffe et godt valg. Derfor slettede jeg kun de ting, jeg var overbevist om, var sikre at slette.

Da jeg var færdig med den avancerede afinstallation, var jeg ikke overrasket over at se, at Panda Internet Security 2012 ikke var fuldstændig afinstalleret. Jeg fik ikke fejlmeddelelser, Panda - tjenesterne blev fjernet korrekt, men nogle filer var stadig i programfiler,^{(Program Files)} og dets ikon dukkede op i meddelelsesområdet på proceslinjen. Klik på den gav intet resultat. Interfacet startede aldrig, men jeg kunne i det mindste bruge min computer fredeligt.

Revo Uninstaller Pro har endnu en funktion, der er interessant, når du fjerner software, der opfører sig dårligt - den kaldes tvungen afinstallation^{(Forced Uninstall)} . Du angiver stien til hvor mappen, hvor applikationen er installeret, eller til dens primære eksekverbare. Derefter søger Revo Uninstaller Pro efter et afinstallationsprogram af det pågældende program. ^{(Revo Uninstaller Pro)}Hvis den finder den, udfører den samme procedure, som den normalt ville, med først at lave en sikkerhedskopi og en systemgendannelse og alle de andre trin. Hvis den ikke finder et afinstallationsprogram, analyserer den Windowsregistreringsdatabasen for nøgler, der peger på den pågældende mappe og fil og eventuelle lignende nøgler til den og anbefaler dem derefter til sletning, plus det sletter filerne og undermapperne, der findes på den givne placering. Dette kan være nyttigt, når du prøver at fjerne nogle ødelagte programmer. Men da de applikationer, jeg har testet, ikke var rigtig ødelagte, kunne jeg ikke evaluere ydeevnen af ​​denne funktionalitet.

Med hensyn til resultaterne af de ikke-sporede applikationer, var de meget lig dem i IObit Uninstaller : Revo Uninstaller Pro scanner og fjerner ikke filer, der er oprettet af applikationer på almindelige brugerplaceringer som: "C:UsersUser nameAppDataLocal" , "C:UsersUser nameAppDataRoaming" eller "C:UsersAll Users" . I modsætning til IObit ser det ikke ud på dit skrivebord^(Desktop) for at fjerne eventuelle genveje, du muligvis har oprettet manuelt.

På registreringssiden var resultaterne igen næsten identiske med IObit Uninstaller - kun nogle få nøgler blev efterladt, såsom: installatørreferencer til LibreOffice , en forældet softwarenøgle til Panda Internet Security 2012 og Mozilla , og få manglende MUI ( Multilingual User Interface ) referencer til Skype . Alle disse nøgler kan bidrage til at gøre Windows -registreringsdatabasen en smule større end nødvendigt, men de påvirker ikke systemet negativt.

Vinderen er...

Lad os prøve at rangere de løsninger, jeg testede, og se, hvilke der ville blive anbefalet og hvornår:

• IObit Uninstaller - Jeg tror, ​​du har gættet nu, at dette stykke software er mit bedste valg til at afinstallere programmer i Windows. Den er lille, bærbar, gratis og frem for alt sikker at bruge. Dens enkelhed og mangel på "yderligere funktioner" er faktisk en styrke - at fjerne applikationer med IObit Uninstaller fungerer godt og ødelægger ikke dit system.

• Revo Uninstaller Pro - er et godt valg, hvis du er interesseret i den ekstra funktionalitet, der leveres oven i deres gratis løsning. Muligheden for at spore applikationsinstallationer og derefter foretage fjernelser baseret på de logfiler, den laver, fungerer imidlertid ikke godt for komplekse applikationer, som installerer yderligere software eller ofte bliver opdateret i løbet af deres levetid (f.eks. sikkerhedsløsninger). Dette fortynder alvorligt værdien af ​​denne funktion, da folk kan blive fristet til at bruge den til at slippe af med kompleks software, som efterlader mange spor. Hvis du dog ikke er interesseret i de ekstra funktioner, anbefaler jeg ærligt talt den gratis version af Revo Uninstaller. Funktionaliteten, den indeholder, fungerer på samme måde som i Pro-versionen, og du får rimelige og sikre resultater, når du afinstallerer applikationer.

• Ashampoo Uninstaller - er et frustrerende stykke software. Det ser ud til at sidde fast i en anden æra af computere, der tilbyder funktioner, der kun ville fungere godt til at fjerne simple applikationer. For mængden af ​​frustration og problemer, det giver, kan jeg ikke forstå, hvorfor Ashampoo fakturerer folk for at bruge det, i stedet for at tilbyde det gratis og forbedre produktet baseret på feedback modtaget fra brugere.

Jeg håber, at denne sammenligning har været nyttig til at træffe et informeret valg. Hvis du har spørgsmål, tøv ikke med at efterlade en kommentar.

Roundup of Software Uninstallers - Reviewing IObit vs Ashampoo vs Revo

Today you can find lots of software which helpѕ remove programs аnd clean up leftovеr filеs, folders and registry settings. In theory thiѕ is a gоod thing, as it helps eliminate some of the bloat on your Windоws computer. But are these solutions really effective at removing all traces? To find oυt, I tested some of the most popular applications in this niche, both free and commercial. Let's see what I discovered.

The Approaches to Uninstalling Software

There are two main approaches that can be taken by a software product that deals with uninstalling other software:

1. First run the original uninstaller of a program, scan the locations commonly used by applications to store files and registry settings for items that were not removed and delete them;
2. Monitor the installation of a program, make a log of the files, folders and registry keys it created and, when uninstalling it, remove everything based on this initial snapshot.

I chose to test IObit Uninstaller (version 2.0), Ashampoo Uninstaller (version 4.2) and Revo Uninstaller Pro (version 2.5.5) for three reasons:

• They are some of the most popular solutions in this niche;
• They are representative of the two approaches that can be taken to remove software from a system;
• We received requests from our readers wanting to know more about these solutions and how good (or not) they are.

IObit Uninstaller uses only the first approach to remove software, while Ashampoo Uninstaller uses only the second approach. Revo Uninstaller Pro is a good third alternative as it can use both approaches.

The Testing Procedure

I evaluated how well uninstallers work by asking them to remove the following applications: Firefox, Skype, Google Chrome, Panda Internet Security 2012, Adobe Reader X and LibreOffice. I also created a manual desktop shortcut for Panda Internet Security 2012, to see if it would be removed.

When testing IObit Uninstaller, I installed all these applications, except Panda Internet Security 2012, using Ninite (a solution which automates the installation of some of the most used applications) to speed up the installation process. When testing the solutions from Ashampoo and Revo I learned that using Ninite doesn't work that well, so I've used both the Ninite installer (when it made sense) and the individual installers for each of these programs. The installations were made using the default settings.

All these programs were started & used once, so that they generate their usual user files and settings. Also, Panda Internet Security 2012 was updated to the latest malware signatures.

When uninstalling Firefox and Google Chrome, I intentionally set the uninstall functionality of these programs to leave behind user data and customizations, to see if the uninstallers will remove it or not.

To evaluate uninstall performance, I scanned the computer with CCleaner, to identify the invalid registry keys that remained after each uninstaller finished its job. Then, I manually searched for leftover files and folders in locations such as: Program Files, Program Data and the User folders (Desktop, Start Menu, All Users & AppData). To evaluate if Panda Internet Security 2012 was removed correctly, I also looked through the list of Windows services and checked if the Panda services still show up or not.

IObit Uninstaller 2.0

I have not used IOBit applications before and I must say that the experience of working with IObit Uninstaller was a nice surprise. First of all, you don't need to install this program, you simply run its executable. Also, it is the slimmest product of all three, having a size of only 1.2MB. This makes it very portable and easy to have with you at all times.

The approach taken by IObit Uninstaller is a very safe one: when removing an application, it first creates a restore point, to make sure you can revert back in case of failure. Then, it runs the original uninstall of that application, waits for it to end, and then scans a series of common locations used by applications to store data. If it finds any remaining folders, files and registry keys, it informs you and gives the choice to delete what you want from that list.

The approach is easy to follow by any user, with or without knowledge about system files and registry keys. Also, IObit Uninstaller does not suggest for deleting files which belong to other applications or to Windows itself. If you choose to delete everything it recommends for deletion, you won't break your operating system.

This also means that it will not delete absolutely everything left behind by an application. CCleaner identified a few registry keys that were left over. Nothing big though, just a few keys like: installer references for LibreOffice, an obsolete software key for Panda Internet Security 2012, and few missing MUI (Multilingual User Interface) references for Adobe Reader, Skype and LibreOffice. All these keys might contribute to making the Windows registry a bit larger than necessary but they don't negatively impact the system.

Regarding files and folders, I liked the fact that IObit Uninstaller scanned my Desktop, identified the shortcut I created for Panda Internet Security 2012 and deleted it. It was the only piece of software that did this. The weak spot of IObit Uninstaller is that it doesn't scan and remove files created by applications in common user locations like: "C:UsersUser nameAppDataLocal", "C:UsersUser nameAppDataRoaming" or "C:UsersAll Users". Removing the folders created by applications in these locations is generally not harmful as they store mostly user files and user configuration.

One thing that I found confusing about IObit Uninstaller is that it has a section about Windows Updates, which leads you to think that it can help remove them. On my test system though, it did not list any updates and I could not use it for this task. However, that's a good thing in the end, as I would not recommend leaving uninstalling Windows Updates in the hands of third-party software. The risk of breaking your Windows installation rises exponentially if you do this.

IObit Uninstaller has also a featured called Forced Uninstall that exists also in Revo Uninstaller Pro. The functionality is almost identical between the two products. However, I was not able to test it on a broken piece of software to testify on its performance. I recommend caution when using a Forced Uninstall. Chances are you will be recommended to delete files or registry keys which do not belong to the application whose traces you are trying to remove.

Ashampoo Uninstaller 4.2

The user interface of Ashampoo Uninstaller 4.2 is a very colorful one. You get access to options regarding uninstalling software but also to all kinds of other tools not necessarily related to this subject, such as: Internet cleaner, deletion of duplicate files and temporary files, "undeletion" of files, etc. Since I was interested to test only the uninstall functionality, I did not dwell on all the other features made available.

Ashampoo Uninstaller chooses to monitor first the installation of programs so that it can help you remove them later. When you start an installation, Ashampoo pop up and asks you to wait until it makes a scan of your system. If you have a couple of partitions on a big hard disk, you attached an USB stick and an external hard disk, as I did, you set yourself for some waiting, as Ashampoo Uninstaller insists on scanning everything. When done, it informs you that you continue with the installation of the application.

After you install the application, you are asked to run the application once. Then Ashampoo Uninstaller makes another scan, to identify the changes made to your system. If you are not the patient type, you will dislike this.

I did not like this behavior from the moment I've seen it. During my career I worked on creating customized installers for various types of business and consumer software and lots of bells started ringing when seeing Ashampoo Uninstaller in action for the first time. Unfortunately all my worries came true, as this approach works well only for simple applications, which do not require system reboots, and do not install other software so that they can function.

For example, LibreOffice is distributed as a self-extracting archive. Ashampoo Uninstaller detected the self-extracting archive as an installer and asked me to make an install log for it. Then, it detected the installation of LibreOffice as a separate installer and made a scan for it too, as well as the installation of other dependencies like Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, needed by the LibreOffice. All of a sudden my screen was filled with windows and prompts from Ashampoo Uninstaller, that was scanning the system and then asking me to save logs for the installations that took place. The big trouble was that I could not keep the pace with which install log is for what application. There was no way for me to identify which is which and Ashampoo made no effort in giving me clues. I ended up with three installation logs and I wasn't clear if I saved them correctly or not.

This is a huge problem as many applications are distributed as self-extracting archives. Also, computer games in particular tend to install third party software needed to run games (such as DirectX updates or Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables). Ashampoo Uninstaller will simply be unable to cope with them successfully.

Also, due to this approach, you should never use software like Ninite, to install applications. Ashampoo Uninstaller will consider them as one application being installed.

Another big problem I encountered when installing Panda Internet Security 2012, which requires a restart. Ashampoo Uninstaller simply doesn't get to finish the installation log as it doesn't resume scanning after the reboot. Therefore I had to revert back my system to a state prior to installing Panda Internet Security 2012 and then save the installation log before making the reboot. This was bad to begin with, as Ashampoo Uninstaller failed to capture all the changes made after the restart.

The trouble continued when asking Ashampoo Uninstaller to remove the applications I just installed. First, if an installation log is not created for an application, then Ashampoo Uninstaller simply asks you to remove it yourself, using its default uninstall functionality. That's it!

If you have a log file of the installation, you need to load it and then the removal process begins. This is the equivalent of Ashampoo Uninstaller manually removing all the files, folders and registry keys it found during the installation process.

With small & simple applications like Skype, the removal worked without problems. However, when removing LibreOffice things got messy. The installation log which I thought was for LibreOffice removed something else. Then, I uninstalled all the applications installed by LibreOffice, using all the install logs I created at that point. Unfortunately I ended up with LibreOffice still being active on my computer and the self-extractor that installed it and portions of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable being removed. At some point during the removal process, Ashampoo Uninstaller recommended me to remove some unknown files found in "C:WindowsInstaller". I was really confused at this point and I simply let Ashampoo Uninstaller do whatever it recommended.

This crippled my Windows installation and I was starting to receive weird error messages.

When removing Panda Internet Security 2012, things got really messy. I started receiving errors that Ashampoo Uninstaller cannot remove certain files. The only option was to ignore them and continue with the removal process. I rebooted the system once it was all done and, when I logged back in, boy was I in for one ugly surprise!

First, Ashampoo Uninstaller was filling my screen with errors that it can no longer function. Apparently, at some point during all the software removals, it removed files it needed to function.

Then, Windows was telling me that Panda Internet Security 2012 stopped working. Apparently, most of its files where still found in Program Files, its services were not removed but appeared as started and failing to work.

My system was severely crippled and there were errors all over the place. And all this would have cost me "only $49.99".

Revo Uninstaller Pro 2.5.5

When testing Revo Uninstaller Pro I started to feel good again. A change was needed after the Ashampoo Uninstaller experience.

Just like Ashampoo, Revo Uninstaller Pro offers additional tools outside the scope of removing applications, such as: browsers cleaners, Microsoft Office cleaner, evidence remover, etc. However, I tested only the functionality for removing applications.

Unlike Ashampoo though, it gives a choice on how you want to handle the removal process. You can trace a program since its installation, which means you can remove it only by using the installation log.

When installing an application which is monitored by Revo Uninstaller Pro, you are being warned about one important aspect: do not run other setup files, programs or anything else during the installation of the program. This speaks loudly on the limitations this approach has. If you are about to install a more complex application such as a computer game, an office suite, a business application, you should not trace the installation and save a log of it.

Even so, I did ask Revo Uninstaller Pro to monitor the installation of Panda Internet Security 2012 to see if it handles things better than Ashampoo. I also made a separate test without asking Revo Uninstaller Pro to monitor the installation of this security suite.

When removing applications which are not traced, Revo Uninstaller Pro first creates a system restore point, then it makes a backup of the Registry and only then starts the uninstall functionality of the program you want to remove. This really helps in making sure you are safe in case something breaks. Once that is done, it makes a scan for which you can set its aggressiveness and recommends you to remove the leftover files, folders and registry keys it identifies.

Be careful not to choose and Advanced scan, as it is more likely to recommend that you to delete files or registry keys which belong to other applications or to Windows itself. The Safe and Moderate scans returned good results and recommended to delete things which belonged only to the applications previously installed by me.

When making a traced uninstall of a program, Revo Uninstaller Pro first removes all the things it included in the installation log. Then, it detects that there is some data related to the program you uninstalled that did not get deleted due to being generated after the install took place. That's true indeed. I was happy to see Revo Uninstaller Pro realized this and prompted me to make an Advanced Uninstall.

The trouble with the advanced uninstall is that you really need to know your stuff. You are being asked to make choices on what to remove and certain decisions are tough to make, even by specialists. For example, Revo Uninstaller Pro asks you to make a decision regarding deleting some Windows services related registry keys. Even if you know the Windows registry well, it is hard to make a good choice. Therefore I deleted only the things I was convinced were safe to delete.

Once I finished the advanced uninstall, I was not surprised to see that Panda Internet Security 2012 was not fully uninstalled. I did not get error messages, the Panda services were removed correctly but some files where still in Program Files and its icon showed up in the notification area of the taskbar. Clicking on it returned no result. The interface never started but at least I could use my computer peacefully.

Revo Uninstaller Pro has one more feature that's interesting when removing bad behaving software - it is called Forced Uninstall. You give the path to where the folder where the application is installed, or to its main executable. Then, Revo Uninstaller Pro searches for an uninstaller of that application. If it finds it, then executes the same procedure as it normally would, with first making a backup and a system restore and all the other steps. If it doesn't find an uninstaller, it analyzes the Windows registry for keys that point to that folder & file and any similar keys to it and then recommends them for deletion, plus it deletes the files and sub-folders found at the given location. This can be helpful when trying to remove some broken applications. However, since the applications I've tested were not really broken, I could not evaluate the performance of this functionality.

Regarding the results of the non-traced applications, they were very similar to those of IObit Uninstaller: Revo Uninstaller Pro doesn't scan and remove files created by applications in common user locations like: "C:UsersUser nameAppDataLocal", "C:UsersUser nameAppDataRoaming" or "C:UsersAll Users". Unlike IObit, it doesn't look on your Desktop to remove any shortcuts you might have created manually.

On the registry side, the results were again almost identical to IObit Uninstaller - just a few keys being left behind, such as: installer references for LibreOffice, an obsolete software key for Panda Internet Security 2012 and Mozilla, and few missing MUI (Multilingual User Interface) references for Skype. All these keys might contribute to making the Windows registry a bit larger than necessary but they don't negatively impact the system.

The Winner is...

Let's try to rank the solutions I tested and see which would be recommended & when:

• IObit Uninstaller - I think you guessed by now that this piece of software is my top choice for uninstalling applications in Windows. It is small, portable, free of charge and, most of all, safe to use. Its simplicity and lack of "additional features" is actually a strength - removing applications with IObit Uninstaller works well and doesn't break your system.

• Revo Uninstaller Pro - is a good choice if you are interested in the additional functionality, provided on top of their free solution. However, the capability to trace application installs and then make removals based on the logs it makes, doesn't work well for complex applications which install additional software or get updated often during their lifetime (e.g. security solutions). This seriously dilutes the value of this feature as people might be tempted to use it to get rid of complex software which leave many traces behind. If you are not interested in the additional features though, I honestly recommend the free version of Revo Uninstaller. The functionality it includes works the same as in the Pro version and you get reasonable and safe results when uninstalling applications.

• Ashampoo Uninstaller - is a frustrating piece of software. It seems to be stuck in a different era of computing, offering features which would work well only for removing simple applications. For the amount of frustration and problems it offers, I cannot understand why Ashampoo bills people for using it, instead of offering it for free and improving the product based on the feedback received from users.

I hope this comparison has been useful in making an informed choice. If you have any questions don't hesitate to leave a comment.

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