Hi,

I was just wondering if there are any regulations for software
development companies having to allow you to uninstall their
programs.

We use a design program to produce our products, we are about to
upgrade to a new version of their software but in testing we have
found that we are unable to uninstall it. After contacting the
company they say that it is not possible to uninstall so we are stuck
with a program that takes up over 500MB.

Unfortunately it is specialised software and there aren't any real
alternatives.

Apart from the fact that this is terrible implementation of their
program, I would think that there is some regulation that should say
legitimate software developers are not allowed to do this.

I know some versions Norton AV can be a bit of a tw@ to remove but it
can be done.

Any thoughts?

lucasno1 wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I was just wondering if there are any regulations for software
> development companies having to allow you to uninstall their
> programs.
>
> We use a design program to produce our products, we are about to
> upgrade to a new version of their software but in testing we have
> found that we are unable to uninstall it. After contacting the
> company they say that it is not possible to uninstall so we are stuck
> with a program that takes up over 500MB.
>
> Unfortunately it is specialised software and there aren't any real
> alternatives.
>
> Apart from the fact that this is terrible implementation of their
> program, I would think that there is some regulation that should say
> legitimate software developers are not allowed to do this.
>
> I know some versions Norton AV can be a bit of a tw@ to remove but it
> can be done.

This is not a Windows XP question. If you want to know what the laws
regarding software are in your country/state/province, you will need to
consult a local attorney.

I completely agree with you that this is unconscionable behavior on the
software company's part. However, the only practical way to deal with it
is with your wallet. I would make a strong effort to find another
program that will do what you want or hire a programming company to
create bespoke software for you that will meet your needs.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

"Uninstall" and "remove" are not the same thing. There is nothing
preventing you from removing/deleting the program and it's directories.
At the very worst, you may reinstall the operating system without the
program in question.

lucasno1 wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I was just wondering if there are any regulations for software
> development companies having to allow you to uninstall their
> programs.
>
> We use a design program to produce our products, we are about to
> upgrade to a new version of their software but in testing we have
> found that we are unable to uninstall it. After contacting the
> company they say that it is not possible to uninstall so we are stuck
> with a program that takes up over 500MB.
>
> Unfortunately it is specialised software and there aren't any real
> alternatives.
>
> Apart from the fact that this is terrible implementation of their
> program, I would think that there is some regulation that should say
> legitimate software developers are not allowed to do this.
>
> I know some versions Norton AV can be a bit of a tw@ to remove but it
> can be done.
>
> Any thoughts?
>