deleting programs

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

I have programs that I want to delete and they are either not listed in the
add/remove list or I get a message saying the program cannot be deleted this
way. I know there has to be a way to manually delete them without messing
anything up. Can anyone help? Also, what would happen if I delete the program
files?
 
Hi,

If you try to remove the program files then this doesnt clean remove the
program. Also the registry will still have entries for your programs and some
of them can cause problems the next time you start your computer. Try to see
if you can get the installation media for the same and then use them to
uninistall the program. Other wise leave the programs on the computer, till
the next time when you perform a fresh installation of your operating system.
 
jluv said:
I have programs that I want to delete and they are either not listed
in the add/remove list or I get a message saying the program cannot
be deleted this way. I know there has to be a way to manually delete
them without messing anything up. Can anyone help? Also, what would
happen if I delete the program files?
Click to expand...

Sometimes reinstalling such a program will make it possible to remove it.
The CD may contain a Remove option also, so check that too.
 
jluv said:
I have programs that I want to delete and they are either not listed
in the add/remove list or I get a message saying the program cannot
be deleted this way. I know there has to be a way to manually delete
them without messing anything up. Can anyone help? Also, what would
happen if I delete the program files?
Click to expand...


If you simply delete the program's files, you may (depending on the program)
have leftover pieces of and references to the program, in the registry and
elsewhere. Sometimes you have no alternative and that's what you have to do.
It's very seldom a catastrophe to have these orphaned files and entries;
they simply won't be used, and other than wasting a tiny amount of disk
space, don't really hurt you.

In the case of some simple programs, they are entirely self-contained and
deleting the program's folder is all that needs to be done; that's the
reason there is no Add/Remove Programs entry for them.
 
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