uninstalling windows programs

[Guest]

i would like to uninstall the microsoft programs
i do not use. i have a very small hard disk & there
is a lot of unnecessary software loaded on it
that i have no use for.

i'd like to remove:

msn explorer
windows messenger
internet explorer
games

& other things, but these are the main things.

i have other software i like much better than these
programs. i will never use them again, & they're
taking up a whole bunch of space on my hard drive.

your help would be appreciated!

p.s.: why aren't the newsgroups alphabetized?
i've been sitting here for five minutes, staring
at 5pt type in the pulldown menu, trying to find
a windows xp newsgroup. if it were alphabetized,
no problem. i've gone through four times & i
still can't find it. so i'm posting this under general
discussions, but i'd rather post it to a winXP group.

diane in seattle

 

[Not Me]

if you want to remove programs that are part of XP, like IE,
in control panel, add/remove programs, left column, click add/remove windows
components. uncheck the ones you want gone.
My list of newsgroups is in order, that must be a setting in your newsreader
that is wrong.

 

[+Bob+]

i would like to uninstall the microsoft programs
i do not use. i have a very small hard disk & there
is a lot of unnecessary software loaded on it
that i have no use for.

i'd like to remove:

msn explorer
windows messenger
internet explorer
games

As the other poster mentioned. You can't really remove MS IE, but you
may be able to take away visible pieces of it.

If you are into higher risk operations, after you remove everything
you don't need via control panel, take a look at your hard drive -
most manufacturers install a boat load of stuff you don't need and
removal often leaves directories behind. YMMV.

p.s.: why aren't the newsgroups alphabetized?

Not sure, but if you choose a better newsreader you will be happier
all around. Try Forte Free Agent - if you like it, buy the paid
version and get a few more free features.

 

[HeyBub]

i would like to uninstall the microsoft programs
i do not use. i have a very small hard disk & there
is a lot of unnecessary software loaded on it
that i have no use for.

i'd like to remove:

msn explorer
windows messenger
internet explorer
games

& other things, but these are the main things.

i have other software i like much better than these
programs. i will never use them again, & they're
taking up a whole bunch of space on my hard drive.

The easiest solution is to look under the sofa's seat cushions for spare
change. Trade the coins for a larger hard drive.

Be aware that even if you COULD "delete" some of the items on your list,
they are merely cloaked and not really removed. For example, IE is so
tightly integrated into the operating system that it's really misleading to
call it a separate program.

 

[Guest]

regarding the newsgroup reader:

i'm not using one. i'm logged on to the
microsoft site, posting from there. the
problem i encountered at first existed
because i had been lost in the maze of
newsgroups & was in the developers group.
not a problem now.

as to getting a larger hard drive, that's a
rather cavalier & unhelpful response. in
fact, it's stupid & does not take into con-
sideration my issues, nor does it address
my problems.

even if i could afford a new hard drive, or
if installing a larger hard drive would not
result in loss of my data (which i was told
would happen), why should i have to?

i don't want these programs & i never did.
i resent the fact that they are so entwined
in my operating system that i can't just get
rid of them. trying to remove them in control
panel does not work. control panel is a hor-
rible tool. when i try to remove ms compon-
ents, i am taken to that list of programs i
can check or uncheck. i check the ones i
want to remove. but all that happens is that
they are reinstalled with even more stuff than
before.

so, does anyone know how to make sure the
add/remove programs routine actually re-
moves programs, rather than being vague &
deliberately difficult?

yes, i do have a buttload of stuff loaded onto
my computer by my manufacturer. i have been
unable to uninstall any of that, as well. when i
went into the programs folder long ago & tried
to uninstall some of them, no uninstall option
was available. so i deleted them. then windows
started crashing my external drive & i had to
transfer files (took a week) on a slower computer,
then reinstall windows.

it's wrong that paying for a computer should
result in you being enslaved by it & that programs
you don't want should be sitting there, invading
the space you own, refusing to leave.

microsoft should supply a solution to those of us
who wish to tailor our computer needs to our uses.

why isn't there a microsoft MVP answering this
question for me? surely i'm not the first person to
ask it. there must be a response that's readily
available to people who are better equipped to
handle this problem than little consumers like me.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

You can't really get rid of IE, and the rest of your list encompasses
ridiculously small storage requirements. IOW, they won't save you anything.
If you lack disk space, the solution is a larger disk. Suggest you install
one and then move all your personal data to that disk (change the location
of My Documents in its Properties, for instance.) If the current disk is to
small to decently house Windows and applications, then you need to transfer
it to a larger disk using a cloning utility.

 

[Gordon]

as to getting a larger hard drive, that's a
rather cavalier & unhelpful response. in
fact, it's stupid & does not take into con-
sideration my issues, nor does it address
my problems.

even if i could afford a new hard drive, or
if installing a larger hard drive would not
result in loss of my data (which i was told
would happen), why should i have to?

Because your machine is running out of space. Usually that's down to the
user (that's you) storing too much rubbish on it. If your Hard disk is
really THAT small, then you need to either replace it or add a second. And
being in the US they are DEAD CHEAP, not like rip-off Britain....

 

[Zilbandy]

it's wrong that paying for a computer should
result in you being enslaved by it & that programs
you don't want should be sitting there, invading
the space you own, refusing to leave.

microsoft should supply a solution to those of us
who wish to tailor our computer needs to our uses.

Microsoft did not sell you your computer, so stop griping about it.
Complain to your computer vendor. They are the ones that installed all
the additional crap. Better yet, go buy a retail of XP and install
that. Then, you can add whatever you want and you won't have any extra
clutter. Everything there will be whatever you installed, except for
the base install of the operating system.

 

[C.Joseph Drayton]

i would like to uninstall the microsoft programs
i do not use. i have a very small hard disk & there
is a lot of unnecessary software loaded on it
that i have no use for.

i'd like to remove:

msn explorer
windows messenger
internet explorer
games

& other things, but these are the main things.

i have other software i like much better than these
programs. i will never use them again, & they're
taking up a whole bunch of space on my hard drive.

your help would be appreciated!

p.s.: why aren't the newsgroups alphabetized?
i've been sitting here for five minutes, staring
at 5pt type in the pulldown menu, trying to find
a windows xp newsgroup. if it were alphabetized,
no problem. i've gone through four times & i
still can't find it. so i'm posting this under general
discussions, but i'd rather post it to a winXP group.

diane in seattle

Hi Diane,

I don't know if this will help . . .

Some programs do not list themselves in the 'Add/Remove'
applet, but they can be removed.

For those unlisted programs, you will have to go to each
programs folder under 'Program Files' and look for the name
'uninst.exe' or 'unwise.exe'.

Of the programs listed in the 'Add/Remove' programs list, be
sure that you don't need them before you delete them. For
example one time I deleted the 'Synaptics' application from
my laptop. Unfortunately Synaptics is who makes my touchpad
and all of a sudden I had to plug in a mouse until I
rebooted and then it re-installed it for me.

The next thing you can do, is that WindowsXP saves a copy of
all update downloads from when you do a update of XP. Once
the those downloads can be deleted. They are normally found
in the Windows folder. they will be in sub-folders that have
names that begin with '$MSI31Uninstall . . .$'. In some
cases I've seen those files take up dozens of megabytes of
space.

The next thing you can do is check the amount of space set
aside for your 'Recycle Bin' depend on how you do your
deleting, you could possibly cut its size in half and still
be safe.

The next thing you can do is check the amount of space set
aside for 'System Restore'. Again you will have to be a
judge of how much space you want to set aside for 'System
Restore'

I have an old Compaq Presario 1800xl190 with a 40GB hard
disk, and I followed the above steps, and I was able to free
up close to 5.5GB of space.

Ciao . . . C.Joseph

"A promise is nothing more than an attempt,
to respond to an unreasonable request."