How to Uninstall a Windows Program Safely

When you install a program on a PC, it invariably includes ancillary files scattered through your Windows folder. To remove a program completely, use the Add/Remove Programs utility.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Microsoft Windows

1. Check your documentation to see if the application has its own custom uninstall program, and use it if it's available.
2. If not, open the Start menu and select Settings, then Control Panel.
3. Double-click on Add/Remove Programs.
4. Find the program you want, then click Add/Remove.
5. In the box that appears, confirm to remove the program and click through the Wizard that follows.
6. Consider using a third-party utility, such as Clean Sweep or Norton Utilities, to uninstall remnants of programs from your system.

Tips & Warnings

• Usually the Add/Remove Pro-grams utility will alert you to the presence of shared programs and let you leave them on your system.
• Only delete an application folder as a last resort. The program could have added programs or files to additional folders. To be safe, rename the application folder and reboot your PC. If it restarts without a problem, delete the folder. If it does not, rename the folder with its original name and do not delete it.
• For Windows to uninstall an application with the Add/Remove Programs utility, you cannot have moved or deleted the directory that the application originally resided in.

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