How do I uninstall a Windows
program that won't go away?
When
a Windows program installs itself, it creates a little file listing all
the steps it took when settling into your computer. Later, when you run
that program's Uninstall program (it's usually located right next to
the program's name on your Start menu), Windows looks at that little
file and reverses those steps to remove the program.
No
Uninstall program available? Then click the Start button, choose the
Control Panel from the Settings area, and double-click the Add/Remove
Programs icon. Select your program from the list, click the Add or
Remove
Programs icon, and poof! Windows removes the program.At least, that's the way it's supposed to work. What Windows really does is look for that little file the program created when it installed itself. If Windows can't find the file, it just gives up.
The solution? Reinstall the program using the same options you did when you first installed it. (Most people always let the program install itself where it wants) Next, immediately choose the program's Uninstall option again, or use the Control Panel's Add or Remove Programs feature.
Hopefully, the program will create a new uninstall file as it installs itself, and Windows will be able to read that file and uninstall the program for good.
Now, how do you get rid of uninstalled programs that remain listed in the Add or Remove Programs icon's master list? Sometimes the reinstall/uninstall trick works. If it doesn't, simply ignore them: It's only a cosmetic problem, so consider yourself lucky.
But if the sight of those programs really irks you, download TweakUI, which will be described in an upcoming tip if you bug me about it.