![]() Our test program’s file association, service, main HKLM\Software and HKCU\Software keys were all listed, as were the main program folder, Start Menu entry, desktop shortcut, and even (impressively) a log entry in one of our other test uninstallers. This was easy to find and looked much like the competition, but scanning for disk and Registry leftovers took significantly longer, presumably because the program was trying to be very thorough. We were only interested in the "forced uninstall" option. Wise Program Uninstaller got off to a bad start by not only requiring installation, but also offering to install SpyHunter, a third-party app, along the way. Overall Geek Uninstaller proved to be a likable tool, and effective at removing hard drive junk, but there are more thorough uninstallers around. (We tried the commercial version and that didn’t do any better.) This meant that, when we ran our test installer again, post-cleaning it acted as though it was running for the first time.īut Geek Uninstaller missed the file association, and the Registry reference to our service, as well as the test app’s \Users\Name\AppData\Roaming folder. Unlike most of the competition, It also found all the MSI-related installer keys. The program found all the most obvious components: the main application folder, the Start Menu entry, the desktop shortcuts and the HKLM\Software and HKCU\Software folders. We selected "Force Removal", and after a very few seconds (this program is fast) everything Geek Uninstaller wanted to delete was displayed in a tree, all checked by default. But right-clicking any application reveals some useful options, including web searches, the ability to open related Registry keys or Explorer folders, or remove the entry entirely. The opening screen is just as straightforward, a simple list of installed programs, their size and installation date. Geek Uninstaller is a compact package which doesn’t need installation - just download, unzip and run its single executable. This had a different folder name, but included the same files as the regular application folder - would any of our test programs be smart enough to figure out that it might be related? Just to be difficult, we had our installer create a folder in \Users\Name\AppData\Roaming. We added a Windows Service, and a file association, as well as placing shortcuts in our Start Menu folder, and on the desktop. We opted for a 32-bit test, saving files to a Program Files x86 folder, and creating Registry keys in both HKLM\Software and HKCU\Software. ![]() Something that would install various files, folders and Registry keys in known, common locations, making it easier to evaluate uninstaller performance later. We decided to find out, by building our own test application. How do you know your uninstaller works? Is it really as thorough as it claims, or could it be missing important files or Registry keys, too? You could try to avoid this issue with a third-party uninstaller, which scans your system to find and remove everything the regular uninstaller has missed. * No discussions of specific VPNs – please visit r/VPN or our PrivacyGuides coverage of VPNs.Standard Windows uninstallers often leave your PC cluttered with unwanted files, orphaned Registry keys and assorted other leftovers.
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