Help! I Cannot Uninstall a Program

In today's age of gigantic, bloated software programs it's more important than ever to safely and cleanly uninstall unwanted programs from your computer. Failure to do so can result in performance problems, registry errors, and instability issues among other problems. Many programs can be easily removed using Add/Remove Programs (or Programs and Features if you are using Windows 7 or Vista) from the Windows Control Panel. However, this option is not always available and you might be left screaming, "Help! I cannot uninstall program." Well, don't fret, the cavalry has arrived.


If you cannot uninstall program because it does not show up on the Add/Remove Programs list, there are other options available. Some applications have their own uninstall program, which can usually be found on the Start menu under Program Files or All Programs. Navigate to the folder for the program you want to remove and look for an uninstall option. If there is no uninstall program listed on the Start menu, you can also check in the actual folder where the program is located, which will usually be in the Program Files folder on your C: drive. Look for a file named uninstall.exe (or something similar like uninst.exe or unins000.exe) and run it.


When no uninstall program is available, you can always try to reinstall the application if you still have the original software. Make sure you install it to the same location as you did the first time and then check if any of the uninstall options discussed above are available.


So what do you do when none of these options are available? Some users resort to simply deleting the program folder itself when they cannot uninstall program any other way. However, this is not a recommended course of action because it only removes the program files from your computer and does not actually uninstall anything. Furthermore, deleting the program folder can lead to registry errors and other problems down the road.


The best option at this point when you still cannot uninstall program is to turn to a third-party uninstaller program such as Perfect Uninstaller. You can use Perfect Uninstaller to remove any program from your computer, even corrupted applications that cannot be uninstalled by conventional means. This program also cleans up all registry entries and leftover drivers installed by your unwanted program. Stubborn and hard to remove programs can also be easily uninstalled, including Adobe, Kapersky Anti-Virus, McAfee Security Suite, and Panda Internet Security. Use of a professional uninstaller, even when you can or cannot uninstall program, can go a long way to keeping your computer running faster, smoother and error-free.