Danas možete pronaći mnogo softvera koji pomaže u uklanjanju programa i čišćenju preostalih datoteka, mapa i postavki registra. U teoriji je to dobra stvar, jer pomaže eliminirati dio nadutosti na vašem Windows računalu. No, jesu li ova rješenja doista učinkovita u uklanjanju svih tragova? Kako bih saznao, testirao sam neke od najpopularnijih aplikacija u ovoj niši, i besplatne i komercijalne. Da vidimo što sam otkrio.

Pristupi^(Approaches) deinstaliranju softvera^{(Uninstalling Software)} _

Softverski proizvod koji se bavi deinstaliranjem drugog softvera može primijeniti dva glavna pristupa:

1. Najprije pokrenite originalni deinstalacijski program, skenirajte lokacije koje aplikacije obično koriste za pohranu datoteka i postavki registra za stavke koje nisu uklonjene i izbrišite ih;
2. Pratite^(Monitor) instalaciju programa, napravite zapisnik datoteka, mapa i ključeva registra koji je kreirao i, kada ga deinstalirate, uklonite sve na temelju ove početne snimke.

Odabrao sam testirati IObit Uninstaller (verzija 2.0), Ashampoo Uninstaller (verzija 4.2) i Revo Uninstaller Pro (verzija 2.5.5) iz tri razloga:

• Oni su neka od najpopularnijih rješenja u ovoj niši;
• Oni su reprezentativni za dva pristupa koja se mogu primijeniti za uklanjanje softvera iz sustava;
• Primili smo zahtjeve naših čitatelja koji žele saznati više o tim rješenjima i koliko su dobra (ili ne).

IObit Uninstaller koristi samo prvi pristup za uklanjanje softvera, dok Ashampoo Uninstaller koristi samo drugi pristup. Revo Uninstaller Pro dobra je treća alternativa jer može koristiti oba pristupa.

Postupak testiranja

Procijenio sam koliko dobro deinstaleri rade tražeći od njih da uklone sljedeće aplikacije: Firefox , Skype , Google Chrome , Panda Internet Security 2012 , Adobe Reader X i LibreOffice . Također sam napravio ručni prečac na radnoj površini za Panda Internet Security 2012 , da vidim hoće li biti uklonjen.

Prilikom testiranja IObit Uninstaller -a , instalirao sam sve ove aplikacije, osim Panda Internet Security 2012 , koristeći Ninite (rješenje koje automatizira instalaciju nekih od najčešće korištenih aplikacija) kako bih ubrzao proces instalacije. Prilikom testiranja rješenja iz Ashampooa^(Ashampoo) i Revoa^(Revo) naučio sam da korištenje Ninitea^(Ninite) ne funkcionira tako dobro, pa sam koristio i Ninite instalacijski program (kada je to imalo smisla) i pojedinačne instalatere za svaki od ovih programa. Instalacije su napravljene prema zadanim postavkama.

Svi su ti programi pokrenuti i korišteni jednom, tako da generiraju svoje uobičajene korisničke datoteke i postavke. Također, Panda Internet Security 2012 ažuriran je na najnovije potpise zlonamjernog softvera.

Prilikom deinstaliranja Firefoxa^(Firefox) i Google Chromea^{(Google Chrome)} , namjerno sam postavio funkciju deinstaliranja ovih programa tako da za sobom ostavi korisničke podatke i prilagodbe, da vidim hoće li ih deinstaleri ukloniti ili ne.

Kako bih procijenio izvedbu deinstaliranja, skenirao sam računalo s CCleanerom^(CCleaner) kako bih identificirao nevažeće ključeve registra koji su ostali nakon što je svaki program za deinstalaciju završio svoj posao. Zatim sam ručno tražio preostale datoteke i mape na mjestima kao što su: Programske datoteke, Programski podaci^{(Program Data)} i Korisničke^(User) mape ( Radna površina^(Desktop) , Izbornik Start^{(Start Menu)} , Svi korisnici^{(All Users)} & AppData ). Kako bih procijenio je li Panda Internet Security 2012 ispravno uklonjen, također sam pregledao popis Windows usluga i provjerio prikazuju li se Panda usluge još uvijek ili ne.

IObit Uninstaller 2.0

Nisam prije koristio IOBit aplikacije i moram reći da je iskustvo rada s IObit Uninstaller -om bilo lijepo iznenađenje. Prije^(First) svega, ne morate instalirati ovaj program, samo pokrenite njegovu izvršnu datoteku. Također, to je najtanji proizvod od sva tri, veličine samo 1,2 MB. To ga čini vrlo prenosivim i lakim za uvijek sa sobom.

Pristup koji koristi IObit Uninstaller je vrlo siguran: prilikom uklanjanja aplikacije, prvo stvara točku vraćanja, kako bi se osiguralo da se možete vratiti natrag u slučaju neuspjeha. Zatim pokreće izvornu deinstalaciju te aplikacije, čeka da završi, a zatim skenira niz uobičajenih lokacija koje aplikacije koriste za pohranu podataka. Ako pronađe preostale mape, datoteke i ključeve registra, obavještava vas i daje izbor da izbrišete ono što želite s tog popisa.

Pristup je lako slijediti svakom korisniku, sa ili bez znanja o sistemskim datotekama i ključevima registra. Također, IObit Uninstaller ne predlaže brisanje datoteka koje pripadaju drugim aplikacijama ili samom Windowsu^(Windows) . Ako odlučite izbrisati sve što preporučuje za brisanje, nećete slomiti svoj operativni sustav.

To također znači da neće izbrisati apsolutno sve što je ostavila aplikacija. CCleaner je identificirao nekoliko preostalih ključeva registra. No, ništa veliko, samo nekoliko ključeva kao što su: reference za instalaciju za LibreOffice , zastarjeli softverski ključ za Panda Internet Security 2012 i nekoliko referenci MUI ( višejezično korisničko sučelje^{(Multilingual User Interface)} ) koje nedostaju za Adobe Reader , Skype i LibreOffice . Svi ovi ključevi mogu doprinijeti da Windows registar bude malo veći nego što je potrebno, ali ne utječu negativno na sustav.

Što se tiče datoteka i mapa, svidjela mi se činjenica da je IObit Uninstaller skenirao moju radnu površinu^(Desktop) , identificirao prečac koji sam napravio za Panda Internet Security 2012 i izbrisao ga. Bio je to jedini softver koji je to učinio. Slaba točka IObit Uninstallera^{(IObit Uninstaller)} je ta što ne skenira i ne uklanja datoteke koje stvaraju aplikacije na uobičajenim korisničkim lokacijama kao što su: "C:UsersUser nameAppDataLocal" , "C:UsersUser nameAppDataRoaming" ili "C:UsersAll Users" . Uklanjanje mapa koje su kreirale aplikacije na tim lokacijama općenito nije štetno jer pohranjuju uglavnom korisničke datoteke i korisničku konfiguraciju.

Jedna stvar koja me zbunila u vezi s IObit Uninstallerom^{(IObit Uninstaller)} je da ima odjeljak o Windows ažuriranjima^{(Windows Updates)} , što vas navodi na razmišljanje da može pomoći u uklanjanju. Međutim, na mom testnom sustavu nije naveden nikakva ažuriranja i nisam ga mogao koristiti za ovaj zadatak. Međutim, to je na kraju dobra stvar, jer ne bih preporučio da deinstaliranje Windows ažuriranja^{(Windows Updates)} prepustite softveru treće strane. Rizik od prekida instalacije sustava Windows eksponencijalno raste ako to učinite.

IObit Uninstaller također ima značajku pod nazivom Forced Uninstall koja također postoji u Revo Uninstaller Pro . Funkcionalnost je gotovo identična između dva proizvoda. Međutim, nisam ga uspio testirati na pokvarenom komadu softvera kako bih svjedočio o njegovoj izvedbi. Preporučujem oprez pri korištenju prisilne deinstalacije^{(Forced Uninstall)} . Vjerojatno će vam biti preporučeno da izbrišete datoteke ili ključeve registra koji ne pripadaju aplikaciji čije tragove pokušavate ukloniti.

Ashampoo Uninstaller 4.2

Korisničko sučelje Ashampoo Uninstaller 4.2 je vrlo šareno. Dobivate pristup opcijama koje se tiču ​​deinstaliranja softvera, ali i svim vrstama drugih alata koji nisu nužno povezani s ovom temom, kao što su: Internet čistač, brisanje dupliciranih datoteka i privremenih datoteka, "poništavanje" datoteka itd. Budući da sam bio zainteresiran za testirajte samo funkcionalnost deinstaliranja, nisam se zadržavao na svim ostalim značajkama koje su dostupne.

Ashampoo Uninstaller odlučuje prvo nadzirati instalaciju programa kako bi vam mogao pomoći da ih kasnije uklonite. Kada pokrenete instalaciju, Ashampoo se pojavljuje i traži od vas da pričekate dok ne izvrši skeniranje vašeg sustava. Ako imate par particija na velikom tvrdom disku, priključili ste USB stick i vanjski tvrdi disk, kao što sam ja učinio, natjerali ste se na neko čekanje, jer Ashampoo Uninstaller inzistira da sve skenira. Kada završi, obavještava vas da nastavljate s instalacijom aplikacije.

Nakon što instalirate aplikaciju, od vas se traži da jednom pokrenete aplikaciju. Zatim Ashampoo Uninstaller ponovno skenira kako bi identificirao promjene napravljene na vašem sustavu. Ako niste pacijentski tip, ovo vam se neće svidjeti.

Nije mi se svidjelo ovakvo ponašanje od trenutka kada sam ga vidio. Tijekom svoje karijere radio sam na stvaranju prilagođenih instalatera za razne vrste poslovnog i potrošačkog softvera i mnoga su zvona počela zvoniti kada sam prvi put vidio Ashampoo Uninstaller u akciji. Nažalost, sve moje brige su se obistinile, jer ovaj pristup dobro funkcionira samo za jednostavne aplikacije, koje ne zahtijevaju ponovno podizanje sustava i ne instaliraju druge softvere kako bi mogle funkcionirati.

Na primjer, LibreOffice se distribuira kao arhiva koja se sama raspakuje. Ashampoo Uninstaller je otkrio samoraspakirajuću arhivu kao instalacijski program i zamolio me da napravim zapisnik instalacije za nju. Zatim je detektirao instalaciju LibreOfficea^{(LibreOffice)} kao zasebnog instalacijskog programa i također ga skenirao, kao i instalaciju drugih ovisnosti poput Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables , potrebnih za LibreOffice . Odjednom mi je zaslon bio ispunjen prozorima i upitima iz Ashampoo Uninstallera^{(Ashampoo Uninstaller)}, koji je skenirao sustav, a zatim me tražio da spremim zapisnike za instalacije koje su se dogodile. Velika je nevolja bila u tome što nisam mogao držati tempo s kojim je zapisnik instalacije za koju aplikaciju. Nisam mogao identificirati što je što i Ashampoo se nije potrudio da mi da naznake. Završio sam s tri instalacijska dnevnika i nije mi bilo jasno jesam li ih točno spremio ili ne.

Ovo je veliki problem jer se mnoge aplikacije distribuiraju kao samoraspakirajuće arhive. Također, računalne igre osobito obično instaliraju softver treće strane potreban za pokretanje igara (kao što su ažuriranja DirectX -a ili ^(DirectX)Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables ). Ashampoo Uninstaller jednostavno se neće moći uspješno nositi s njima.

Također, zbog ovog pristupa nikada ne biste trebali koristiti softver poput Ninitea^(Ninite) za instaliranje aplikacija. Ashampoo Uninstaller će ih smatrati jednom aplikacijom koja se instalira.

Još jedan veliki problem na koji sam naišao prilikom instaliranja Panda Internet Security 2012 , koji zahtijeva ponovno pokretanje. Ashampoo Uninstaller jednostavno ne uspijeva završiti instalacijski zapisnik jer ne nastavlja skeniranje nakon ponovnog pokretanja. Stoga sam morao vratiti svoj sustav u stanje prije instaliranja Panda Internet Security 2012 i zatim spremiti instalacijski zapisnik prije ponovnog pokretanja. Ovo je bilo loše za početak, jer Ashampoo Uninstaller nije uspio uhvatiti sve promjene napravljene nakon ponovnog pokretanja.

Problemi su se nastavili kada sam zamolio Ashampoo Uninstaller da ukloni aplikacije koje sam upravo instalirao. Prvo^(First) , ako instalacijski dnevnik nije kreiran za aplikaciju, Ashampoo Uninstaller jednostavno traži da ga sami uklonite, koristeći njegovu zadanu funkcionalnost deinstaliranja. To je to!

Ako imate datoteku dnevnika instalacije, trebate je učitati i tada počinje proces uklanjanja. Ovo je ekvivalent Ashampoo Uninstalleru^{(Ashampoo Uninstaller)} koji ručno uklanja sve datoteke, mape i ključeve registra koje je pronašao tijekom procesa instalacije.

S malim i jednostavnim aplikacijama poput Skypea^(Skype) uklanjanje je funkcioniralo bez problema. Međutim, prilikom uklanjanja LibreOfficea^{(LibreOffice)} stvari su postale neuredne. Dnevnik instalacije za koji sam mislio da je za LibreOffice uklonio je nešto drugo. Zatim sam deinstalirao sve aplikacije koje je instalirao LibreOffice , koristeći sve instalacijske zapise koje sam stvorio u tom trenutku. Nažalost, završio sam s tim da je LibreOffice još uvijek bio aktivan na mom računalu i samoraspakivač koji ga je instalirao, a dijelovi Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable su uklonjeni. U nekom trenutku tijekom procesa uklanjanja, Ashampoo Uninstaller mi je preporučio da uklonim neke nepoznate datoteke koje su pronađene"C:WindowsInstaller" . Bio sam stvarno zbunjen u ovom trenutku i jednostavno sam pustio Ashampoo Uninstaller da učini sve što je preporučio.

To je osakatilo moju instalaciju sustava Windows^(Windows) i počeo sam primati čudne poruke o pogrešci.

Prilikom uklanjanja Panda Internet Security 2012 stvari su postale jako zbrke. Počeo sam primati pogreške da Ashampoo Uninstaller ne može ukloniti određene datoteke. Jedina opcija bila je ignorirati ih i nastaviti s postupkom uklanjanja. Ponovno sam pokrenuo sustav kada je sve bilo gotovo i, kad sam se ponovno prijavio, čekao sam jedno ružno iznenađenje!

Prvo, Ashampoo Uninstaller je punio moj zaslon greškama koje više ne može funkcionirati. Očito je u nekom trenutku tijekom svih uklanjanja softvera uklonio datoteke koje su mu bile potrebne za funkcioniranje.

Zatim mi je Windows govorio da je Panda Internet Security 2012 prestala raditi. Očigledno, većina njegovih datoteka još uvijek se nalazi u Programskim datotekama^{(Program Files)} , njegove usluge nisu uklonjene, već su izgledale kao pokrenute i ne rade.

Moj je sustav bio ozbiljno osakaćen i posvuda je bilo grešaka. I sve bi me to koštalo "samo 49,99 dolara".

Revo Uninstaller Pro 2.5.5

Kada sam testirao Revo Uninstaller Pro ponovno sam se osjećao dobro. Promjena je bila potrebna nakon iskustva Ashampoo Uninstaller .

Kao i Ashampoo, Revo Uninstaller Pro nudi dodatne alate izvan opsega uklanjanja aplikacija, kao što su: čistači preglednika, čistač Microsoft Officea^{(Microsoft Office)} , uklanjanje dokaza itd. Međutim, testirao sam samo funkcionalnost za uklanjanje aplikacija.

Međutim, za razliku od Ashampooa^(Ashampoo) , on daje izbor o tome kako želite podnijeti postupak uklanjanja. Možete pratiti program od njegove instalacije, što znači da ga možete ukloniti samo pomoću instalacijskog dnevnika.

Prilikom instaliranja aplikacije koju nadzire Revo Uninstaller Pro , upozoreni ste na jedan važan aspekt: ​​nemojte pokretati druge datoteke za postavljanje, programe ili bilo što drugo tijekom instalacije programa^{(do not run other setup files, programs or anything else during the installation of the program)} . To glasno govori o ograničenjima ovog pristupa. Ako namjeravate instalirati složeniju aplikaciju kao što je računalna igrica, uredski paket, poslovna aplikacija, ne biste trebali pratiti instalaciju i spremati zapisnik.

Unatoč tome, zamolio sam Revo Uninstaller Pro da nadzire instalaciju Panda Internet Security 2012 kako bih vidio radi li bolje od Ashampooa^(Ashampoo) . Također sam napravio zaseban test bez traženja Revo Uninstaller Pro da prati instalaciju ovog sigurnosnog paketa.

Prilikom uklanjanja aplikacija koje nisu praćene, Revo Uninstaller Pro prvo stvara točku vraćanja sustava, zatim izrađuje sigurnosnu kopiju registra^(Registry) i tek onda pokreće funkciju deinstalacije programa koji želite ukloniti. Ovo stvarno pomaže u osiguravanju sigurnosti u slučaju da se nešto pokvari. Nakon što je to učinjeno, vrši skeniranje za koje možete postaviti njegovu agresivnost i preporučuje vam da uklonite preostale datoteke, mape i ključeve registra koje identificira.

Pazite da ne odaberete i Napredno^(Advanced) skeniranje, jer je vjerojatnije da će vam preporučiti brisanje datoteka ili ključeva registra koji pripadaju drugim aplikacijama ili samom Windowsu^(Windows) . Sigurno^(Safe) i umjereno^(Moderate) skeniranje dalo je dobre rezultate i preporučilo brisanje stvari koje su pripadale samo aplikacijama koje sam prethodno instalirao.

Prilikom praćenja deinstalacije programa, Revo Uninstaller Pro najprije uklanja sve stvari koje je uključio u instalacijski zapisnik. Zatim otkriva da postoje neki podaci povezani s programom koji ste deinstalirali, a koji nisu izbrisani jer su generirani nakon instalacije. To je doista istina. Bio sam sretan što je Revo Uninstaller Pro shvatio to i potaknuo me da napravim naprednu deinstalaciju^{(Advanced Uninstall)} .

Problem s naprednim deinstaliranjem je u tome što stvarno trebate znati svoje stvari. Od vas se traži da odlučite što ćete ukloniti, a određene je odluke teško donijeti, čak i stručnjacima. Na primjer, Revo Uninstaller Pro traži od vas da donesete odluku u vezi s brisanjem nekih ključeva registra povezanih s Windows uslugama. ^(Windows)Čak i ako dobro poznajete Windows registar, teško je napraviti dobar izbor. Stoga sam izbrisao samo stvari za koje sam bio uvjeren da ih je sigurno izbrisati.

Nakon što sam završio naprednu deinstalaciju, nisam se iznenadio kad sam vidio da Panda Internet Security 2012 nije u potpunosti deinstaliran. Nisam dobio poruke o pogrešci, usluge Pande^(Panda) su ispravno uklonjene, ali neke datoteke su još uvijek u programskim datotekama^{(Program Files)} i njihova se ikona pojavila u području obavijesti programske trake. Klikom na njega nema rezultata. Sučelje se nikad nije pokrenulo, ali barem sam mogao mirno koristiti svoje računalo.

Revo Uninstaller Pro ima još jednu značajku koja je zanimljiva pri uklanjanju softvera koji se loše ponaša - zove se Prisilna deinstalacija^{(Forced Uninstall)} . Dajete put do mape u kojoj je aplikacija instalirana ili do njezine glavne izvršne datoteke. Zatim Revo Uninstaller Pro traži program za deinstalaciju te aplikacije. Ako ga pronađe, izvršava isti postupak kao i inače, s prvo stvaranjem sigurnosne kopije i vraćanjem sustava te svim ostalim koracima. Ako ne pronađe program za deinstalaciju, analizira Windowsregistra za ključeve koji upućuju na tu mapu i datoteku i sve slične ključeve njima, a zatim ih preporučuje za brisanje, plus briše datoteke i podmape pronađene na danoj lokaciji. Ovo može biti od pomoći kada pokušavate ukloniti neke pokvarene aplikacije. Međutim, budući da aplikacije koje sam testirao nisu stvarno pokvarene, nisam mogao procijeniti izvedbu ove funkcionalnosti.

Što se tiče rezultata aplikacija koje nisu praćene, oni su bili vrlo slični onima IObit Uninstaller -a : Revo Uninstaller Pro ne skenira i ne uklanja datoteke koje su kreirale aplikacije na uobičajenim korisničkim lokacijama kao što su: "C:UsersUser nameAppDataLocal" , "C:UsersUser nameAppDataRoaming" ili "C:UsersAll Users" . Za razliku od IObit -a, ne izgleda na vašoj radnoj površini^(Desktop) kako bi uklonio sve prečace koje ste možda izradili ručno.

Što se tiče registra, rezultati su opet bili gotovo identični IObit Uninstalleru^{(IObit Uninstaller)} - ostalo je samo nekoliko ključeva, kao što su: reference za instalacijski program za LibreOffice , zastarjeli softverski ključ za Panda Internet Security 2012 i Mozilla i nekoliko nedostaje MUI ( višejezični korisnik Sučelje^{(Multilingual User Interface)} ) reference za Skype . Svi ovi ključevi mogu doprinijeti da Windows registar bude malo veći nego što je potrebno, ali ne utječu negativno na sustav.

Pobjednik je...

Pokušajmo rangirati rješenja koja sam testirao i vidjeti koja bi se preporučila i kada:

• IObit Uninstaller - Mislim da ste do sada pogodili da je ovaj komad softvera moj najbolji izbor za deinstaliranje aplikacija u Windowsima. Mali je, prenosiv, besplatan i, prije svega, siguran za korištenje. Njegova jednostavnost i nedostatak "dodatnih značajki" zapravo su prednost - uklanjanje aplikacija s IObit Uninstallerom^{(IObit Uninstaller)} radi dobro i ne razbija vaš sustav.

• Revo Uninstaller Pro - dobar je izbor ako vas zanima dodatna funkcionalnost koja se nudi uz njihovo besplatno rješenje. Međutim, mogućnost praćenja instalacija aplikacija i zatim uklanjanja na temelju zapisnika koje pravi, ne funkcionira dobro za složene aplikacije koje instaliraju dodatni softver ili se često ažuriraju tijekom svog životnog vijeka (npr. sigurnosna rješenja). To ozbiljno umanjuje vrijednost ove značajke jer bi ljudi mogli biti u iskušenju da je koriste kako bi se riješili složenog softvera koji za sobom ostavlja mnogo tragova. Ako vas dodatne značajke ipak ne zanimaju, iskreno preporučam besplatnu verziju Revo Uninstallera. Funkcionalnost koju uključuje radi ista kao u Pro verziji i dobivate razumne i sigurne rezultate prilikom deinstaliranja aplikacija.

• Ashampoo Uninstaller - frustrirajući je softver. Čini se da je zapeo u drugoj eri računalstva, nudeći značajke koje bi dobro funkcionirale samo za uklanjanje jednostavnih aplikacija. S obzirom na količinu frustracije i problema koje nudi, ne mogu razumjeti zašto Ashampoo ljudima naplaćuje račune za korištenje, umjesto da ga besplatno nudi i poboljšava proizvod na temelju povratnih informacija dobivenih od korisnika.

Nadam se da je ova usporedba bila korisna u donošenju informiranog izbora. Ako imate bilo kakvih pitanja, ne ustručavajte se ostaviti komentar.

Roundup of Software Uninstallers - Reviewing IObit vs Ashampoo vs Revo

Today yоu can find lots of software which helps remove programs and clean up leftover files, folders and registry settings. In thеory this is a good thing, as it helps eliminate some of the bloat on your Windows computer. But are these solutions reаlly effective at removing all traces? To find out, I testеd some of the moѕt popular applications in this niche, both free and commercial. Let'ѕ see what I discovered.

The Approaches to Uninstalling Software

There are two main approaches that can be taken by a software product that deals with uninstalling other software:

1. First run the original uninstaller of a program, scan the locations commonly used by applications to store files and registry settings for items that were not removed and delete them;
2. Monitor the installation of a program, make a log of the files, folders and registry keys it created and, when uninstalling it, remove everything based on this initial snapshot.

I chose to test IObit Uninstaller (version 2.0), Ashampoo Uninstaller (version 4.2) and Revo Uninstaller Pro (version 2.5.5) for three reasons:

• They are some of the most popular solutions in this niche;
• They are representative of the two approaches that can be taken to remove software from a system;
• We received requests from our readers wanting to know more about these solutions and how good (or not) they are.

IObit Uninstaller uses only the first approach to remove software, while Ashampoo Uninstaller uses only the second approach. Revo Uninstaller Pro is a good third alternative as it can use both approaches.

The Testing Procedure

I evaluated how well uninstallers work by asking them to remove the following applications: Firefox, Skype, Google Chrome, Panda Internet Security 2012, Adobe Reader X and LibreOffice. I also created a manual desktop shortcut for Panda Internet Security 2012, to see if it would be removed.

When testing IObit Uninstaller, I installed all these applications, except Panda Internet Security 2012, using Ninite (a solution which automates the installation of some of the most used applications) to speed up the installation process. When testing the solutions from Ashampoo and Revo I learned that using Ninite doesn't work that well, so I've used both the Ninite installer (when it made sense) and the individual installers for each of these programs. The installations were made using the default settings.

All these programs were started & used once, so that they generate their usual user files and settings. Also, Panda Internet Security 2012 was updated to the latest malware signatures.

When uninstalling Firefox and Google Chrome, I intentionally set the uninstall functionality of these programs to leave behind user data and customizations, to see if the uninstallers will remove it or not.

To evaluate uninstall performance, I scanned the computer with CCleaner, to identify the invalid registry keys that remained after each uninstaller finished its job. Then, I manually searched for leftover files and folders in locations such as: Program Files, Program Data and the User folders (Desktop, Start Menu, All Users & AppData). To evaluate if Panda Internet Security 2012 was removed correctly, I also looked through the list of Windows services and checked if the Panda services still show up or not.

IObit Uninstaller 2.0

I have not used IOBit applications before and I must say that the experience of working with IObit Uninstaller was a nice surprise. First of all, you don't need to install this program, you simply run its executable. Also, it is the slimmest product of all three, having a size of only 1.2MB. This makes it very portable and easy to have with you at all times.

The approach taken by IObit Uninstaller is a very safe one: when removing an application, it first creates a restore point, to make sure you can revert back in case of failure. Then, it runs the original uninstall of that application, waits for it to end, and then scans a series of common locations used by applications to store data. If it finds any remaining folders, files and registry keys, it informs you and gives the choice to delete what you want from that list.

The approach is easy to follow by any user, with or without knowledge about system files and registry keys. Also, IObit Uninstaller does not suggest for deleting files which belong to other applications or to Windows itself. If you choose to delete everything it recommends for deletion, you won't break your operating system.

This also means that it will not delete absolutely everything left behind by an application. CCleaner identified a few registry keys that were left over. Nothing big though, just a few keys like: installer references for LibreOffice, an obsolete software key for Panda Internet Security 2012, and few missing MUI (Multilingual User Interface) references for Adobe Reader, Skype and LibreOffice. All these keys might contribute to making the Windows registry a bit larger than necessary but they don't negatively impact the system.

Regarding files and folders, I liked the fact that IObit Uninstaller scanned my Desktop, identified the shortcut I created for Panda Internet Security 2012 and deleted it. It was the only piece of software that did this. The weak spot of IObit Uninstaller is that it doesn't scan and remove files created by applications in common user locations like: "C:UsersUser nameAppDataLocal", "C:UsersUser nameAppDataRoaming" or "C:UsersAll Users". Removing the folders created by applications in these locations is generally not harmful as they store mostly user files and user configuration.

One thing that I found confusing about IObit Uninstaller is that it has a section about Windows Updates, which leads you to think that it can help remove them. On my test system though, it did not list any updates and I could not use it for this task. However, that's a good thing in the end, as I would not recommend leaving uninstalling Windows Updates in the hands of third-party software. The risk of breaking your Windows installation rises exponentially if you do this.

IObit Uninstaller has also a featured called Forced Uninstall that exists also in Revo Uninstaller Pro. The functionality is almost identical between the two products. However, I was not able to test it on a broken piece of software to testify on its performance. I recommend caution when using a Forced Uninstall. Chances are you will be recommended to delete files or registry keys which do not belong to the application whose traces you are trying to remove.

Ashampoo Uninstaller 4.2

The user interface of Ashampoo Uninstaller 4.2 is a very colorful one. You get access to options regarding uninstalling software but also to all kinds of other tools not necessarily related to this subject, such as: Internet cleaner, deletion of duplicate files and temporary files, "undeletion" of files, etc. Since I was interested to test only the uninstall functionality, I did not dwell on all the other features made available.

Ashampoo Uninstaller chooses to monitor first the installation of programs so that it can help you remove them later. When you start an installation, Ashampoo pop up and asks you to wait until it makes a scan of your system. If you have a couple of partitions on a big hard disk, you attached an USB stick and an external hard disk, as I did, you set yourself for some waiting, as Ashampoo Uninstaller insists on scanning everything. When done, it informs you that you continue with the installation of the application.

After you install the application, you are asked to run the application once. Then Ashampoo Uninstaller makes another scan, to identify the changes made to your system. If you are not the patient type, you will dislike this.

I did not like this behavior from the moment I've seen it. During my career I worked on creating customized installers for various types of business and consumer software and lots of bells started ringing when seeing Ashampoo Uninstaller in action for the first time. Unfortunately all my worries came true, as this approach works well only for simple applications, which do not require system reboots, and do not install other software so that they can function.

For example, LibreOffice is distributed as a self-extracting archive. Ashampoo Uninstaller detected the self-extracting archive as an installer and asked me to make an install log for it. Then, it detected the installation of LibreOffice as a separate installer and made a scan for it too, as well as the installation of other dependencies like Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, needed by the LibreOffice. All of a sudden my screen was filled with windows and prompts from Ashampoo Uninstaller, that was scanning the system and then asking me to save logs for the installations that took place. The big trouble was that I could not keep the pace with which install log is for what application. There was no way for me to identify which is which and Ashampoo made no effort in giving me clues. I ended up with three installation logs and I wasn't clear if I saved them correctly or not.

This is a huge problem as many applications are distributed as self-extracting archives. Also, computer games in particular tend to install third party software needed to run games (such as DirectX updates or Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables). Ashampoo Uninstaller will simply be unable to cope with them successfully.

Also, due to this approach, you should never use software like Ninite, to install applications. Ashampoo Uninstaller will consider them as one application being installed.

Another big problem I encountered when installing Panda Internet Security 2012, which requires a restart. Ashampoo Uninstaller simply doesn't get to finish the installation log as it doesn't resume scanning after the reboot. Therefore I had to revert back my system to a state prior to installing Panda Internet Security 2012 and then save the installation log before making the reboot. This was bad to begin with, as Ashampoo Uninstaller failed to capture all the changes made after the restart.

The trouble continued when asking Ashampoo Uninstaller to remove the applications I just installed. First, if an installation log is not created for an application, then Ashampoo Uninstaller simply asks you to remove it yourself, using its default uninstall functionality. That's it!

If you have a log file of the installation, you need to load it and then the removal process begins. This is the equivalent of Ashampoo Uninstaller manually removing all the files, folders and registry keys it found during the installation process.

With small & simple applications like Skype, the removal worked without problems. However, when removing LibreOffice things got messy. The installation log which I thought was for LibreOffice removed something else. Then, I uninstalled all the applications installed by LibreOffice, using all the install logs I created at that point. Unfortunately I ended up with LibreOffice still being active on my computer and the self-extractor that installed it and portions of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable being removed. At some point during the removal process, Ashampoo Uninstaller recommended me to remove some unknown files found in "C:WindowsInstaller". I was really confused at this point and I simply let Ashampoo Uninstaller do whatever it recommended.

This crippled my Windows installation and I was starting to receive weird error messages.

When removing Panda Internet Security 2012, things got really messy. I started receiving errors that Ashampoo Uninstaller cannot remove certain files. The only option was to ignore them and continue with the removal process. I rebooted the system once it was all done and, when I logged back in, boy was I in for one ugly surprise!

First, Ashampoo Uninstaller was filling my screen with errors that it can no longer function. Apparently, at some point during all the software removals, it removed files it needed to function.

Then, Windows was telling me that Panda Internet Security 2012 stopped working. Apparently, most of its files where still found in Program Files, its services were not removed but appeared as started and failing to work.

My system was severely crippled and there were errors all over the place. And all this would have cost me "only $49.99".

Revo Uninstaller Pro 2.5.5

When testing Revo Uninstaller Pro I started to feel good again. A change was needed after the Ashampoo Uninstaller experience.

Just like Ashampoo, Revo Uninstaller Pro offers additional tools outside the scope of removing applications, such as: browsers cleaners, Microsoft Office cleaner, evidence remover, etc. However, I tested only the functionality for removing applications.

Unlike Ashampoo though, it gives a choice on how you want to handle the removal process. You can trace a program since its installation, which means you can remove it only by using the installation log.

When installing an application which is monitored by Revo Uninstaller Pro, you are being warned about one important aspect: do not run other setup files, programs or anything else during the installation of the program. This speaks loudly on the limitations this approach has. If you are about to install a more complex application such as a computer game, an office suite, a business application, you should not trace the installation and save a log of it.

Even so, I did ask Revo Uninstaller Pro to monitor the installation of Panda Internet Security 2012 to see if it handles things better than Ashampoo. I also made a separate test without asking Revo Uninstaller Pro to monitor the installation of this security suite.

When removing applications which are not traced, Revo Uninstaller Pro first creates a system restore point, then it makes a backup of the Registry and only then starts the uninstall functionality of the program you want to remove. This really helps in making sure you are safe in case something breaks. Once that is done, it makes a scan for which you can set its aggressiveness and recommends you to remove the leftover files, folders and registry keys it identifies.

Be careful not to choose and Advanced scan, as it is more likely to recommend that you to delete files or registry keys which belong to other applications or to Windows itself. The Safe and Moderate scans returned good results and recommended to delete things which belonged only to the applications previously installed by me.

When making a traced uninstall of a program, Revo Uninstaller Pro first removes all the things it included in the installation log. Then, it detects that there is some data related to the program you uninstalled that did not get deleted due to being generated after the install took place. That's true indeed. I was happy to see Revo Uninstaller Pro realized this and prompted me to make an Advanced Uninstall.

The trouble with the advanced uninstall is that you really need to know your stuff. You are being asked to make choices on what to remove and certain decisions are tough to make, even by specialists. For example, Revo Uninstaller Pro asks you to make a decision regarding deleting some Windows services related registry keys. Even if you know the Windows registry well, it is hard to make a good choice. Therefore I deleted only the things I was convinced were safe to delete.

Once I finished the advanced uninstall, I was not surprised to see that Panda Internet Security 2012 was not fully uninstalled. I did not get error messages, the Panda services were removed correctly but some files where still in Program Files and its icon showed up in the notification area of the taskbar. Clicking on it returned no result. The interface never started but at least I could use my computer peacefully.

Revo Uninstaller Pro has one more feature that's interesting when removing bad behaving software - it is called Forced Uninstall. You give the path to where the folder where the application is installed, or to its main executable. Then, Revo Uninstaller Pro searches for an uninstaller of that application. If it finds it, then executes the same procedure as it normally would, with first making a backup and a system restore and all the other steps. If it doesn't find an uninstaller, it analyzes the Windows registry for keys that point to that folder & file and any similar keys to it and then recommends them for deletion, plus it deletes the files and sub-folders found at the given location. This can be helpful when trying to remove some broken applications. However, since the applications I've tested were not really broken, I could not evaluate the performance of this functionality.

Regarding the results of the non-traced applications, they were very similar to those of IObit Uninstaller: Revo Uninstaller Pro doesn't scan and remove files created by applications in common user locations like: "C:UsersUser nameAppDataLocal", "C:UsersUser nameAppDataRoaming" or "C:UsersAll Users". Unlike IObit, it doesn't look on your Desktop to remove any shortcuts you might have created manually.

On the registry side, the results were again almost identical to IObit Uninstaller - just a few keys being left behind, such as: installer references for LibreOffice, an obsolete software key for Panda Internet Security 2012 and Mozilla, and few missing MUI (Multilingual User Interface) references for Skype. All these keys might contribute to making the Windows registry a bit larger than necessary but they don't negatively impact the system.

The Winner is...

Let's try to rank the solutions I tested and see which would be recommended & when:

• IObit Uninstaller - I think you guessed by now that this piece of software is my top choice for uninstalling applications in Windows. It is small, portable, free of charge and, most of all, safe to use. Its simplicity and lack of "additional features" is actually a strength - removing applications with IObit Uninstaller works well and doesn't break your system.

• Revo Uninstaller Pro - is a good choice if you are interested in the additional functionality, provided on top of their free solution. However, the capability to trace application installs and then make removals based on the logs it makes, doesn't work well for complex applications which install additional software or get updated often during their lifetime (e.g. security solutions). This seriously dilutes the value of this feature as people might be tempted to use it to get rid of complex software which leave many traces behind. If you are not interested in the additional features though, I honestly recommend the free version of Revo Uninstaller. The functionality it includes works the same as in the Pro version and you get reasonable and safe results when uninstalling applications.

• Ashampoo Uninstaller - is a frustrating piece of software. It seems to be stuck in a different era of computing, offering features which would work well only for removing simple applications. For the amount of frustration and problems it offers, I cannot understand why Ashampoo bills people for using it, instead of offering it for free and improving the product based on the feedback received from users.

I hope this comparison has been useful in making an informed choice. If you have any questions don't hesitate to leave a comment.

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