Uninstalr — “World’s best cup of coffee”

Topic

New Reply

FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT By Deanna McElveen In the movie “Elf,” Buddy discovers the world’s best cup of coffee. He may take the signage on the building a bi
[See the full post at: Uninstalr — “World’s best cup of coffee”]

5 users thanked author for this post.

fisher75, SueW, DLivesInTexas, lmacri, abbodi86

Reply | Quote

Replies

Uninstalr had not only done all that for me, but it had even rebooted my computer to remove everything that could not be removed because it was in use.

I tested the app which displayed 3 apps with leftover.
Uninstalr run and restarted into BSDO (the first in 5 years on this laptop).
I had to force shut and restart manually.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Michael Kennedy, NaNoNyMouse

Reply | Quote

I tested it on a single leftover, supposedly adding up to zero. It restarted without requesting permission. For a while I thought there was a black screen but remained patient. After a while a Cmd window ran saying it cleaned something.

Reply | Quote

I launched the app, but did not make any selections or run it.  It seemed that there was little to gain.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We were all once "Average Users". We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems, we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

Computer Specs

1 user thanked author for this post.

NaNoNyMouse

Reply | Quote

Hi Deanna:

Thanks for the review. The ability of Uninstalr to clean up orphaned remnants of previously uninstalled programs sounds useful, since this is a feature that is usually only included in PRO version of most uninstallers. However, an initial scan of my system with Uninstalr Portable v1.1 showed it found less than 7 MB of leftovers for 3 programs. Two of those programs, HiBit Uninstaller and DUMo, are portable apps that aren’t “installed” on my system so I’ll have to take a deeper dive and see exactly where the “leftovers” for those programs are located.

I also have some concerns about the way that the product comparison tests were run in their YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYOo5IIU1cY. I skipped to minute 13 for the comparison with Revo Uninstaller Pro since I often use the Free edition of this app, and I noticed they used the Quick Uninstall feature of Revo Uninstaller Pro v5.1.7 for the test without advanced scanning for remnants. When I uninstall a program using my Revo Uninstaller Free Portable v2.x program I usually uninstall in “Advanced” mode to do a deep scan for any orphaned file and registry entries left behind by the “regular” uninstaller, and in practice I doubt that most Revo Uninstaller users would use this app to uninstall a program without checking for remnants.
————-
Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3448 * Firefox v117.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23080.2006-1.1.23080.2005 * Malwarebytes Premium 4.6.3.282-1.0.2151 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Revo Uninstaller Free Portable v2.4.5 * Uninstalr Portable v1.1

1 user thanked author for this post.

Michael Kennedy

Reply | Quote

Hi Deanna,

Uninstalr looks like a great portable program. Have already tried several of the other “uninstaller” programs.

2 quick questions;
1 Will it run on a MacBook Pro the same as windows?
2 If it is active watching the installation of another program, that you don’t like, will it in reverse completely remove that program – every component?

Older Geeks is a great website I anticipate with every “Ask Woody” monday email. Will be donating to your site today.
Thanks so much for your contributions and very helpful programs.
John E Van Kirk, Woody plus member

Reply | Quote

I think that I will stay with Revo Uninstaller Pro.  Thanks anyway.

No, I did not try the program.  Maybe, after looking at the comments, it was good that I didn’t.

Mark

 

Reply | Quote

Revo Uninstaller Pro has worked flawlessly for me for years.

I LIKE being able to see what is being done/what is going to be done before I issue the approval to go ahead and do it. I LIKE getting reports on what was done, as well 🙂

Most importantly, Revo has never screwed-up any machine I’m using it on. Not once. Both installed versions and the portable version I keep on a flash drive.

One of my biggest pet peeves nowadays are programs that do things “automatically” without ever telling you what they’re doing, or what the results are.

Reply | Quote

Deanna,

installed Uninstair and selected four programs with leftovers and proceeded. Started the restart. It’s now been over 10 minutes and the little wheel spins, the Dell logo appears briefly, and the little window picture flashes but nothing else. I tried a forced restart with no luck.

Help!!!!

2 users thanked author for this post.

wavy, Michael Kennedy

Reply | Quote

There is a question that the answer to should have been included in the article:

Is it required to have Uninstalr running in the background to monitor software installs?

Thanks.

Reply | Quote

I’m trying to contact @paulp575 regarding an issue, posted about WinSetView on July 31, that I missed until a couple of days ago, but would really like to solve. Assuming this is the same paulp575, please see:

https://github.com/LesFerch/WinSetView/discussions/79

Reply | Quote

Deanna, this recommendation looked like a surefire home run, mainly because of the “batch uninstall” feature, but after looking at the comments, I’m afraid to touch it. After those comments, are you considering taking it off OlderGeeks, at least temporarily, or is there something that everyone has missed in trying to use it?

1 user thanked author for this post.

Michael Kennedy

Reply | Quote

Deanna,   I tried the uninstair but I am not happy that I cannot remove the app from my computer. Where is it hiding how do I get rid of it? also I do not like not having the option to restart now or restart later.

Other than that thanks for the article.

Reply | Quote

Walter Green wrote:

I am not happy that I cannot remove the app from my computer.

The app is portable. Just find and delete ‘Uninstalr_Portable.exe’

Reply | Quote

I successfully downloaded Uninstair from the Macecraft website this morning. When I tried to go back and download another copy on another computer this afternoon, the Macecraft link redirected to jv16powertools.com. Uninstair (as a standalone product) was gone. The download link at Sourceforge was gone. The only download option was the full jv16 powertools suite. I think you can still find Uninstair at commercial download sites like Older Geeks and Major Geeks. Oddly, a search for Macecraft Uninstair using Presearch turned up mostly mentions of articles about how to uninstall Minecraft.

Back in days of WinXP, I used jv16 powertools frequently. Fred Langa wrote a column (AskWoody Plus Newsletter 16.10.0 dated 2019-03-18) stating he had not recommended jv16 PowerTools since 2006. Sometime in the interim between 2006 and 2019, I stopped using jv16 powertools at Fred’s suggestion. I seem to recall that Fred felt jv16 powertools “jumped the shark” around version 2009.

The appearance and then disappearance of Uninstair looks like bait-and-switch to me. I’m a little hesitant to use either Uninstair or jv16 powertools until the new version becomes an established, proven product. It may be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I am suspicious of Macecraft’s marketing and the sudden disappearance of download links from the developer.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Michael Kennedy

Reply | Quote

Took me awhile, but I found one of Fred’s original posts:

Windows Secrets Newsletter, Issue 440, 2014-07-10

Jv16 PowerTools — a popular registry cleaner and system optimizer for advanced Windows users — is apparently undergoing major changes, prompting numerous reader emails over the past several months.

For example, see the previous LangaList Plus items, “Security concerns with jv16 PowerTools” (Jan. 23), and “More questions about jv16 PowerTools” (Feb. 13).

[snip]

Bottom line: If jv16 PowerTools works for you, great! There’s no reason for you to stop using it. But I believe its uncertain future, plus the fact that it’s overkill for routine cleanups, make it unsuitable for most users — especially when safer alternatives exist.

Reply | Quote

The link has not changed. https://uninstalr.com/ and the download has never been removed.

-Deanna

1 user thanked author for this post.

jv16

Reply | Quote

interesting.

I downloaded and tried and found several apps with orphans nicely unstalled. rebooted and fine. Like this better than the several other uninstallers I have on my system.

 

 

Reply | Quote

A few things:

1. The search engine on Older Geeks is quite literal…if the search has 2 “ll” as in uninstall the search engine can not find Uninstalr. Appears the spelling must be perfect for the search engine to work.
   1. After encountering the issues recited in 3 below, as part of the re-building process, MSFT Defender identified a virus/trojan horse trying to install itself…was it part of Uninstalr or not…I have no idea…but I have never (knock on wood) had Defender pop up with a warning in my entire usage of Windows (about 25 years) .

I sure wish Deanna has cautioned about the dangers of Uninstalr:

I wanted to restore space on my computer and so clicked the programs that were taking up space. I clicked on all the files labelled “leftover” – since the meaning of “leftover” was pretty clear. Many files were labelled “normal”. I did not discover any definition of “normal” and the meaning of “normal” was unclear to me so I clicked a lot of those boxes too, as I was focused on the size of the file and regaining space.

Then I began the process and sure enough, it did it’s job beautifully and cleaned out most of my major programs including all photo apps, all the elements of MSFT Office 365, web-browsers, all default settings on the affected programs, hard-to-find programs, Dropbox, etc, etc. This stuff was the result on many years of searching, adjusting, tweaking to get the most production from my Windows installation. Once I realized to my horror this  was all gone, I hoped that Uninstalr might have created a “restore point”. Nope. None. Too bad, all gone!

So I now have a massive job of trying to re-construct all my major programs, logins, passwords, settings, etc. I also noticed in re-installation that the Windows installer now says the service is unavailable. Related? I don’t know, but I have never encountered that before. And cannot find a fix

If only somewhere the word “normal” had been defined or Deanna had included a WARNING NOT to check any of the “normal” boxes because those programs will be GONE!

I know…my fault……but could have been avoided. Fair warning.

Moderator Note: Edit to remove HTML. Please use the “Text” tab when you copy/paste, or paste as text

1 user thanked author for this post.

wavy

Reply | Quote

Do you have a backup?  Anytime you use ANY program that claims to remove anything you MUST have a backup.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

1 user thanked author for this post.

wavy

Reply | Quote

I ran and tested Uninstalr portable.
At reboot, Uninstalr made my Window 10 Pro into endless reboot loop.

I let it reboot close to 20 times, just in case it made changes one item at a time that required several reboots. Finally I gave up, and did the repair to my Win10 Pro.
Pro:
Even if you do not do cleanup, its scan shows details of installed programs.
Con:
Uninstalr does not have safety built-in, like RevoUnistaller. RevoUninstaller creates a restore point first. Using advanced mode, you can see the list of registry items to be deleted. I think this is a safer method. And…
in my case, Uninstalr does corrupt the registry, causing endless reboot loop.
Warning: for any app that makes change to registry, better do a restore point or a complete back-up first.
In my case, I used Windows Repair to fix the endless reboot loop problem, by restoring to a backed up restore point. (Restore point includes registry back up.)
How I fix the endless reboot loop:
1. When rebooting, while seeing the circling dots, push and hold the power button to force a power-off. Reboot. Do this two to several times. Then it’ll reboot to Repair menu.
2. Click ‘Advance’ button. Then click the ‘Restore’ button. You are now presented restore points.
3. Choose the latest Restore point and run it. Windows will then boot up normally.

Reply | Quote

Uninstalr does not have safety built-in

I think this was Fred Langa’s big complaint.

Reply | Quote

Thanks for information. I had the same issue and resorted to my local computer repair. Luckily I had a current image and backups.  The app will be removed immediately.

Reply | Quote

Reading the above responses, Uninstalr sounds like it still requires testing on a wide range of hardware before release. Thanks but I’ll stay with HiBit.

By the way, Uninstalr’s table comparing features is incorrect. HiBit does bulk uninstallation. The other ‘missing feature’ (single view) is correct. With HiBit, you need to access another menu to see Windows apps.

Group A (but Telemetry disabled Tasks and Registry)
1) Dell Inspiron with Win 11 64 Home permanently in dock due to "sorry spares no longer made".
2) Dell Inspiron with Win 11 64 Home (substantial discount with Pro version available only at full price)

Reply | Quote

Apologies for repeating some of the above feedback on Uninstalr. And my experiences of JV16PowerTools, Macecraft, etc, and Fred, also match those stated above by WUBRINY…

Coincidentally, about 6-8 weeks ago, I tried Uninstalr on a simple Win-10 system. It found ‘leftovers’ for some products which I didn’t recognise! It hung a few times, requiring manual power-offs – after 15-20-30 minutes. I tried it a few times, hoping it would improve. I uninstalled (?) it. Fortunately, the Win-10 system is still running OK!

Be careful; have good, complete, backups and restore-points…

– Mike

Reply | Quote

Sorry to say my experience was also disappointing.

Uninstallation utilities used to be somewhere between really helpful and essential in earlier versions of Windows, I think up to about Windows 7. I had been a Revo Uninstaller Pro user for a while, but I started having problems. Often Revo did nothing Windows wouldn’t do, and other times, Revo created new issues. I deleted it.

But when Deanna identified Uninstlr as automatically scanning for leftovers, that was appealing to me, so (having forgotten why I uninstalled Revo), I tried it.

Uninstlr found only one leftover on my Win 10 desktop, a 5 MB .dll called Python. A far cry from what would happen years ago when I’d find pages of uninstalled leftover junk with Revo when it was worth having. I didn’t recognize “Python.” I clicked the Uninstall button and only then as it started the removal process did I see that Python was tied in to my password manager. It took a long time to remove that one 5 MB file and reboot, and then of course, the password manager started throwing up error messages about the missing .dll file. I reinstalled the password manager, and all was well again.

Just not for me. Win 10 generally does an excellent job at app uninstallation, so I’ll go back to letting it do its thing.

Reply | Quote

BE VERY careful using Uninstalr. It managed to corrupt my windows installation capability…so I cannot re-install the programs I lost.

There is no report/log of what actions Uninstalr did…so I have no way of knowing what it deleted/affected.

Lesson: ALWAYS create a restore point….I am wasting DAYS trying to get my computer back to its former state.

What a mess…..Uninstalr was “free”…but actually VERY expensive!!

Reply | Quote

I, too, had problems with Uninstalr. I tried to be cautious and I deleted only the items marked as “Leftovers.”

Well . . .

After the program did its thing, the PowerPoint icon on my Win 10 taskbar became nonfunctional (I’m a Microsoft 365 subscriber). That’s because Uninstalr had deleted the PowerPoint executable. I have no idea why that file was considered to be a “leftover.”

Fortunately, it was an easy fix. I just went online to Microsoft and reinstalled Microsoft 365. Again, fortunately, none of my Word or Excel preferences had been altered.

I am left wondering what else it may have deleted that I haven’t noticed yet.

I deleted Uninstalr.

Reply | Quote

Kobac wrote:

…I tried to be cautious and I deleted only the items marked as “Leftovers.” Well . . . After the program did its thing, the PowerPoint icon on my Win 10 taskbar became nonfunctional…

Hi Kobac:

See the images in bbearren’s post # 2589352 and my post # 2589364. I wonder if this was the same PowerPoint “leftover” (0 KB) that Uninstalr detected on our systems? I didn’t allow Uninstalr to proceeded with the removal of any of my leftovers so I can’t tell you what damage this might have done to my MS PowerPoint 2019 installation.
————-
Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3448 * Firefox v118.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23090.2008-1.1.23090.2007 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.4.286-1.0.2163 * Macrium Reflect Free * MS Office Home and Business Version 2309 / Build 16827.20130 Click-to-Run * Uninstalr Portable v1.1

Reply | Quote

I would think not, unless the file size shown in those posts was incorrect. The PowerPoint executable itself was actually deleted. I only noticed it when I glanced at my taskbar, saw that the pinned icon looked a bit odd, clicked on it and was informed that the target had moved or been deleted. I then went to the Start Menu and saw that the PowerPoint entry was no longer there. I also tried unsuccessfully to open a PowerPoint file from File Explorer.

I was too trusting (often a dangerous thing). I should at least have taken a screenshot of the leftover entries before letting the program delete them. I’m usually pretty cautious, but in this instance, I can only plead temporary insanity.

1 user thanked author for this post.

lmacri

Reply | Quote

It’s possible someone else has damaged their system after running Uninstalr – see MoonView’s 11-Oct-2023 Unrelated installed programs now failing to open or open error free.  I can’t be certain that Uninstalr was the cause since this user also used AOMEI Partition Assistant to move some rarely used programs to another drive.
————
Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3448 * Firefox v118.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23090.2008-1.1.23090.2007 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.4.286-1.0.2163 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279

Reply | Quote

Hi all. Well, it seems that Uninstalr has some needed fixes before it’s ready for prime time. I am going to pass this all along to the author.  If you can give him a hand and let him know what kind of issues you have had with Uninstalr, I think it would be very helpful to him. Here is the support forum: https://jv16powertools.com/discuss/public/t/uninstalr

I originally tested this program on our usual Windows 10 test machine and on our Windows 11 test laptop with no issues. I still have not been able to reproduce any of the issues since this article came out, but as a precaution, we are going to be disabling the listing on OlderGeeks.com. Perhaps we’ll give the author a chance to sift through the long list of complaints and come out with a fixed version..

I deeply apologize for any issues Uninstalr has caused you.

Send us an email at thegeek@oldergeeks.com so we can do whatever we need to do to help you get back up and running.

Sincerely,

DeannaOlderGeeks.com

8 users thanked author for this post.

exjnb2ny, Susan Bradley, PKCano, Kobac, A1ex, Alex5723, NaNoNyMouse, lmacri

Reply | Quote

Perhaps you can send him the link to this thread.
He can read it as a Guest – doesn’t have to sign up.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Will Fastie, Kobac

Reply | Quote

In general, anytime you read anything from a tech site and want to follow the advice ALWAYS back up your machine first.  As you can tell each machine is different so what works on mine, may not work on yours.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

1 user thanked author for this post.

Kobac

Reply | Quote

Just to update some of my post-Uninstalr problems to help any others that have had similar experiences:

1. I attempted to re-install the programs/apps that had been deleted. The installation would stall/crash each time. Turned out MSI installer had been broken.  The solution to getting it working again seemed to be a combination of info provided by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyMPISNL8qE  and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa4UX2nhfjs, The real magic seemed to be the /scannow treatment. Took about 25 minutes and returned a report of what it fixed. I seem to recall the MSI installer worked thereafter. but I may have also run the Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth command (I can’t remember with all the thrashing!).

2. As mentioned by an earlier writer, certain programs/apps were missing from the “start” menu and the respective icon was missing from the Task Bar. For example, I could search the Start Menu for “Outlook” but the .exe version of Outlook would not appear (only showed “Outlook (new)”) on the Start Menu list and the icon was missing from the Task Bar. The solution was to type into the Start Menu “Outlook.exe”. Outlook.exe would amazingly appear in the Start Menu list and, by clicking on it, Outlook.exe would start just fine. Then, there is an option when in a program/app to add its icon to the Task Bar. Strangely, typing in “Outlook” to the Start Menu STILL does not produce Outlook.exe as a choice among the programs available (only shows Outlook (new)), but the icon starts Outlook.exe properly so that works.  Voila! Getting back in business!

3. Advice: Before running Uninstalr, be SURE to make a “restore point”, perhaps back up yr registry too and be VERY careful in specifying what you ask it to do.

Hope this is helpful.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Kobac

Reply | Quote

Thank you for the post as well as all of your other columns introducing useful software. I was intrigued by your comments on Uninstalr, especially the software’s ability to detect and remove references to already uninstalled software. I was having an issue with a bloated C: drive so I downloaded and opened Uninstalr. The program found a few references to uninstalled program as well as a bloat file (3T on my 4T ssd C: drive) labeled as the installed program HandyBackup. I used Uninstalr to remove the leftovers as well as the bloat file. Unfortunately, that bloat file contained more than the HandyBackup program, likely some essential operating system file(s), that I am in the process of repairing. Although I have had a comment that Uninstalr is unreliable, in my case, I do not think Uninstalr caused my problem. The software merely successfully removed the file I asked it to uninstall.

WOW!  In checking to see that my above reply had posted, only then did I see all of the posts regarding Uninstalr.  For that reason I am adding this edit.  I originally surmised that deleting my bloat file caused my problems but maybe deleting the “leftovers” was the real culprit.  My original help request posted in the WIN 10 22H2 forum was mentioned above.  I am still working to resolve my issues.  I have started a support ticket with Malwarebytes and their techs are looking at logs now.  I am also going to try the solutions David Putnam used.  As of now I will be removing Uninstalr from my computer and will give the Revo Uninstaller a look.

Reply | Quote

Alex5723 wrote:

Uninstalr had not only done all that for me, but it had even rebooted my computer to remove everything that could not be removed because it was in use.

I tested the app which displayed 3 apps with leftover.
Uninstalr run and restarted into BSDO (the first in 5 years on this laptop).
I had to force shut and restart manually.

The initial version (version 1.0) indeed had a bug that it could cause Windows to display BSOD. This was a rare issue and entirely cosmetic, that is, the BSOD was caused by Uninstalr closing a system process during the uninstallation and the BSOD did not cause any harm to the system.

This issue was the main reason why version 1.1 was released so quickly after the initial release, and the issue was fixed in the version 1.1

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote

Arthur wrote:

I tested it on a single leftover, supposedly adding up to zero. It restarted without requesting permission. For a while I thought there was a black screen but remained patient. After a while a Cmd window ran saying it cleaned something.

By “It restarted without requesting permission.” do you mean you had unchecked the checkbox from the user interface that says “Automatically reboot the computer to finalize the uninstallation”?

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote

lmacri wrote:

I also have some concerns about the way that the product comparison tests were run in their YouTube video

Why do you find it concerning that we use the default settings of the tested software?

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote

jv16 wrote:

Why do you find it concerning that we use the default settings of the tested software?

Hi jv16:

Thank you for responding to my concerns in post # 2589364 about how your comparison test with Revo Uninstaller Pro was performed.

I use Revo Uninstaller Free Portable v2.x and I don’t believe there is a anything equivalent to the silent “Quick Uninstall” you used in your comparison test. For most of my installed programs and Windows UWP apps the only option is Uninstall, although I do have a few programs like iTunes that were installed with a .MSI installer that also have the option to perform a Forced MSI Uninstall.

To use the Revo Uninstaller Free app you highlight a program, choose Uninstall, wait for the built-in uninstaller to finish, and then select Safe, Moderate or Advanced scanning mode. You are then shown two windows – one for Registry entries and a second for Folder and Files – where you can choose to delete none, some, or all of the remnants that Revo Uninstaller Free finds (see attached images I captured while uninstalling Dell SupportAssist). This is described in section 3.1.1 Uninstall of the Revo Uninstaller Pro online user manual, which notes that this is “the most popular method employed by our users.”

Section 3.1.2 Quick Uninstall  of the Revo Uninstaller Pro online user manual indicates this is a silent uninstall method that runs in the background without user intervention and suggests that user leave the scan mode set to Moderate so I assume this is the default setting for a Quick Uninstall (and that you did not decrease the scan mode to Safe for your comparison test – it’s difficult to tell since the video <here> of your Revo Pro Uninstaller test runs at such a high speed that it’s almost impossible to tell exactly how this test was run), but I do not see anything in that user manual that would suggest that a Quick Uninstall is the default uninstall method for Revo Uninstaller Pro. Hopefully one of the Revo Uninstaller Pro users following this thread will correct me if I’m wrong about that.

jv16 wrote:

As explained in the website, HiBit does say that it supports batch uninstallation, but it’s just not very good at doing that.

Are you saying that your product comparison chart at https://uninstalr.com/#compare has “No” or a red “X” for the Batch Uninstall feature of other uninstallers like HiBit Uninstaller and Revo Uninstaller Pro because, in your opinion, they don’t as good as job as Uninstalr?  If so I find that even more concerning.

jv16 wrote:

… I have had a few people reporting this issue (reboot loop). In most cases where I have received further information about the matter, it seemed like an antivirus product has blocked Uninstalr from restoring the normal boot process after the uninstallation. Do you happen to be using some antivirus product?…

Do you mean a third-party antivirus program like Norton, McAfee, Bitdefender, etc., and if so does that mean all your testing was done with the built-in Microsoft Defender antivirus with Win 10 and/or Win 11?
————
Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3570 * Firefox v118.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23090.2008-1.1.23090.2007 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.6.4.286-1.0.2163 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7690 * Revo Uninstaller Free Portable v2.4.5

Reply | Quote

Sisyphus7x64 wrote:

Revo Uninstaller Pro has worked flawlessly for me for years.

I LIKE being able to see what is being done/what is going to be done before I issue the approval to go ahead and do it. I LIKE getting reports on what was done, as well 🙂

Most importantly, Revo has never screwed-up any machine I’m using it on. Not once. Both installed versions and the portable version I keep on a flash drive.

One of my biggest pet peeves nowadays are programs that do things “automatically” without ever telling you what they’re doing, or what the results are.

For the record, Uninstalr doesn’t do anything automatically. It lists you every single path it would remove, should you go ahead with the uninstallation.

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote

paulp575 wrote:

There is a question that the answer to should have been included in the article:

Is it required to have Uninstalr running in the background to monitor software installs?

Thanks.

If you wish to use Uninstalr’s “Monitor new software installation” feature, then yes, you need to have Uninstalr running with that feature turned on if you wish to use that feature.

However, that’s not required for one to use the software.

To be honest, I personally think such software installation monitoring features to be rather unneeded and the only reason I implemented one to Uninstalr was because quite a few people requested such feature.

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote

Walter Green wrote:

Deanna,   I tried the uninstair but I am not happy that I cannot remove the app from my computer. Where is it hiding how do I get rid of it? also I do not like not having the option to restart now or restart later.

Other than that thanks for the article.

The software isn’t hiding anywhere. If you downloaded the portable version, simply delete its executable file, called Uninstalr_Portable.exe and that is all you need to do to uninstall it. If you installed the setup version, you can uninstall it normally from Windows Settings or Control Panel.

Also, the program shows you an option whether you want to restart your computer during the uninstallation.

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote

WUBRINY wrote:

I successfully downloaded Uninstair from the Macecraft website this morning. When I tried to go back and download another copy on another computer this afternoon, the Macecraft link redirected to jv16powertools.com. Uninstair (as a standalone product) was gone. The download link at Sourceforge was gone. The only download option was the full jv16 powertools suite. I think you can still find Uninstair at commercial download sites like Older Geeks and Major Geeks. Oddly, a search for Macecraft Uninstair using Presearch turned up mostly mentions of articles about how to uninstall Minecraft.

Back in days of WinXP, I used jv16 powertools frequently. Fred Langa wrote a column (AskWoody Plus Newsletter 16.10.0 dated 2019-03-18) stating he had not recommended jv16 PowerTools since 2006. Sometime in the interim between 2006 and 2019, I stopped using jv16 powertools at Fred’s suggestion. I seem to recall that Fred felt jv16 powertools “jumped the shark” around version 2009.

The appearance and then disappearance of Uninstair looks like bait-and-switch to me. I’m a little hesitant to use either Uninstair or jv16 powertools until the new version becomes an established, proven product. It may be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I am suspicious of Macecraft’s marketing and the sudden disappearance of download links from the developer.

The download link has never been changed or removed. The download link is available, just as it has always been available, at the program’s official website (https://uninstalr.com/)

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote

WSscaisson wrote:

I ran and tested Uninstalr portable.
At reboot, Uninstalr made my Window 10 Pro into endless reboot loop.

I let it reboot close to 20 times, just in case it made changes one item at a time that required several reboots. Finally I gave up, and did the repair to my Win10 Pro.
Pro:
Even if you do not do cleanup, its scan shows details of installed programs.
Con:
Uninstalr does not have safety built-in, like RevoUnistaller. RevoUninstaller creates a restore point first. Using advanced mode, you can see the list of registry items to be deleted. I think this is a safer method. And…
in my case, Uninstalr does corrupt the registry, causing endless reboot loop.
Warning: for any app that makes change to registry, better do a restore point or a complete back-up first.
In my case, I used Windows Repair to fix the endless reboot loop problem, by restoring to a backed up restore point. (Restore point includes registry back up.)
How I fix the endless reboot loop:
1. When rebooting, while seeing the circling dots, push and hold the power button to force a power-off. Reboot. Do this two to several times. Then it’ll reboot to Repair menu.
2. Click ‘Advance’ button. Then click the ‘Restore’ button. You are now presented restore points.
3. Choose the latest Restore point and run it. Windows will then boot up normally.

I have had a few people reporting this issue (reboot loop). In most cases where I have received further information about the matter, it seemed like an antivirus product has blocked Uninstalr from restoring the normal boot process after the uninstallation.

Do you happen to be using some antivirus product?

In regards your comment about showing a list of registry items to be deleted, this is exactly what Uninstalr does: It lists you every single file, folder, registry key and registry entry it would remove should you proceed with the uninstallation.

Also, how did you determine that Uninstalr “corrupted” your registry, exactly?

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote

SteveTree wrote:

By the way, Uninstalr’s table comparing features is incorrect. HiBit does bulk uninstallation.

As explained in the website, HiBit does say that it supports batch uninstallation, but it’s just not very good at doing that. This is demonstrated in the video where it fails to perform an unattanded batch uninstallation of the test apps.

You can see it failing to perform an unattanded batch uninstallation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYOo5IIU1cY (around 7:32)

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote

JV16 can you be more clear in your profile that you are from Macecraft and not just a mere user on this forum?

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

Reply | Quote

Deanna McElveen wrote:

I am going to pass this all along to the author.

I received your message and thank you very much!

The current version of the program has had some accuracy related issues, namely:

1. The detection of leftovers is not very accurate, and
2. Two software with similar names could get their data mixed up within Uninstalr.

Neither of these issues were noticed in the testing prior to the release. I also ass-u-med that since the program lists every file and registry key it would remove before the uninstallation starts, that this would be an adequate safe guard but based on this thread, a few other similar feedback that I have read online and also received, this seems not have been the case.

For this, I do apologize. I should have tested the software more before its release to avoid these issues.

That being said, these issues have been quite rare, which explains why they were not detected in the pre-release testing phase.

Since the version 1.1 release, I have been busy working on a major new update which addresses the accuracy issues and also adds more safe guards to prevent issues from happening again.

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

3 users thanked author for this post.

lmacri, zat_so, Alex5723

Reply | Quote

Susan Bradley wrote:

JV16 can you be more clear in your profile that you are from Macecraft and not just a mere user on this forum?

Done, thank you!

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote

lmacri wrote:

I do not see anything in that user manual that would suggest that a Quick Uninstall is the default uninstall method for Revo Uninstaller Pro.

Revo Uninstaller Pro shows buttons “Quick Uninstall”, “Forced Uninstall”, and “More Commands”. Out of these three buttons, the “Quick Uninstall” is clearly highlighted in the user interface (see the attached screenshot) and as such, it is clearly implied to be the default and the recommended uninstallation method to be used. And as such, it was used in the comparison.

lmacri wrote:

Are you saying that your product comparison chart at https://uninstalr.com/#compare has “No” or a red “X” for the Batch Uninstall feature of other uninstallers like HiBit Uninstaller and Revo Uninstaller Pro because, in your opinion, they don’t as good as job as Uninstalr? If so I find that even more concerning.

No, I’m not saying anything of that sort at all. I’m saying that the mentioned products failed to perform an unattanded batch uninstallation of the test apps. This is not an opinion, this is a fact that is supported by the screen capture video showing them failing.

This is also explained in the website. The red icon says “Failed in our testing. See the Benchmark section for more information.” and later on the website at the mentioned Benchmark section, it is further defined how they failed:

“Bulk Crap Uninstaller claims to be able to batch uninstall software, but in this test it failed to automate the uninstallation of AIMP, Firefox, KMPlayer, Internet Download Manager, Spotify, IrfanView and WinRar and it required user’s help in uninstalling these apps.

HiBit Uninstaller claims to be able to batch uninstall software, but in this test it failed to automate the uninstallation of AIMP, Core Temp, Internet Download Manager, KMPlayer, Mailbird and Spotify and it required user’s help in uninstalling these apps.

IOBit Uninstaller claims to be able to batch uninstall software, but in this test it failed to automate the uninstallation of AIMP, Core Temp, FileZilla, Internet Download Manager, iTunes, KMPlayer, Mailbird, Firefox and Spotify and it required user’s help in uninstalling these apps.

Revo Uninstaller Pro claims to be able to batch uninstall software, but in this test it failed to automate the uninstallation of Blender, iTunes, Mailbird, Spotify, KMPlayer, Apple Mobile Device Support, AIMP, Internet Download Manager, IrfanView, Core Temp and Apple Software Update and it required user’s help in uninstalling these apps.”

As said, these failures are documented in the screen capture video where you can see these uninstallers failing to perform an unattended batch uninstallation. The video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYOo5IIU1cY

lmacri wrote:

Do you mean a third-party antivirus program like Norton, McAfee, Bitdefender, etc., and if so does that mean all your testing was done with the built-in Microsoft Defender antivirus with Win 10 and/or Win 11?

Yes, I mean a third party antivirus program. No, it does not mean that all our testing was done only in systems with only the builtin Microsoft antivirus.

 

 

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote

IMHO I am not sure I would ever want to touch any type of batch uninstaller.

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

1 user thanked author for this post.

NaNoNyMouse

Reply | Quote

wavy wrote:

IMHO I am not sure I would ever want to touch any type of batch uninstaller.

If you want to uninstall software one by one, you can also do that with Uninstalr. The batch uninstallation is an optional feature that one can use, but is not forced to use.

Overall, that’s the idea with Uninstalr – it gives you new options for uninstallation but it doesn’t force you to do anything, you decide what you want to do.

Developer of jv16 PowerTools, Uninstalr, WinFindr, Startup Timer, System Examiner, ScreenshotX and Update Fixer.

Reply | Quote