When a program is installed it
creates files in many of different places all over your hard
drive and also makes changes to settings in your computer.
When you just delete a program's folder, all of those other
files and settings are left behind but not longer have
anything to associate with. When
the computer comes across one of these files, it cannot find
the program that it refers to and will lock up or freeze
your computer, sometimes giving you the famous "Blue Screen
Of Death". Do this enough times and you've got a real mess
on your hands and a severely dysfunctional computer.
Instead of simply deleting a
program's folder your should always uninstall a program.
This way, all of the related files and settings are removed
along with the program.
One way you can uninstall a
program is to go to Start> Programs> and find the program
you want to remove. Frequently a program that has been
installed on your computer will also have an uninstall
option will be listed there along with the program's start
icon.
If a program does not have an
uninstall option, you can remove it from your PC by going to
your control panel and selecting the Add/Remove Programs
option. Scroll down the list of programs to find the one you
want to remove. Click on the program once to highlight it,
and then hit the ADD/REMOVE button.
If you want to remove a
program in Windows XP, click Start> Control Panel>.
Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
To remove a program In
Windows 98 and ME, click Start> Settings>Control Panel>.
Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
Sometimes when you are
uninstalling a program you'll get a message stating hat a
certain "shared file" is no longer used by any program and
it "should" be safe to remove it. Unless you are 100%
positive that no other program needs the file you should
leave it. DO NOT remove it. If another program ever need
that shared file, and tries to access it and it is gone,
you'll have serious problems.
It's alright to leave the
file to remain on your computer. It is very small and if the
file is ever needed for another program, it will be there.
Occasionally, you'll get a
message that a file is missing and Windows can't remove the
program. This usually happens with shareware programs that
have been downloaded from the Internet. In that case,
download and re-install the program. That should restore the
files you need to uninstall and you can then go back through
the proper uninstall steps. |