Software for total uninstall

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by pb1, Jul 25, 2014.

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  1. pb1

    pb1 Registered Member

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    Hi

    I am looking for a total uninstaller a.k.a install/unistall monitor . I found this one http://www.chemtable.com/soft-organizer.htm on the net and wondered if someone has any experience with it to share ?

    It sounds quite good to me after reading the info on the site and the pricing is ok to (30$) since it is about my price range - i do not want to pay more than that because it is not that important . So free is always acceptable - but i have not found any that is reliable .

    If anyone has any suggestions feel free to mention them but if it is any of the usual programs then i already know about them but other than that it is welcome if it is something you know is reliable and not to expensive .

    I tried Comodo`s freeware once - never more - what a disaster it caused when it uninstalled things - my god it was like an elephant in an porslin shop uninstalling left and right .
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2014
  2. pegr

    pegr Registered Member

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    The one I'm most familiar with is Total Uninstall, which is a full featured installation snapshot monitor of the kind you're looking for: http://www.martau.com/

    A few words of caution though that you may already be aware of: -

    1. Always use the vendor supplied uninstaller first to uninstall a program. Snapshot monitors can be used to remove residual traces left behind by a program uninstaller but should never be used to uninstall a program unless there is no other way. Reversal of changes recorded during a monitored installation is not a reliable method of trying to uninstall software, especially complex software: e.g. security programs, office applications, etc. Only the uninstaller supplied by the vendor knows how to correctly remove a program. I have seen systems left unbootable as a result of using this kind of software to uninstall programs, rather than limiting their use to post uninstallation cleanup.

    2. When using an installation snapshot monitor to clean up the remnants left by the program's own uninstaller, be careful to ensure that everything that will be removed actually belongs to the uninstalled program. A snapshot monitor may capture unrelated background activity during a monitored installation that you don't want inadvertently removed later.

    These kind of "total uninstaller" type utilities should be viewed with the same degree of caution as registry cleaners. You may already be familiar with Total Uninstall, and other similar programs, but my main reason for posting is to make sure that anybody reading this thread understands the risk this kind of software poses if used injudiciously.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2014
  3. pb1

    pb1 Registered Member

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    What about your experiences with Total uninstall - does it do thoose mistakes you mentioned above or is it totally reliable and does what it promises - no more no less .
     
  4. pegr

    pegr Registered Member

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    Total Uninstall allows the user to have control over what changes will be recorded and what will be reversed. It is careless and inappropriate use by the user that can cause issues, not the software itself.

    It might be worthwhile trying Total Uninstall as well, just so that you've got something to compare Soft Organizer to in terms of features, etc.
     
  5. Huwge

    Huwge Registered Member

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  6. Hadron

    Hadron Registered Member

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    Revo.
     
  7. ArchiveX

    ArchiveX Registered Member

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    -Free: GeekUninstaller
    -Paid: Total Uninstall
     
  8. majoMo

    majoMo Registered Member

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    . Soft Organizer is a good uninstaller, monitor changes based.
    . You can get it for free since sometimes it appear in giveaway (e.g. GAOTD) - if you want to wait and trying it before...
    . I suggest to copy Exclude items from Total Uninstal to Soft Organizer Ignore List - since such list in TU is far better than S.Org..
    . Soft Organizer can monitor changes even when a installer needs to reboot - something that e.g. Revo Uninstaller Pro can't do!

    - If your System is 32 bits based you have the excellent freeware ZSoft Uninstaller, that works well for 32x installers.
    - GeekUninstaller is not a monitor based uninstaller - it search leftovers only.
     
  9. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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  10. Hadron

    Hadron Registered Member

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    Revo is my favorite.
     
  11. pajenn

    pajenn Registered Member

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    Paid: I prefer Revo - but it cannot monitor properly if an installer requires a reboot.

    For free or for complicated installations, you can use something like Regshot or Regshot2 to take a snapshot of the registry/files before and after the install and then compare them to see what's changed. The problem is that each log has some noise (entries that are always changing in Windows and have nothing to with the install so you need some experience to recognize noise from real changes), and also after you uninstall a software it can be a PITA to track down and remove the leftovers you see in your Regshot logs. Also the snapshots can each take a few minutes to make. That said, Regshot2 can be a valuable tool for tracking installs.
     
  12. Hadron

    Hadron Registered Member

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    But, haven't the changes already been captured prior to the reboot?
     
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2014
  13. meatouph

    meatouph Guest

    Using Symantec Workspace Virtualization Agent you can install programs as virtual layers (not directly into system). If you activate virtual layer then all files, registry entries etc. will be mounted and will work as normal installed application. If you deactivate layer then everything comes back to virtual layer - like app was never installed. If you delete layer then programs won't leave anything to main system.
    Also it's free.
    Let me know if you want some more info

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ItW2tv0j-E

    Someone requested more info and asked what's the difference between Symantec Workspace Virtualization and VMware:

    AFIK you need to install second, guest OS via VMware to use it. With Symantec Workspace Virtualization Agent you're working on your main OS. If you saw the video I posted http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ItW2tv0j-E you can see the guy using both Office 2007 and 2010, something that would not normally work.
    When I first heard about Symantec Workspace Virtualization Agent I couldn't find any detailed info, probably due it changed name. Symantec Endpoint Virtualization Suite is much more complicated software, it doesn't look like Workspace Virtualization Agent. Agent is free to use for home users (all you need to do is provide some info about yourself - not personal and info for what you want to use it)

    Not far to look for and there you go https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/is-there-an-altiris-svs-alternative-for-windows-7.320880/
    Usefull posts about Symantec Workspace Virtualization.

    By default program creates C:\fslrdr folder. If you capture install via SWV all files will be save to this folder. If you mount a layer then all files will be mounted to the folder you choose during software installation.
    However I strongly recommend moving fslrdr folder to other partition. You can do it via cmd
    <Symantec_Workspace_Virtualization.exe path> /s /e SWV.ADDLOCAL=SVS_Admin SWV.DEFAULT_FILE_REDIR="d:\fslrdr"

    If you want to also install the SWV application to another drive/partition add: SWV.INSTALLDIR="full folder path"

    Sources:
    http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO50170
    http://www.symantec.com/connect/forums/swv-windows-7-sp1-x64-error-when-changing-fslrdr-path
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 8, 2014
  14. pajenn

    pajenn Registered Member

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    Revo recommends you install the program, run it briefly and exit it before ending the log recording. The reason that is a lot of programs add significant registry entries (maybe file entries too) the first time you run them. Obviously that's hard to do if you have to reboot before running the program - maybe you you could launch it for the first time using Revo's installer monitor (to make a second trace after reboot), but I think that would only work for some programs, others run some script on reboot to add changes and/or auto-load the program. In general, I don't even try to record an installation with Revo of anything really complicated like an antivirus/firewall suite or complex backup program because they may conflict and mess up the install. For those you can try use Regshot2.
     
  15. majoMo

    majoMo Registered Member

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  16. CloneRanger

    CloneRanger Registered Member

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    Total Uninstall is what i've been using for about 10 years. It's Never let me down, & it allows rebooting if the App requires it.

    Nice !
     
  17. anon

    anon Registered Member

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  18. ReverseGear

    ReverseGear Guest

    I have used advanced uninstaller pro for a long time but don't see it mentioned much
     
  19. pb1

    pb1 Registered Member

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    Many answers - but very few have answered according to my initial post so this thread is an uninterresting wast of space for me .

    Mod - close ~snipped as per TOS~ if you want to .
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 4, 2014
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