does revo remove all traces ?

does revo uninstaller either free or pro versions completely remove all traces of whatever it uninstalls, or do defaults need changing

Gazzer

 

only the pro version can "trace" a 'normal' install, but you should also run the newly installed program briefly while revo is still tracing to make sure the "first run" changes are part of the trace log. revo can then remove all those changes when you uninstall the program. that should work just fine most of the time.

however there are exceptions, for example if an installer requires a reboot, then you have to stop Revo's tracing so it will miss some changes, or an installation could be either clever enough or bad enough that it could create some changes Revo misses or detects but cannot delete because the program is able to keep the files locked even after uninstalling. or the installer could conflict with revo tracing and the install could fail (think of an antivirus or hips that starts blocking revo as soon as installed). or some program could create changes to different registry keys and folders later on that of course won't be part of an initial log so Revo would miss those. and if you update a program without using Revo to trace the update, then revo could miss those entries too. also some installers install components that other programs you install later on also need, so then if you remove all traces the initial installer made those other programs wouldn't work (for example, some directx or vc redistributable components, ...)

revo free version is usually better than just a regular uninstall, it searches for and removes extra stuff, but it doesn't trace installers so there's no guarantee it'll catch everything. in general, i found revo pro the best unsintaller (for me at least) a few years ago when i tried out a bunch of them, but it's obviously not perfect - and neither is any other uninstaller.

if you want, you could also use regshot2 or similar program to make a snapshot of your registry and file system before and after an install and then use those logs to manually remove leftovers after regular uninstalls, but it's a bit inconvenient and these days I do not bother to make such logs of installations unless I anticipate a program could be problematic or it's some trial software and i don't want it to leaave behind its trial timestamps...

 

Also see https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/software-for-total-uninstall.366438/#post-2397940.

 

The free version does very good if you run it in Advanced mode. I doesn't get 100% but I'd say 99% most of the time.