Is Revo Really The Best. I did a test on 4 uninstallers.

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by rodneym, Oct 24, 2018.

  1. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271
    I did a clean install of Windows, then I made an image of C: with Macrium Reflect.

    Then I downloaded Soft4boost Video Studio, figuring it would be a complicated enough app / installation to provide a decent test.

    Then I monitored the install of Soft4boost, with Smarty Uninstaller. Then I rebooted my PC.

    Now I uninstalled, Soft4boost, noting how many files, folder, and registry items were removed.

    Then I rebooted my PC again.

    Then using Directory Opus I searched C: for Soft4boost / Sorentio. Make note of what was found after uninstall, with Smarty. Then I search the registry for the Soft4boost / Sorentio, and make note of how many items were found after the uninstall with Smarty.

    Then I restore the image made with macrium, starting clean, and repeat the above steps with Revo, Crystalidea Uninstaller, and SoftOrganizer 7... Below are the stats.



    Smarty Uninstaller: Removed 35 files/folders, and 6600 registry items. Search after reboot, with opus and registry found 2 log files, and 1 registry item.

    Revo: Removed 75 files/folders, and 6 registry items. Search after reboot, found 2 folders, and 81 registry items.

    Crystal Uninstaller: Removed 78 files/folders, and 1574 registry items. Search after reboot found 1 file, and 4 registry items.

    SoftOrganizer 7: Removed 779 traces (list after looked like 500 registry items, and 100-200 files). Search after reboot found 1 file, and 5 registry items.

    *Overall I found Softorganizer to be the easiest to use, Smarty also very easy to use, and I would say it would be right behind Softorganizer.

    **Based upon the non-scientific test I did, I thought Smarty did the best job, and I installed it on my PC.
     
  2. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

    Joined:
    May 9, 2005
    Posts:
    10,215
    Depends what you're looking for and what you expect.
    Mrk
     
  3. jadinolf

    jadinolf Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2006
    Posts:
    1,047
    Location:
    Southern California
    I wish you would do an evaluation of Bulk Crap Uninstaller.
    Looks very good to me but I don't have enough expertise to evaluate it.
     
  4. Buddel

    Buddel Registered Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2015
    Posts:
    1,920
    I've been using Geek Uninstaller for a couple of years. It has always done what it's supposed to do. It's definitely good enough for someone like me who doesn't install many different apps regularly.
     
  5. Marcelo

    Marcelo Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2005
    Posts:
    276
    Location:
    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
    There are many things that should be evaluated when using an uninstaller. For instance are the files/registry entries being removed actually related to the software you want uninstalled? Is it damaging other software by deleting registry keys/files it shouldn't be touching?

    Normally when I see analysis of uninstall software online I see comparisons of how many registry entries/files were left behind but never an analysis if what was deleted actually should have been deleted.
     
  6. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2007
    Posts:
    11,126
    Location:
    U.S.A. (South)
    I agree!! Would be another interesting result.

    I long used Revo and still do but must ask-when you tested Revo for Registry leftovers there are 3 selections, Safe-Moderate-Advanced. Which of those Scanning settings produced that result after reboot?

    Thanks
     
  7. itman

    itman Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2010
    Posts:
    8,592
    Location:
    U.S.A.
    Using Revo in Advanced cleaning mode is dangerous if you don't watch what you are deleting. Borked a few things in that mode including the OS.
     
  8. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271
    I guess what were looking for is a thorough uninstall, thus the test.
     
  9. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271

    Yes I checked and all applied to the software that was uninstalled.
     
  10. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271
    Revo newest version, portable (bought license) and set on advanced.
     
  11. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2007
    Posts:
    11,126
    Location:
    U.S.A. (South)
    Perfect. Thanks for the update on that. Occasionally I backtrack thru my own registry and often find things there that are total obsolete then manually remove those. Guess some leftovers don't always get picked up.

    @itman-Sorry you borked yourself like that once but yes it takes some fine reviewing of what is ready to be removed in Advanced Mode sometimes. It does comb thru more and maybe not always what's expected.
     
  12. TomAZ

    TomAZ Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2010
    Posts:
    1,131
    Location:
    USA
    +1
     
  13. zapjb

    zapjb Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2005
    Posts:
    5,554
    Location:
    USA still the best. But barely.
    Iobit Uninstaller?
     
  14. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    Exactly. Moreover, there are apps that install drivers/services/whatnot and these are not always searchable through logical keywords like company/software name.
    Also, I don't use uninstallers so I don't know, but do installation monitors of these apps give (reasonably) identical logs? If not then I don't see the point in using any one of them.
     
  15. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    Posts:
    8,627
    Ideally you would have tested IObit Uninstaller as well, as it compares very well to Revo, whereas most of the other alternatives do nowhere near as well at finding leftovers.
    It depends on what uninstaller you use. Comodo Programs Manager and Install Monitor actually keep track of every change to the system, made when installing software, so are able remove software and all leftovers files (including drivers) and registry keys. Some other uninstallers essentially do the same, by creating before and after snapshots and comparing the differences. However some uninstallers don't monitor installs and just do a scan after uninstalling a program, for any files and registry keys which may have belonged to it. This works fairly well for most software, but is useless for finding and removing leftover drivers from antivirus software.

    Comodo Programs Manager can work very well, but on my Windows 10 system, it stops working from time to time. The new version 4 of Install Monitor looks promising, but has some issues and limitations that I am trying to get the author to fix and I can't recommend it in its current state. If he fixes the issues then it will be in my opinion, most definitely the best uninstaller there is.
     
  16. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271

    The uninstallers I tested all monitor the installation of software, in one of two ways. Yes comodo does have the same kind of product, but it doesn't work on newer Windows OS.
     
  17. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271

    Yes unfortunately I could NOT try Comodo. Sorry.
     
  18. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271

    And exactly what software do you mean here. Name, website, or link PLZ.
     
  19. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    I'll try to be concise and explain my point. Until installation monitoring is standardized in some way and all apps show more or less the same results (assuming the installed app acts always the same), any scan result is useless. What you're doing is assuming that the one that finds the most finds them all. But you still have a bad average result. You are free to use whatever you want, but you're just lulling yourself into false sense of 'cleanliness'.
    I'm just trying to apply scientific method here. Since IT is science, any other method is a non-method.
    I can imagine a case where an app installation package overwrites/upgrades my VC runtime, and this is logged. So what does an uninstaller do if it looks at it's logs when it uninstalls this app?
    Uninstallers would be useful if they worked on system level, such as checking API calls, dependencies, permissions and stuff. True reverse-engineering. I know this sounds like sci-fi, but this is the only approach that would be acceptable to me if you want to call yourself an uninstaller. Otherwise, you're doing little more than CCleaner and you're just a snake oil.

    [EDIT] small grammar/ typos
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2018
  20. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2007
    Posts:
    11,126
    Location:
    U.S.A. (South)
    Well as some see it, and I do too.

    Every little test of these Uninstallers locally with some end result details in the manner @rodneym chose to use should help with other user's comparisons of their own to weigh out how their own stacks up.

    Looks like another list of them to test the same might prove of some extra interest too. :) Thanks
     
  21. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    Posts:
    8,627
    It is called Install Monitor, and this is the website.
    https://www.mirekusoft.com/

    Comodo Programs Manager does work on Windows 10, if you set the exe file to Windows 7 compatibility.
     
  22. stapp

    stapp Global Moderator

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2006
    Posts:
    23,940
    Location:
    UK
    One thing I would bare in mind is not to use 3rd party uninstallers on security softwares.
    For example Emsisoft Anti-Malware states...
     
  23. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    Just to bore you a bit more and explain what stapp quoted above and exactly why this is so.
    Most installers for apps that install drivers will run with highest privileges, that of TrustedInstaller. They need to do so to properly assign permissions for different users for a given driver/service/process. The best your typical uninstaller can do is run as Admin. That's lower than TrustedInstaller and not good enough to remove i.e. - a driver that have explicit System privilege or - a service that has explicit Local Service privilege.
    So they remain stuck there without you ever realizing it.
    Hope this is even more clearer now.
     
  24. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    Posts:
    8,627
    This shouldn't really be an issue as third party installers always run the original uninstaller first. It would only be an issue if the original uninstaller failed to run for some reason.
     
  25. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271
    to a degree I agree....But I can only work with what I got... It is what it is.
     
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.