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

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

  1. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2007
    Posts:
    11,126
    Location:
    U.S.A. (South)
    This is been routine practice in my camp for eons. Currently using RegBak + Tweaking.com's very excellent RegistryBackup program, BOTH simple standalones/portable. There is been circumstances on numerous occasions where things looked totally bleak such as unable to boot back into the GUI and other issues. As another alternative enter Linux Mint on a stick. Or any PE on a USB Pen that can open disk for writing where it is as simple as copying over saved Registry Files MANUALLY and the Windows system was right back on track again like nothing happened.

    That Automatic Repair from Microsoft is a pure joke when they very well could have made some alternate provision for something as simple as restoring a previous registry backup that they could done themselves a long time ago.

    But no matter, many Windows issues which I personally encountered didn't necessitate to do an image restore when just a simple Registry Restore returned the system back to normal operation.
     
  2. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    RegistryChangesView's backup feature, which rodney commented on, is exactly meant for that purpose. As a disaster recovery.

    But in this case, and this is the topic here, it should never be used to keep the system clean from installation leftovers.

    [EDIT] This is not at you personally EASTER, I'm just making sure that no one gets weird ideas.
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2018
  3. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271

    Now why do you say that? Is it because the copied reg files won't remove the reg files that are from the installations?

    Then the fix would be, at least in my opinion use the WinPE or Linux boost stick, to access the registry, totally remove it, and insert the copied registry, from "BEFORE" the installation.

    Don't you think that is a remedy, in fact maybe faster than an uninstaller, or even faster than Macrium ?
     
  4. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271
    My thoughts exactly, I agree with you.
     
  5. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    Registry changes over time (a lot), because of normal OS usage, and the longer you keep the software the more changes you will have that belong to the OS itself. So if you keep the software installed for a week and then restore registry to remove traces, you will also possibly remove many important entries that pertain to the OS. There is a high probability that the OS may be rendered unbootable.

    There is a reason why people use imaging software.

    [EDIT] When disaster recovery is concerned, this involves restoring specific parts of registry. This is the off topic I was talking about.
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2018
  6. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2007
    Posts:
    11,126
    Location:
    U.S.A. (South)
  7. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    It makes little sense trying to uninstall Office with it, since BCU does not have any kind of monitoring/tracing, but this -
    is very good. It means that with BCU you can at least look at the code and exactly see what the app does and how it does it. No lies. So you don't have to resort to guesswork (or extensive testing) as is the case with other uninstallers.
    I suppose you need to contact the author to get it.
    If you still want me to try to uninstall Office with BCU, no problem.
     
  8. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2007
    Posts:
    11,126
    Location:
    U.S.A. (South)
    Well @Seer, BCU is the one I am referring too. Looks like that thread got double duty with the Installer part integrated into thread.

    But yeah, I had an inkling BCU was very competitive from tinkering with it on this end. Massive collection of settings stuffed in it and like you say, 100% Free as well.
     
  9. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    Posts:
    8,627
    @Seer This is what Joe from Mirekusoft had to say about Office.
     
  10. NiteRanger

    NiteRanger Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2016
    Posts:
    651
    Location:
    Far East
    So, after all these tests

    1st - Total Uninstall
    2nd - Revo Uninstaller Pro

    Anyone wants to dispute the ranking?

    :p
     
  11. __Nikopol

    __Nikopol Registered Member

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2008
    Posts:
    630
    Location:
    Germany
    Sry if I'm interrupting, but why do you need one anyway? I was under the impression that most, if not all, uninstallers were more or less in the same category as tune-up software. :confused:
     
  12. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2007
    Posts:
    11,126
    Location:
    U.S.A. (South)
    Ranking? No
    Choice? Yes

    We favor Revo in this camp and plan on continuing with it :cool:
     
  13. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    Posts:
    8,627
    If you're uninstalling antivirus software it makes sense to use a uninstaller with tracing so you can ensure there are no drivers remaining. An alternative, is to use the vendors own uninstall tool. But not all vendors publish an uninstall tool.

    Aside from that it is useful to be able to remove all traces of software after uninstalling, This is particular true, if you install and uninstall a lot of software. For those that don't, it's probably not a big deal.

    Tune-up software can be useful in some cases. The biggest issue with such software is that they rarely live up to claims made by the publishers.
     
  14. clubhouse1

    clubhouse1 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2013
    Posts:
    1,124
    Location:
    UK
  15. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271
  16. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    Posts:
    8,627
    It's free and doesn't monitor installations. I tried it when it was first released and it didn't seem to be very good.
     
  17. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    I have mentioned that - twice. This is measurable.
    But the system entries in snapshots are almost non-existent. If you compare the result Install Monitor gave with that of the native uninstaller (and the Geek) you can clearly deduce that system entries are in the range of 10-20 items. And as I continue to test more uninstallers this will only be confirmed.

    For the sake of it, I have just checked my system for the duration of 30 mins. It was not idling (I deliberately left it that way), I was watching a movie and I was browsing, normal usage. This is what the system did to registry in that time -

    idle.png

    There are virtually no changes. Some notifications I deleted, Windows checking time through NTP, and a bit of background activity (bam- background application monitor, I masked the SID there).
    The performance is not an issue if the uninstaller does it's job well.

    'Open with' entries hard to delete? Scheduled tasks?, dotx/docx associations?
    Alright.

    They are, and you don't need one.
    They are all bad in the long run. As you install/uninstall software the leftovers will only accumulate.

    I was hoping that someone will come to that conclusion here.
     
  18. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    I thought I should give Install Monitor some more spin with apps I know to leave a bunch of leftovers, so I tried Photshop CC v20.0.
    Photoshop's uninstaller was stuck at 100% and the only way I could close it was through Task Manager.
    Event Viewer showed ths warning -

    photpshop fail.png

    When I uninstalled Photoshop without Install Monitor installed, it uninstalled normally.

    [EDIT] Just to add, EventID 10010 are DCOM related.

    [EDIT 2] And just to add another thing, so that everything is clear. I have a subscription to all Adobe products, so this is clean and legal copy of Photoshop.
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2018
  19. Marcelo

    Marcelo Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2005
    Posts:
    276
    Location:
    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
    If you install and uninstall a lot of software and have a small SSD as your system drive you may soon find yourself without space as many programs will leave not only small traces but often one or more copy of installers in multiple folders. The trash left behind will also accumulate with time.

    Also if you have a corrupted uninstall entry you may need an uninstaller to force uninstall software.
     
  20. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    There are cases where apps like these are perfectly useful, as is the case with BCUninstaller for example.
    It gives easy access to junk that would otherwise had to be uninstalled through PowerShell scripts.
    ...
    The problem here is not in apps but in the way they are marketed.
    BCUninstaller does not promise anything it does not achieve.

    [EDIT] (i hope i was clear here)

    [sorry, another EDIT] And that gets us all the way back to page 2 to and post #28
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2018
  21. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    Sorry roger, I missed that.
    Yes, this is exactly the point here.
     
  22. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271
    OK then we try a new software, don't like it, restore a Macrium bu image in 30 seconds or less.... I always make Images of HD / OS when I am at a place I like.
     
  23. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    The problem actually arises when you like the software but you need to uninstall it after some time.
    Or there simply comes out an app that you like more.

    You never know when the leftovers will trigger an issue, and then all problems can appear, and threads like "Bork Tuesday" are opened.
    This registry thing gives a lot of headache to Windows users.
     
  24. Seer

    Seer Registered Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2007
    Posts:
    2,068
    Location:
    Serbia
    And just to conclude this thread and answer the question in the title directly.

    The best (if you really need to use uninstallers) is by far Total Uninstall.

    Cheers
     
  25. rodneym

    rodneym Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2008
    Posts:
    271
    Possibly with frequent backups, this is resolved. Or better yet, do a clean install all the software you like, then make a image, and also make a backup of your registry, put both in the same folder with a date. Now lets say 2 weeks go by, you want to install something else, but you know (like you said) changes have occurred in your registry, even though you have just been simply using your computer. So you restore that saved registry, or restore the image, from the clean install "dated folder", and install your new software, now make a new image.
     
  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.