Solved How to make sure that "Un-installation" didn't left any Residues....

[fahadhum]

How to make sure that "Un-installation" didn't left any Residues....

I uninstalled 2 games.One game was un-installed through in-game Un-installation file & the next one was un-installed through the Control Panel.

I wish to remove all of the files (i.e including save files , Microsoft Visual C++ Redist files etc ).How do i make sure that every file/residue of any particular GAME/SOFTWARE is removed from my system.

 

[BorisTheAnimal]

Hi fahadhum,

what I would do is go look for the game/software under program files+(x86) and delete folders there, sometimes the folder might not be named after the game but rather the company that made the game, so for example "C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts" and in there I would find games like Crysis.

Another place would be in My Documents, there you might find saves and replays that the game has saved.

 

[GokAy]

In addition to the places Boris mentioned, there is also the AppData folder (hidden by default) under C:\Users\<accountname> or accessible from the user folder on desktop if you configured it to show. Check both Local and Roaming.

I would keep the Visual C++ Redistributables as they are used by many programs, not just the game that installed it. In fact both x86 and x64 versions I install myself on my machines.

 

[BorisTheAnimal]

In addition to the places Boris mentioned, there is also the AppData folder (hidden by default) under C:\Users\<accountname> or accessible from the user folder on desktop if you configured it to show. Check both Local and Roaming.

Actually one can access the AppData folder even easier by just typing "%appdata%" into the search bar in Explorer like done in this video:

 

[GokAy]

Actually one can access the AppData folder even easier by just typing "%appdata%" into the search bar in Explorer

Even better

 

[mmd123]

hehe, this one I will be good at helping on, as I've had issues personally with games "uninstalling" and still leaving behind data that rendered a reinstallation useless.

first off, I recommend you go and get two programs, free if desired, optionally paid if you want "better" capabilities (however the free versions have always done the job perfectly for me).

first, go get Ccleaner (formerly crap cleaner) from piriform.com, then go and get revo uninstaller, if I remember correctly, also from the same people, could be wrong though. first, uninstall the game you desire using revo, tell it to use moderate if you want to play it safe, if you KNOW FOR A FACT that the game and its files are in THIER OWN FOLDER SEPARATE FROM EVERYTHING ELSE, then you can select "advanced". this step is of course used only when its finished uninstalling the game in question, at that point it will scan for leftover files related to the game/program your getting rid of. tell it to delete everything it finds, and then run ccleaner. when you go to run ccleaner, have it both do a registry scan, as well as a files scan, the registry scan will find anything out of place in the registry, including and not limited to registry entries related to your game (assuming its advanced enough to write anything to the registry) and then (RECOMMENDED but I never do this on my end) restart your computer. its up to you whether or not you want to backup the registry with ccleaner, I never do.

after that, your free to reinstall your game. you should ALMOST be guaranteed no leftover files from your game if you follow this procedure I just listed. works for me every time.

 

[GokAy]

CCleaner free is fully functional. Revo free can only uninstall 32 bit programs, as most games are 32-bit it will be alright.

Since you mention it, I will open a new thread about CCleaner. The Pro Plus version is at a discount at the moment (perhaps until end of July).

 

[fahadhum]

hehe, this one I will be good at helping on, as I've had issues personally with games "uninstalling" and still leaving behind data that rendered a reinstallation useless.

first off, I recommend you go and get two programs, free if desired, optionally paid if you want "better" capabilities (however the free versions have always done the job perfectly for me).

first, go get Ccleaner (formerly crap cleaner) from piriform.com, then go and get revo uninstaller, if I remember correctly, also from the same people, could be wrong though. first, uninstall the game you desire using revo, tell it to use moderate if you want to play it safe, if you KNOW FOR A FACT that the game and its files are in THIER OWN FOLDER SEPARATE FROM EVERYTHING ELSE, then you can select "advanced". this step is of course used only when its finished uninstalling the game in question, at that point it will scan for leftover files related to the game/program your getting rid of. tell it to delete everything it finds, and then run ccleaner. when you go to run ccleaner, have it both do a registry scan, as well as a files scan, the registry scan will find anything out of place in the registry, including and not limited to registry entries related to your game (assuming its advanced enough to write anything to the registry) and then (RECOMMENDED but I never do this on my end) restart your computer. its up to you whether or not you want to backup the registry with ccleaner, I never do.

after that, your free to reinstall your game. you should ALMOST be guaranteed no leftover files from your game if you follow this procedure I just listed. works for me every time.

Thank you so much Guys That is very , very helpful.I may install revo uninstaller.
Although i am not going to try the Cccleaner thingy. As.As it is risky to delete registries and i have had BSOD's by deleting some registries via Cc Cleaner (i can't remember the exact event as it happened some years ago)..

 

[fahadhum]

But again , thank you ALL , for the reply's ...

 

[fahadhum]

In addition to the places Boris mentioned, there is also the AppData folder (hidden by default) under C:\Users\<accountname> or accessible from the user folder on desktop if you configured it to show. Check both Local and Roaming.

Actually one can access the AppData folder even easier by just typing "%appdata%" into the search bar in Explorer like done in this video:

Thank you for this...

 

[GokAy]

You can still use CCleaner to clean the files. There are comments about registry cleaning being unnecessary by some our experienced members (and Microsoft) anyway. And if you still do so, there is the option of backing up the registry before cleaning with CCleaner (pop up asks this).