how to COMPLETELY uninstall a program?

[menace]

I'm doing some housecleaning and I notice that a vast majority of programs think uninstall means remove some files in the directory and make a half-azzed effort in the registry--anyone know any good third party programs that really work?

[missioncontrol]

My idea of housecleaning is formatting the hard drive then reinstalling windows.....

pain in the @ss but well worth it.................

[tommy]

Registry cleaner= Freeware

[SOAPboy]

My idea of housecleaning is formatting the hard drive then reinstalling windows.....

pain in the @ss but well worth it.................

Agreed.. and if you do it "regularly" you can Image your drive after a clean install, then pow, reinstalls in 15 min..

[menace]

well typically i agree with you. this is a very inefficient way to uninstall a few programs.  Sort of like using your car to kill a bee--the end is the same but a rolled up paper would have worked better.  I'm just amazed that after all these years there isn't an uninstall program that actually tracks the files it installs then removes ALL of them including the registry entries....

[ChadTower]

Set fire to the whole machine.

[Dartful Dodger]

I'm just amazed that after all these years there isn't an uninstall program that actually tracks the files it installs then removes ALL of them including the registry entries....

There is a program that does that.  I don't remember it's name but it's pretty expensive. Luckily it has a 30 day trial period, so when those 30 days are almost over you can use the program to uninstall itself and then just reinstall it and start over again.

[Shape D.]

when those 30 days are almost over you can use the program to uninstall itself and then just reinstall it and start over again.

[DrewKaree]

My idea of housecleaning is formatting the hard drive then reinstalling windows.....

pain in the @ss but well worth it.................

Dude, you've got to learn the sweet chocolatey goodness that is a slipstreamed OS install disc.

The program you're looking for is CleanSweep (or similar products, I'm sure they exist).  I dunno who owns it anymore, I believe they may have sold to Norton, but am not sure.  It won't help you NOW, but it CAN tinker with the registry (if you're comfortable doing that, I'd recommend YOU do it instead of trusting a program to do it, tho) and after you're fresh and minty-clean, use it to monitor installs from that point forward. 

[GGKoul]

Yes, Cleansweep is now part of the Norton Systemworks package.

[Harry Potter]

when those 30 days are almost over you can use the program to uninstall itself and then just reinstall it and start over again.

Sorry to pop this bubble but in this day and age you can't do this, simply because the program writes down in theregistry when it was installed and continues to sit there, even when the program is uninstalled.

I remember when you used to be able to set your system clock to 1950 and have the program say I have 19000 days before the trial period is over.

[missioncontrol]

My idea of housecleaning is formatting the hard drive then reinstalling windows.....

pain in the @ss but well worth it.................

Dude, you've got to learn the sweet chocolatey goodness that is a slipstreamed OS install disc.

slipstreamed OS install disc ?

well fill me in.........