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Stuff left behind after un-installing

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
When something is uninstalled from a computer, am i correct in thinking that theres is some junk/files that get left behind?

If so, where might I find these (their typical locations on the hard drive) and is it safe to send them to the recycle bin?

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    better to use a proper cleaning program like

    ccleaner

    http://www.ccleaner.com/
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Cheers, but that involves installing something new on my computer when im trying to limit what i have, so i'd prefer to not do it that way
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    Saeed MSaeed M Posts: 270 The Mix Regular
    Blah wrote: »
    Cheers, but that involves installing something new on my computer when im trying to limit what i have, so i'd prefer to not do it that way

    CCleaner is probably the best way, unless you're really good at going through the cryptic Windows registry and deleting keys manually.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Blah wrote: »
    Cheers, but that involves installing something new on my computer when im trying to limit what i have, so i'd prefer to not do it that way

    Women ... :eek2:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    DiamondGeezer wrote: »
    Women ... :eek2:

    Its got nothing to do with my sex, can't you see my point?

    Im trying to get rid of some crap left behind by un-installed programmes. If i install a new programme to do that then i'll not only have an extra programme but when i choose to un-install it i'll be left with things from that. Defies the point
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    CCleaner doesn't get rid of all the redundant registry entries, I still see dozens left by Skype and other apps.

    blah: Some locations you might want to check for leftovers.

    C:\Program Files
    C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Application Data
    C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Local Settings\Temp
    C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Local Settings\Application Data
    C:\WINDOWS\system32 - Make sure you know what your looking for in here other wise you'll do more harm than good.

    Those locations will hold some information about old programs you have removed but 90% of information will be left if the registry as already said and you need to be very careful what you delete unless you know it isn't in use, thats why it's best to install a 3rd party application.

    If you worried about disk space, just buy a new hard disk, you can pick up something like a 250GB one for less than £45.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ccleaner is a pretty small program that doesnt install loads of junk, if you right click the recycle bin it comes up. Does extra little stuff, like will delete temp files etc. instead of just emptying recycle bin.

    Although when you uninstall a program through it I'm fairly sure it just runs the normal uninstall wizard...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Makoto wrote: »
    CCleaner doesn't get rid of all the redundant registry entries, I still see dozens left by Skype and other apps.

    blah: Some locations you might want to check for leftovers.

    C:\Program Files
    C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Application Data
    C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Local Settings\Temp
    C:\Documents and Settings\USER_NAME\Local Settings\Application Data
    C:\WINDOWS\system32 - Make sure you know what your looking for in here other wise you'll do more harm than good.

    Those locations will hold some information about old programs you have removed but 90% of information will be left if the registry as already said and you need to be very careful what you delete unless you know it isn't in use, thats why it's best to install a 3rd party application.

    If you worried about disk space, just buy a new hard disk, you can pick up something like a 250GB one for less than £45.

    Excellent, thank you :thumb:
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