Revo Uninstaller is one of the most popular third party programs to clean up leftovers after program uninstallations in Windows. The program runs the default program uninstaller first, before it scans the system for leftovers to make sure that no traces remain on the PC.

The standard version is freeware. Revo Uninstaller Pro has all the features of the standard version plus several more that are especially suitable for tech savvy users and professional work environments.

The application displays a list of all installed programs on start up. The list is immediately available and divided into new programs at the top and all programs below that.

All functionality provided by the free version of the program is available in the pro version. The interface displays all program modules of Revo Uninstaller Free more or less in the same place. New options have been added to the interface. This includes a sidebar menu on the left linking to a set of related tools (which are also available in the free version but there only under Tools), additional options in the main menu bar and tabs to display multiple program modules at the same time.

The program uninstaller works nearly identical to that of the free program version. A few differences exist that are worth mentioning. It is first possible to configure and manage program groups in the pro version. You could move all important programs in a work group, or all Internet applications into the Internet group. This can be used to distinguish important apps from ones that can be removed from the system.

The pro version creates a system restore point and a full Registry backup before running the default program uninstaller and its cleanup module. The cleanup module benefits from advanced scanning algorithms that are not integrated in the free version.

What’s more? A forced uninstall feature is available to get rid of program remnants that are not listed (anymore) in the installed program list. That’s useful for instance if you have deleted a program directory accidentally, or when you want to remove partially installed or uninstalled programs.

Another interesting option that is only offered by the pro version of Revo Uninstaller is the ability to monitor program installations. This basically monitors all changes made to the system during program installation. Programs installed this way are listed under traced programs in Revo Uninstaller Pro. The monitoring makes sure that all traces of a program will be removed from the system during uninstallation.

Additional pro-only features include the ability to export or print the list of installed programs, a customizable user interface, visual themes support, command line program support and full 64-bit compatibility.

The program options display several interesting preferences. Registry keys, folders and files can for instance be excluded from being analyzed and included by the program during cleanup.

Verdict

Revo Uninstaller Pro tops the free version in many regards. Backups, full 64-bit support, real-time monitoring of program installations, and forced uninstallations are all features that extend the free version’s functionality. The developers could work on the reporting and log accessibility though. An option to create uninstallation reports would come in handy in business and professional environments.

In the end it all comes down whether you are satisfied with the functionality that the excellent free version offers, or if you need one or multiple of the features that the pro version adds on top of that.

Both the free version and a 30-day trial version of the professional program version can be downloaded from the developer website. A portable version is offered there as well.

Giveaway

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A weakness of the default program uninstaller in Windows is that it cannot scan the system for leftovers. If you install and uninstall lots of programs, you end up with orphan files and Registry entries that take up space and may even cause other issues like organizational issues with empty folders on the system.

IObit Uninstaller has just been released in version 2. The portable software is comparable to Revo Uninstaller in functionality. Version 2 has received several new and improved features, including a new user interface, a new forced uninstall mode to find programs in a program search that are not in the standard program listing, multi-language support and better and more secure leftover scanning options.

The program opens incredibly fast on execution. The program listing is populated immediately. Each program is listed with its name, size and install date. All columns are sortable so that you can list the most recently installed programs or programs that take up the most space on the computer’s hard drive.

A right-click on an entry in the program listing opens a context menu with options to uninstall the program, remove the entry from the listing (handy if the program is already uninstalled but the listing remained as a leftover), to open the file folder or to search for the program online. The only search searches for the full program name and version on Google.

The uninstaller features a standard and advanced uninstallation mode. The difference is that the advanced uninstall runs a scan for leftovers after program uninstallation, while the standard uninstall won’t.

IObit Uninstaller creates a system restore point before the program can be uninstalled.

The scan searches on the hard drive and in the Registry for leftovers, and displays items found in list form on a new screen after the program uninstallation.

A batch uninstall option is available to uninstall multiple programs in rapid succession. You need to enable batch uninstall first. This adds check boxes to all program entries so that you can select multiple programs in the listing.

It is interesting to note that the uninstaller tries to uninstall all programs at once with the least amount of user interaction.

The left sidebar of the program window offers additional listings. This includes toolbars that are installed on the system, a listing that only includes software that has been recently installed, a listing for large programs, one for programs that are rarely used and a Windows updates listing. The functionality remains the same in all listings.

A click on Forced Uninstall opens another menu with options to add a full program path, a program’s exact name, or a program via drag and drop to the window to uninstall it even if it is not listed in the installed program listing.

IObit Uninstaller 2 is available for download at the IObit website. It is freeware and compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system.

How does it compare to Revo Uninstaller then? IObit Uninstaller 2.0 detects more installed programs than Revo Uninstaller (121 to 92 on my system) which can be at least partially attributed to missing Microsoft software entries in the Revo Uninstaller listing.

Both programs share the same functionality. Both create a system restore point before uninstallations, and both scan for leftovers on the system after uninstallation. Revo Uninstaller comes with additional tools, like an Autorun Manager which IObit Uninstaller does not offer. The latter on the other hand offers additional handy program listings, like the listing of rarely used programs.

What I like about IObit Uninstaller 2 is that it appears to be a bit easier to select the relevant leftovers for deletion.

IObit Uninstaller is another application that tackles those uninstallation leftovers. The portable software uninstaller displays a list of installed programs in its interface. The sidebar contains several other useful shortcuts to only list toolbars, programs that have been recently installed, large programs, rarely used software and Windows Updates.

The option to list recently installed software is nice for someone who reviews software on a daily basis.

Installed programs are listed with their name, size and installation date in the interface. A search on top can be used in case lots of software is installed on the PC.

Checkboxes in front of every program entry can be used to select multiple programs for uninstallation at once.

IObit Uninstaller supports both normal and advanced uninstallations. A forced uninstall option is provided as well in case the uninstaller offered by the application itself is not available or working anymore.

The advanced uninstaller performs the same routine that Revo Uninstaller performs. It begins by starting the default software uninstaller of each selected program. The user has to follow the uninstaller until it finishes.

The powerful scan will afterwards scan the system for leftovers. Leftovers that are found are then displayed so that they can be kept on the system or deleted.

All file and Registry leftovers are displayed in this menu. IObit Uninstaller handles this step better than Revo Uninstaller as it lists the entries directly.

IObit Uninstaller creates a system restore point before the uninstallation is started to give the user an option to restore the settings if something went wrong during uninstallation.

The manage menu in the program interface holds options to export a list of installed applications, manage the log files that the program automatically creates and to start System Restore.

IObit Uninstaller is an excellent program to uninstall software in Windows. Its leftover scanner ensures that no entries of the uninstalled program remain on the computer system.

The portable software program is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows. The download is offered at the developer’s website.

Arp++ is a portable software program that promises to do better. Running Arp++ next to the default uninstallation module visualizes the latter problem. The uninstaller displays additional software programs that the default Windows uninstallation module is not displaying at all.

The program falls a bit short on options. It is possible to hide updates from the list of programs that can be uninstalled in Windows. That’s usually a good start as it makes it easier to skim through the rest of applications listed. Programs can be removed by selecting them and clicking on the Remove button.

Arp++ does not offer advanced features (like scanning the computer system for leftovers after installation) that other uninstallers like Revo Uninstaller offer. It is on the other hand more responsive than the default Remove Programs module in Windows. The developer is offering a 32-bit and 64-bit edition of Arp++ on the homepage.

The program is basically cleaning the traces from the computer system if the user deleted the program folder on the hard drive manually. The portable software program will list all existing program entries in a table with information about the application name, publisher and Registry key. Available options are to start the default uninstallation of the software program or to delete the remaining traces from the computer system.

The application will be automatically refreshed after a program has been uninstalled or refreshed.

Other applications that are probably worth considering are Revo Uninstaller, MyUninstaller or Safarp which do provide additional features that Uninstall Cleaner does not provide.

Especially Revo Uninstaller can be very thorough when uninstalling software programs from a computer system.

These files can be deleted manually as well but this usually puts the effort and time solely on the user. A third possibility would be to run Atomic Cleaner which comes with a mode to clean game leftovers from a computer system.

Atomic Cleaner looks like the usual system cleaners. It can not only clean game leftovers but provides access to a temporary files and Internet cleaner as well. It offers four buttons to start the three different cleanups and one that will initiate a full system cleanup.

The user can initiate to clean the system immediately by selecting any of the four main buttons or take a look in the advanced menu. The advanced menu provides options to scan the system without removing the data immediately. Atomic Cleaner displays a table after the scan that displays the space that the user could free if he would delete the temporary data on the computer system.

The advanced menu contains the option to add additional locations that should be cleaned up regularly. This is an interesting option for users who run applications that use their own temporary folders to create files on a computer system. The only option that is missing completely is one to perform Registry cleanups.

Revo Uninstaller is a replacement for the mediocre Windows Uninstaller which more often than not fails to uninstall software properly. It’s probably not even the fault of the Windows Uninstaller but many applications leave traces like temporary or configuration files and registry keys behind after uninstallation.

This is where Revo Uninstaller really excels at. It scans the computer after uninstallation (which is initiated in Revo Uninstaller) and lists all objects that have not been uninstalled depending on the scan mode that you select. The choice is up to the user who can simply uninstall the application which would be equivalent to the Windows Uninstaller or choose between a Safe, Moderate and Advanced Mode of uninstallation.

The difference between the three modes is the depth of the scan after the uninstallation has completed. As I said earlier I would like to point at some features of Revo Uninstaller that are not so commonly known. The main function of Revo Uninstaller is of course the uninstallation of software, a click on the Tools button however reveals additional functions that I did discover a while ago.

Tracks Cleaner is one of those features that I would like to point out. It can be used to remove traces of deleted files on your hard drives which makes them unrecoverable by normal means. In addition to that it is possible to delete files or folders permanently so that they are not recoverable as well.

The three other entries in the Tracks Cleaner menu are not that useful in my opinion because they cannot be automated. In case you are asking you can delete the recent documents history in Microsoft Office, several traces in Windows like the Start Menu Run History and temporary files and settings in browsers.

It would be nice if the option to delete files permanently would be integrated in the uninstallation process so that it would not be necessary to visit the Tools page to delete them afterwards again.

Many registry entries but also entries in the Windows profile folder are not deleted if you use the Windows uninstaller. Now, Revo Uninstaller offers a way that makes sure that no leftovers remain on your system after uninstallation. It does that by adding a scanner to the uninstallation process that observers which files are getting deleted and scans the computer afterwards for leftovers.

It actually offers four different modes when uninstalling a program. The modes are Built-in which only runs the uninstaller of the software, Safe which is the fastest mode that scans part of the Registry and hard drive, Moderate which offers an extended scan of the Registry and Hard Drive and finally Advanced which performs a deep scan of the Registry and Hard Drive.

The default mode is Moderate which does a very good job in identifying leftovers that can be uninstalled as well. The user is given a choice if he wants to uninstall those leftovers. It’s easy to decided most of the time especially when the leftover uses the name of the application that you just uninstalled.

Revo Uninstaller has another unique feature that is worth writing about. It is called the Hunter Mode. If you activate that mode a small icon appears on your screen and you can drag and drop shortcuts or programs from many Windows locations on it.

When you move a file on the icon you will be see a menu with options to uninstall it, stop the program from auto starting, to kill the process, open the containing folder, perform a Google search or take a look at the properties. Not even option makes sense for every program that you drag and drop on the icon.

You do not need to kill the process if the program is not running for instance. The most interesting option is the Uninstall option which works with program shortcuts, system tray icons and start menu entries. This is great if you do not want to search for the program folder or location to uninstall it.

Revo Uninstaller does a very thorough job even when run in moderate settings. It identifies leftovers that would not be uninstalled if you would use another uninstaller like the default Windows uninstaller.

Revo Uninstaller steps in and provides a way to remove those leftovers. This is done by scanning the system before and after the software uninstallation process displaying leftovers that contain the name of the uninstalled software. Those leftovers can then be selected and removed as well effectively cleaning your system from those unneeded files.

The uninstaller scans your system for installed softwares and displays them with icons by default. This can be changed to display names only or details that add information like version number and size to the list. A right-click gives the user the choice to uninstall the software, to remove it, to search the Internet for information about it, to open its folder on the hard drive or the registry key.

Revo Uninstaller starts the normal uninstallation routine if the user chooses to uninstall the software and displays all leftover registry settings and files afterwards. Not all of those displayed can be deleted however. It is for instance not advised to uninstall files that are used by other applications as well which means the user has to know if a file or registry setting is still needed.

A rule of thumb would be to delete all files and folders that have been in the same folder as the software that has been uninstalled. Most registry settings can be removed as well, especially start menu entries, shell extensions that used the software and the like.

Independently from the uninstaller are several other options in Revo Uninstaller. Most center around deleting junk and temporary files and ways to securely delete files.

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