Third party application uninstallers use two methods to thoroughly uninstall software: Some uninstallers, like Revo Uninstaller, scan the computer system after the default uninstallation for leftovers. They list the files and Registry keys found so that the user can delete them.

Then there are programs that offer to monitor software installations. These applications record every file, folder and Registry key created during installation. These information are then used during uninstallation to remove the software completely from the system.

ZSoft Uninstaller combines both methods and then some in an easy to use interface.

The software uninstaller lists all installed programs after program start. By default, everything is lumped into the listing including Windows Updates. The Filters menu at the top offers to filter out specific groups including Windows Updates.

Programs can be uninstalled with a double-click on the program name in the listing of installed programs. This triggers the standard program uninstaller. ZSoft Uninstaller afterwards offers to search the system for leftovers. This has to be initiated by the user by double-clicking on the program title in the leftover section that opens up after at least one program has been uninstalled from the system.

The scan offers an interesting option. It will extract keywords automatically, but gives the user the choice to add keywords to the list of search words as well. This can be used to fine tune the search for leftovers. The uninstaller will search the file system and the Registry and display the findings in list form.

If there is something to criticize it is little things, like the missing option to mark all leftovers for deletion. The uninstaller creates backups of file and Registry leftover removals so that the data can be restored in the event that something has been deleted that is still needed.

But there is more to Zsoft Uninstaller than just the uninstallation of programs itself. The Analyze function offers to analyze a software installation, or to uninstall a previously analyzed program.

Those features alone make ZSoft Uninstaller one of the best, if not the best uninstaller for the Windows operating system. But there is more. It includes several nice to have tools, like a temp file finder, empty folder cleaner, startup program manager, badware finder among the installed programs and a tool to uninstall portable applications.

Programs can also be hidden from the installed programs list to avoid deleting them by accident. Windows users who would like to give ZSoft Uninstaller a try can download the application from the developer website over at ZSoft.dk. The uninstaller has been tested on a 64-bit Windows 7 Professional system, it should run fine on other Windows versions and editions as well.

The interface displays the maintenance tasks on the left sidebar. Selecting an entry displays its contents in the main window, this are for instance all installed programs if the Programs task is selected, or all installed updates if Windows Updates is selected.

comodo program manager

The functionality in the programs group is a bit disappointing, as it is only possible to uninstall programs with the build in uninstaller. Users who are looking for leftover scans after uninstallation will not find that feature implemented in Comodo Programs Manager.

uninstall program

The drivers and services section lumps drivers and Windows Services together in one big list, and offers to uninstall ALL of them. Now, we are not entirely sure if it is indeed possible to remove essential Windows drivers and services with a click, but the uninstall button was active on every item. This could be potentially disastrous for the operating system.

Windows Features offers the exact same functionality as its Windows pendant. Features can be installed or uninstalled easily, a Windows DVD or CD may be required to do so.

Windows Updates finally lists all installed updates. Each maintenance group offers a search form to locate specific entries.

The backup functionality that is integrated in the program did not work on our Windows 7 Professional 64-bit system needs to be activated in the program’s settings before it can be used.

Comodo Programs Manager is an easy to use program, but that’s almost the only selling point. Specialized programs like Revo Uninstaller, and the standard Windows applications offer the same or a better functionality. They are also not putting the operating system at risk by offering to uninstall core components.

Users who still want to try the application can download it at the official Comodo website.

Update: We have apparently overlooked two additional features offered by the application. Comodo Programs Manager can create custom setups for applications so that those programs can be deployed on other systems. The software also monitors program installations and system changes, keeps track of them and offers complete uninstallation options. All setup files are automatically scanned with a cloud-based antivirus engine. Thanks Zachary for pointing that out.

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.

Driver Sweeper has been covered about two years ago at Ghacks. The software has been designed to cleanup device driver leftovers both on the hard drive and the Windows Registry. The software program comes as a portable version or installer and can cleanup driver and Registry leftovers of the following hardware devices:

• AGEIA – PhysX
• ATI – Display
• Creative – Sound
• Microsoft -Mouse
• NVIDIA – Chipset
• NVIDIA – Display
• Realtek – Sound

While that does not cover all hardware devices it does provide the means to cleanup several of the most popular. All the user needs to do is to select and check one or multiple entries from the list and click on the Analyse button afterwards.

The program will scan the system for files and Registry settings for the selected type of hardware and display those in a list. All entries are checked by default and can be cleaned from that window. It is also possible to uncheck certain entries before starting the device driver cleanup process.

The developers of Driver Sweeper are recommending to uninstall the hardware using the uninstallation routines provided by the Windows operating system and / or hardware manufacturer before running their product to find and cleanup the leftovers. They also suggest to run Driver Sweeper in Safe Mode so that the tool can safely delete the files and Registry settings.

The software has an option to create backups of the device drivers which is highly recommended before starting the cleanup process. Another possibility is the software device driver backup which we covered before at Ghacks.

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.

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.

A reader mentioned Safarp recently in the comments which is another software handling the uninstallation process far better than Windows would ever do. I was pleasantly surprised about Safarps speed. It populated the list a lot faster than MyUninstaller which maybe can be attributed to the reduced amount of information that are displayed. By default only the name, the publisher and the estimated size are displayed while MyUninstaller displays additional information such as installation location and product version. Safarp displays version on most items if they are selected.

Both support uninstallation of programs, removal of entries in the list, quiet uninstall and program repair but that’s where the similarities end – better, that is where Safarps functionality ends.

MyUninstaller has several functions that make it the better product in the end. It supports uninstalling multiple entries at once, a link to the installation folder and Registry and a search for instance.

Safarp is definitely faster and probably the better uninstaller if you open it frequently. MyUninstaller offers more information and comfort functions which make it ideal for users who need those. I will continue to use MyUninstaller because of this.

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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