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Steve Bass's Weekly Newsletter
TechBite's columnist Steve Bass writes weekly commentary on the technology products he loves, the strategies for getting the most out of them, and the gotchas that can cause computing misery.
Pry Loose Stubborn Programs
In This Issue
Brute Force Uninstalls
Uninstalling Stubborn Programs
Tech Tip of the Week: Can You Hear Me?
Holy Mackerel: Trouble at PC World
Time Wasters
Can You Hear Me Now?
Brute Force Uninstalls
Here's a quiz: When's a program a permanent fixture on your desktop? When you can't find a way to uninstall it.
You've probably noticed that some programs you install never make it to the Windows Add/Remove applet; others simply disappear from the list. (I know, it couldn't be anything you've done, like maybe delete the app's directory....)
Making things worse is that some well-known apps don't create uninstallers on the local machine. For instance, AVG Free, an antivirus program, puts its uninstaller into the downloaded installation package -- something many users zap right after they have a successful install. So to uninstall AVG, you'd need to download and install the program again, then select uninstall from the installation options list. (Ain't computing fun?) One thing to try is Googling the program's name with the word uninstall. (Like this: "[program name] uninstall"). You may bump into a third-party program or script that'll do the dirty work for you.
If you can't see a program in Add/Remove, it makes uninstalling it a real pain in the Bass (also known as a PITA). I ran into the problem on Judy's PC recently with Apple's iTunes and QuickTime; it cost me a few beers and a couple of hours of troubleshooting.
The problem was iTunes wasn't installed completely, so I couldn't uninstall it. I was lucky and found a tool to do a brute force uninstall of iTunes. Remove It has programs -- actually, scripts -- to pry loose iTunes, McAfee, Microsoft's Zune, Live Messenger, and Adobe's Reader. (Note to experts: BFU, the Brute Force Uninstaller, is intriguing, but it's an empty shell -- it doesn't come with scripts.) [top]
Uninstalling Stubborn Programs
You still with me? Listen, these next few troubleshooting instructions will come in very handy one day -- really truly.
My first strategy in getting rid of an unwanted, but impossible-to-uninstall program is straightforward and usually successful: Reinstall the application and then remove it using Revo Uninstaller. If that works, cool, you're allie home free; crack open a beer and celebrate.
Unfortunately, reinstalling the app isn't always possible. One reason could be that the program took a nose dive the first time you installed it, maybe stopping midway. If it left bits of detritus on your PC, the junk easily confuses the installation program, an app that's usually not very smart as it is. So you might see the program's icon in the Start menu, but you get an error message when trying to run it.
Start by running Microsoft's Windows Installer CleanUp Utility. If the program you're having trouble with was installed using Windows Installer, the Cleanup Utility will list the program; select it to clean up remaining parts of the incomplete or faulty installation program. The Cleanup Utility won't do any harm.
Another trick is use a hard drive searching tool, such as the free Agent Ransack, to find and delete all the folders with the program's name. (First set a restore point, or back up the Registry with ERUNT, the tool I mentioned in a previous newsletter). If you have the tech skills, you can go into the Registry and search for the program's entries, then delete them. If you're a computer consultant and think you'll be doing this sort of thing often, you might invest in Registry Crawler. It's a $40 program that does a miraculous job of finding and removing all instances of specific entries.
Obviously you want to use some common sense -- known by experts as sechel -- and delete only folders and Registry entries that you're absolutely sure belong to the program. Then let the Registry cleaner in CCleaner find and remove leftover entries. Chances are good you'll be rid of the program.
Finally, close the loop by reinstalling the forlorn app and uninstall it properly using Revo. [top]
Tech Tip of the Week: Can You Hear Me?
Are you thinking of moving to voice over IP so you can make phone calls over the Internet, maybe with Skype? First go to the VoIP Speed Test site to make sure you have the bandwidth, as well as the quality of service, to get decent sound. The bandwidth analysis it provides gives you Quality of Service as a percentage you expect from your connection; it also tells you the number of concurrent VoIP lines your connection can support. Make sure you're not downloading a 10GB pirated video while you do the test. If things don't look kosher, contact your ISP and let them you know you're not getting your money's worth. [top]
Are you getting the very best out of Skype?
Find out by analyzing your bandwidth.
Holy Mackerel: Trouble at PC World
Everyone likes to watch a train wreck and here's what's happening at PC World.
In mid April, a 10 percent pay cut for all IDG Communications employees was announced (IDG is the parent of PC World). The cut included PCW, Macworld, GamePro, and International Books. Employees were told this would forestall layoffs.Uh-huh, right.
Two weeks later IDG pink slipped 12 PC World and Macworld employees in edit, design, IT, and ad sales; PCW's
online forum manager was also axed. I knew many of them.
Then in May, IDG announced layoffs across the IDG Enterprise group -- CIO, Computerworld, CSO, Industry Standard, InfoWorld, IT World, Network World, and DEMO, a trade show. IDG chief content officer John Gallant said the layoffs were "significant" and "affected a lot of departments... across the brands."
This month's issue of PC World is mighty thin. (Some of my old PIBMUG newsletters looked bigger.) I looked it over and spotted just one old-time contributing editor -- Lincoln Spector.
For an explanation of one of the problems facing PCW -- and other print and online magazines -- see Non Sequitur. [top]
Time Wasters
A tough game for you to muddle over, cute animal vids, and the inside scoop on logos.
Circle the Cat is a challenge, even if you're a cat person. I was able to nail the pussycat once, but do I have a strategy? Ha! Good luck. [Thanks to Don Peck]
Trap the cat, win the prize.
I've been remiss about pointing you to videos with cute animals. Here are two to help get me back on track. The first is Too Cute: Share the Love, ways we love our pets (and vice versa). The other -- and get ready for some ooohing and ahhhing -- is One Patient Cat; One Cute Puppy.
Wakeup, boss!
Designing a logo is an art, whether it's for your Web site or for your new delivery service. Take a look at 25 logos with hidden messages -- and read the commentary from Web professionals. [Thanks, Judy.]
Two logos with hidden messages.
I don't know about these kids, but if I was around when this dust devil hit, I'd head indoors. And quickly, too.
You just have to check out Once Upon a Time in America, a series of intriguing images from the early part of the century.
Image of the Week
Can You Hear Me Now?
If you can't, turn up your PC's volume. There, that's better. Now listen carefully: Here's where you forward this newsletter to your Aunt Sally, a smart PR manager, and maybe someone with a hard drive that's clicking. You know how to do it. Hit the Forward button on your e-mail program and send this newsletter to, as they say, everyone you know. If it's easier, just send the link: http://www.techbite.com. By the way, if you're enjoying this newsletter and getting something out of it, become a TechBite member by sending us some financial support using PayPal. I promise, good things will come your way... [top]
Steve Bass is the publisher and self-appointed Chief Content Officer at TechBite; he continues to experience the cool feeling of having his own newsletter. Send him your feedback at TechBite. To sign up for TechBite's free Steve Bass Technology newsletter, head for our signup page.
Steve's also the author of "PC Annoyances, 2nd Edition: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer," available on Amazon. You haven't purchased your copy today yet, have you? Don't wait, supplies are limited...
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