Sometimes the only way you can get a program to work again in Windows is by removing and then reinstalling it. Or sometimes you just want to get rid of a Windows program — forever.
Follow these timesaving tricks to truly remove a program.:
1. Click Start, Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs.
Windows shows you the Add or Remove Programs dialog box.
2. Click Change or Remove Programs on the left; then click the program you want to remove.
If you want to try something less drastic than removing the program, click the Click Here for Support Information entry (if it's available). The program responds with a list of help resources.
 | Microsoft Office components give you a Repair option in the Support Info dialog box. Sometimes running a repair at this point will fix a problem. If the repair works, it's much less time-consuming (and hair-raising) than a complete Removal/Reinstall. Give it a try. |
3. If you're certain that you want to remove the program, click Remove.
Different programs label their buttons differently: Some say Remove, others Change/ Remove, others Change. No matter what the label, removing the program is always an option.
Windows asks if you are sure you want to remove the program.
4. Click Yes.
Almost all programs that aren't from Microsoft use unInstallShield or the Wise Uninstaller, called Unwise.
5. If you're uninstalling a Microsoft program, try the Repair option before removing the program completely.
A repair takes much less time than a removal followed by a reinstall. In the latest versions of Office, the Repair option works reasonably well.
6. Inevitably, Windows asks if you want to remove shared files. Unless you have a pointed, specific reason to remove the file, click No.
Windows keeps a count of how many different programs use specific files. When you install a program that uses that particular file, the counter is raised by one. When you delete a program that uses the file, the counter is lowered by one.
 | The counter isn't always right. If you leave a program on your machine that's never used, you lose a tiny sliver of hard drive space. If you remove a program that has to be used sometime in the future, you could be in for some, uh, interesting times — a completely different program might crash, for example. |
When the uninstaller finishes, look hard to see if there's any indication that something could not be removed.
7. To find out what the uninstaller left behind, click the Details button.
8. Try to manually remove whatever the uninstaller left behind.
In the case of a remaining Registry entry, for example, bring up the Registry Editor (click Start, Run, type regedit, and press Enter). On the left side, navigate to the key mentioned and delete it.
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