Is it safe to use a free uninstaller?

Q  The hard disk on my Windows Vista PC is filling up. I have several applications that I no longer use, so I decided I should remove them – but I’m not sure how.

I used Google to search for free uninstall tools and found www.freeuninstalltool.com. Will this do what I want?
Harry Bashford

A  In most cases, removing applications from a Windows PC is easy and requires no additional software. In Vista, for example, click Start followed by Control Panel and choose Programs followed by Programs and Features.

Windows will take a few moments to prepare an audit of all the programs on your PC that it knows about and will display the results in a list, sorted alphabetically by name.

Just scroll through this list to find a program you no longer need, click to highlight it, click the Uninstall button and follow the prompts (note that some applications may offer additional options, such as Repair).

As for installing specialist uninstaller software, we’d generally say it’s not worth the bother. People who regularly add or remove applications may find such tools beneficial because, once they are themselves installed, some uninstaller programs keep a closer eye than Windows on what files are put where, making for cleaner uninstallations later.

However, in regard to the specific program you mention, we’d steer clear: it gets very poor (red-flag) ratings from the community-powered Web of Trust service (see www.mywot.com or the workshop published in Computeractive issue 315), which is never a good sign.

We’d also recommend avoiding use of Google as a method of finding free software full stop, because authors of malicious software take full advantage of this kind of naivety.

It’s far safer to look for free software from trusted sources (such as the Downloads area of our own website, at www.computeractive.co.uk/downloads).