Uninstall software to speed up your PC

Be warned that you should not remove an application unless you are absolutely sure what it is and that you can do without it. In all versions of Windows, there are two main ways in which unwanted software can be removed. The first option is to see if a program has its own uninstaller. To do this, click Start followed by All Programs and then open the program group relating to the application that is no longer needed. Look for a link labelled ‘Uninstall ’ or ‘Remove ’. Click this link to launch the uninstaller and to be guided through the removal process.

If such an option is not available turn to the Control Panel. In Windows XP, click the Start button followed by the Control Panel link and then double-click the Add or Remove Programs icon. A list of software that has been installed will be displayed and below each entry is information about how much hard disk space each program occupies. Select the program you want to uninstall and then click the Remove button that appears. The Sort By menu can be used to find programs that are not used very often.

The process is very similar in Windows Vista. Click the Start button followed by the Control Panel link and then double-click the Programs and Features icon. Again, a list of installed software will be displayed and the program that is to be uninstalled should be selected. Above the list, click the Uninstall or Uninstall/Change button that appears and run through the uninstallation process. A message may appear asking if shared components should be removed, and in the vast majority of cases you should click Yes to allow this.

For users of Windows 7, the process of uninstalling unwanted software is very much the same as in Vista. To make it easier to identify programs that have not been used for a while – and are therefore likely candidates for removal – right-click the Name column heading and select More from the menu that appears. Tick the box labelled Last Used On and click OK. Click the heading of the new column that appears to order the software list by the date the programs were last used ­ consider removing any that have not been used for a long time.

It is also possible to remove some components of Windows itself if they are not needed. In Windows XP, click the Add/Remove Windows Components button to the left of the Add or Remove Programs window, while in Vista and Windows 7 the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ link needs to be clicked. Untick the boxes next to any tools and features that are not needed and click OK. It may be necessary to restart Windows once the remove process is complete.

As a last resort, look to a dedicated uninstallation utility ­- there are plenty to choose from. A copy of the free utility Revo Uninstaller can be downloaded by paying a visit to www.snipca.com/x638. Run through the installation and then launch the program, which can be used in several ways. The first option is to simply remove software by selecting it in the list that is displayed and then clicking the Uninstall button ­ a search facility is also available. Alternatively, click the Hunter Mode button and then drop a program shortcut onto the target that appears to remove the associated program.