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About the Author Dave Andrews is a software developer with a business and Web site selling programs and other computer services in Franklin, Tenn. Having worked in the IT industry for more than 8 years, Andrews has an intimate understanding of computer technologies. He holds a degree in computer science from Middle Tennessee State University with a minor in mathematics.
Andrews began working with computers when he was nine years old, programming BASIC on a Precomputer 2000. He now programs in C/C, Java, Microsoft.Net, ASP, Python and PHP and has written large, integrated program used by clients as large as state governments.
Andrews is currently employed by a government IT department and enjoys the public service and constant challenge that such a position provides.
Welcome to BleepingComputer, a free community where people like yourself come together to discuss and learn how to use their computers. Using the site is easy and fun. As a guest, you can browse and view the various discussions in the forums, but can not create a new topic or reply to an existing one unless you are logged in. Other benefits of registering an account are subscribing to topics and forums, creating a blog, and having no ads shown anywhere on the site. Or read our to learn how to use this site. How to Remove an Installed Program in Windows.
Guide Overview This guide will explain how to remove programs that have been installed on your computer. Windows XP Instructions. Click on the Start button on the taskbar and then click on the Control Panel icon as shown below.
Please double-click the Add or Remove Programs icon:. A list of programs installed will be populated this may take a bit of time. In this list please find the program that you would like to remove and click Change (or Change/Remove):. A wizard should then open, which will guide you through the rest of the uninstall. Windows Vista and Windows 7 Instructions. Click on the Windows 7 Start Menu button ( ) and then click on the Control Panel.
Please double-click the Uninstall a program icon:. A list of programs installed will be populated this may take a bit of time. In this list please find the program that you would like to remove and select it by left-clicking once on it. Then click on the Uninstall button to start the uninstall process for this program.
How To Install Computer Games
A wizard should then open, which will guide you through the rest of the uninstall. If you find a visual aid appealing, you may like to watch the following video presentations which will show the above steps exactly as you would see them on your computer. Edited by Grinler, 03 May 2011 - 05:02 PM. Hello evbdy, I like the forum cause I find it very useful.
Recently I installed Paragon Data software. But unfortunately I can't remove it either through Control Panel (as shown above) or this software's Uninstall shield. It runs the Uninstal shild but the window accidently shuts and writes it has successfully finished the action. But the software is still on my PC.
I guess it has a kind of wrong Uninstall process. Please, advise me how to uninstall it totally. Any reply would be appreciated! Also this:to delete all files. I believe Paragon have a data wipe as well similar to Secure Erase but they are for total data deletion similar to a format ie.non selective.
If you can remove all data that leaves the Registry to clean up,a daunting task,all those stray&orphaned keys.CCleaner 'issues' can do a stirling job of that with one click. I should add a standard Caveat here as I have no personal experience of Delete Dr& just came across it,but it is freeware. Performing a search for Paragon files and deleting them,followed up by CCleaners mop up of the Registry should be sufficient under normal circumstances.A search in the Paragon Folder may reveal Uninstall exe to make things easier.
Edited by Deodar, 17 September 2006 - 03:22 AM. I recommend deleting the program's files. If the files are reported 'in use' by Windows, try to kill the process tree through Task Manager. If this is not possible, use. Then, delete all Application Data and Local Settings Application Data directories of this program.
Finally, use to clean up, deleting all bad registry entries and clearing all temporary files. Then, try to kill the program's process tree, and reboot. If all this doesn't work, use Edited by garmanma, 25 October 2008 - 07:09 PM. Removed reference to registry cleaners-mark.
Have you ever obtained an executable ( EXE) file and been unsure about its safety? Maybe it's a trojan in disguise that your anti-virus won't pick up, perhaps sent as an attachment in an e-mail or maybe you found it on a file-sharing site or network. This also applies to other types of files too that you might think are unsafe - or maybe you just like to be safe all the time. This guide will show you how to run potentially harmful software without getting a nasty malware infection or a similar bad outcome. Follow the Guide Author on: Introduction & Requirements Software you must download and install Required: You must download and install Sandboxie from AfterDawn and install it on your computer.
It is freeware.! You will need download the executable file from AfterDawn in order to install the program on your computer. The download is only about half a megabyte in size so it should be very quick. Note that if you are running the Windows 2000 operating system, you might have to install if you don't already have it.
When you have downloaded the executable file, run it. Sandboxie Installation During the setup, you may need to disable any system protection software you have installed.
The reason for this is Sandboxie requires a system-level driver to be installed so that it can do it's job. Security software on some systems will warn that this might be a malicious piece of software embedding itself into the operating system, but don't worry, Sandboxie is one of the good guys. Only disable your security software if you run into an error after clicking Next on the Driver Installation screen. What does Sandboxie do?
In a nutshell, Sandboxie runs potentially dangerous software in a safe way. It does this by creating temporary storage in which the program can write. A program you run with Sandboxie can read data from the hard disk drive, but when it tries to write data back to your hard drive, this data is only written to the temporary storage - or captured by the 'sandbox'. When you are done with your sandbox, all the data the program attempted to write is erased.
So essentially, when using Sandboxie with a program, any files it tries to write to the hard drive won't be permanently written, and any registry entries it tries to create won't be saved to the registry. You can use Sandboxie for more than just checking potentially dangerous files too. For example, you can run a whole web browser Sandboxed, which means all of your private data used stored to the hard drive will be captured by the Sandbox and discarded when you throw it away. This program is truly one of those tools that should be installed on every computer, it would save a lot of time and money if programs like this were encouraged, and if people were shown how easy it is to stay safe.
Sandboxie First Run Run Sandboxie Control from its Start Menu folder (it may be running in the system tray too) and you will see a window like the one above. Inside the Window is 'Sandbox.DefaultBox'. That is the default Sandbox, as explained in the last paragraph, it has setup temporary storage for any program you run to write to it. As you will see later you can create multiple Sandboxes if you want to.
For now, however, let's just run a program for fun, starting with a web browser. Running a Web Browser Sandboxed As an example of how to run a program Sandboxed easily, let's run your default web browser. Click Sandbox. A list of Sandboxes will now appear - but since this is our first time using it, and we haven't created a new Sandbox, the only Sandbox listed is 'DefaultBox'. Put the pointer over it to view the next menu.
From that Menu, choose Run Sandboxed. From the resulting options, click Run Web Browser. Your web browser will now appear looking exactly the same as usual, except the Title bar will have # at the start and end of the Title like this. So now when I visit AfterDawn.com, it can read my cookie from the hard drive, so I am automatically logged in.
However, any settings or information this Firefox session tries to save to the hard drive is caught in the Sandbox (DefaultBox ours is called), and so is not written to the hard drive. That includes Cookies, Downloads, History, Bookmarks, Add-ons etc. They are all caught in the Sandbox. Now let's take a look back at the Sandboxie Control window now. Sandboxie Running Processes Double-click on Sandbox.DefaultBox as shown above. This will collapse a list of programs running in the Sandbox. In the example above, you can see that firefox.exe is running in the Sandbox (which is called DefaultBox, you can name your Sandboxes anything you want).
The other two processes, SanboxieRpcSs.exe and SandboxieDcomLaunch.exe are just two of Sandboxie's processes that are required to run this particular software properly. I just want to emphasize here that Firefox is actually running normally. It is not running in a virtual environment, it is running at full speed and it can read data from the hard drive, access the Internet etc. The only difference is, anything firefox.exe tries to write to the hard drive is caught by the Sandbox - Basically it is stored in 'DefaultBox'.
So if I visit websites, my cookies will be stored in DefaultBox. To emphasize how Sandbox intercepts these changes, we are now going to do a little bit of an experiment. We are going to setup a second Sandbox and run Notepad.
In notepad we are going to write a line of text, and try to save it to the hard drive, and see then how we can find our text file. Notepad Example Step 1 - Create New Sandbox In Sandboxie Control, click the Sandbox menu and then click the 'Create New Sandbox' option.
The window you will see will be exactly like the one shown above. Give your Sandbox a name - no spaces or special characters - call it something like mine 'NotepadSandbox'. The click the OK button.
Notice now that there is a new Sandbox in the window. In my case it is called 'Sandbox.NotepadSandbox'. Now, we are currently using the freeware version of Sandboxie, which means we cannot have more than one active Sandbox at a time. Therefore, we need to stop the DefaultBox sandbox in order to continue.
Right click on the DefaultBox sandbox as shown above. Now from the list of options that come up, click Terminate Programs. The web browser you had Sandboxed will now close, and the status of DefaultBox will no longer be Active. This does not have to be done if you buy a Full license for Sandboxie.
Notepad Example Step 2 - Run Notepad Click the Sandbox menu again. Notice this time that there are now two Sandboxes listed: DefaultBox is still there, and NotepadSandbox is now there too. From the NotepadSandbox menu, navigate to the Run Sandboxed menu as shown above. From the options, this time choose Run Any Program.
NOTE: The small box that will now load works exactly like the Windows 'Run' function, therefore to run Notepad, all you actually have to do is type 'notepad' and click OK. However, just so you get some use from the program, let's go the long way about opening it directly from the Notepad.exe file (unless for some reason you can't find it). Click Browse. When a small window pops up looking for you to input what program you want to run, click the Browse button. A file browser will now appear. Navigate to the Windows folder on your hard drive and locate Notepad.exe. Select it, as shown above, and click Open.
Notepad will now open, and it will appear as a running process under the appropriate sandbox in Sandboxie Control. Notepad Example Step 3 - Write Note & Save So, start by typing a note into the Notepad window - try to be more creative than I evidently am. When you have finished your note, click File - Save. Now, choose a location to save the file. So as you will notice pretty quickly, you can choose to save it anywhere on your hard drive.
You can clearly see all the files. It looks in no way different to any other time you have used Notepad.
However, even though you can see the files, it will not be physically saved in any directory that you choose. Let's try and save it anyway. I am trying to save it in the My Documents folder as 'mysandboxedfile.txt'. I click Save and as far as Notepad is concerned, the file is saved. Please note that you might now get an option to recover the saved text file, but do NOT recover it, there is a point to this example. But is it saved?
Check where you saved your file (My Documents is an easy place to check). It's not there? So is it lost? No, it has just been saved into the Sandbox, not onto the hard drive. So let's see if we can find the physical file.
Go back to Sandboxie Control. Notepad Example Step 4 - Find the Saved File In Sandboxie Control, right click on the Active Sandbox that Notepad is running with. From the options, click Explore Contents.
You will now get a warning about how you are going to be exploring the contents in a standard Windows folder view. Now, try to find your text file. So how did I find mine?
Well when the Windows Explorer window pops up, you will be in a folder that has two sub-folders (at least); Drive and User. If you saved your text file to any of your User account folders ( My Documents, My Videos, My Music etc.), then open the User folder, and you will find the appropriate folder is there. In the picture above, my 'mysandboxedfile.txt' is inside a folder called My Documents, because that's where I chose to save it on the hard drive. If you saved the text file somewhere else on your hard drive, or on another system drive, then open the Drive folder.
In there, choose the Drive you saved it to ( C for C: etc.). You will notice that you can easily find the text file by following the path you would have saved it to on your hard drive. So you are now looking inside the Sandbox. Notepad.exe tried to write your text file to the hard drive and Sandboxie dumped it into temporary storage instead (look at the Address bar in the screenshot above to get a hint of where it might be on your machine).
IMPORTANT NOTE: When you are browsing the Sandbox, you are doing so with a normal Windows Explorer window. Therefore, anything you choose to run from it will run normally, and will be able to write to the hard drive. Keep this in mind when testing for dangerous software.
You can also copy and paste files out of the Sandbox if you want using the normal copy and paste options. Viewing Files and Folders from Sandbox Control I just wanted to point out that in Sandboxie Control, you can click View - File and Folders, and instead of showing you what programs are running Sandboxed, it will allow you to look at the files and folders that are within the Sandbox. You can switch it back by simply clicking View - Programs. Removing Sandboxes When you are done with a Sandbox, you can choose to remove it altogether, or you can choose to leave it there but delete all contents (right-click on the Sandbox and click Delete Contents). In order to remove a Sandbox you will need to delete all of its contents first, then, right click on it, and click Remove Sandbox as shown. If you cannot remove the Sandbox, or delete its contents, it is because something is using something in the Sandbox.
For example, did you close the folder that was opened so that you could find the text document? If you close everything and still can't do it, you might want to try again later after a reboot, but these problems are generally rare.
Quick ways to launch Sandboxed programs As you can see, from your Start Menu there are a bunch of options for Sandboxie to quickly perform tasks without having to open the Sandboxie Control fully to do it. Sandboxie Start Menu Something you might like to create a Shortcut of on your Desktop is the Sandboxie Start Menu (you can find it in your Start Menu folder, right-click to copy to desktop). This way you can choose from anything that resides in your Start Menu easily to run immediately Sandboxed. Finally Hopefully this guide will have shown you how to run programs in a Sandboxed environment well enough that you will remember it. This can save you from bad malware infections if you open unknown programs this way. If you have any questions or comments regarding Sandboxie, please visit our and ask for help there.
Follow the Guide Author on.
By You install a computer program so that you can do new things by using those programs — things you can’t do with the programs you already have. You can install a computer program to add new capabilities to your computer, such as creating greeting cards or drafting legal documents. Some programs are free; others cost money. Programs designed for professional work may cost hundreds of dollars.
If you are a user of Windows 10, check out the article on. To install programs from a CD or DVD:. Insert the program disc into your computer’s disc drive or tray, label side up (or, if your computer has a vertical disc slot instead, insert the disc with the label side facing left). The AutoPlay dialog box appears. Click the option to run Install or Setup. User Account Control may ask if you really want to run this program. (Windows 7 tries to keep you from installing software unintentionally by asking for confirmation.) If nothing happens when you insert the disc, choose Start→Computer to open the Computer window; double-click the icon for your DVD or CD drive; and then double-click a program named Setup or Install.
If the installer offers a language selection, choose yours; likewise, agree to the end-user license agreement, if requested. Many installers require you to accept an end-user license agreement (EULA).
You can read the EULA or not, but you can’t install without agreeing to its terms. If the installer offers Express or Custom installation options, choose the Express option to let the installer set up the program without further input from you.
The Custom option or Advanced Settings allows you to specify where to install the program and, perhaps, which parts of the program to install. Some installers provide other options to install documentation and other programs or to register the program. As the installer program continues to run and display dialog boxes, click the Next or Continue button. You proceed to the next dialog box each time you click.
Click the Finish or Close button in the last step of the installer program to complete the process. In a few cases, the setup program may ask you to restart Windows 7. In this case, you don’t have to restart immediately, but you won’t be able to use the new program until you do restart. The new program may appear automatically at the bottom of the first screen of the Start menu. Look under All Programs as well. Newly installed programs are highlighted in color.
Some installers add a program icon to the desktop.
Advertisement With the many years that Windows has behind it, it’s no surprise what a wealth of software exists for the platform. Over the life of your Windows installation, you’ve probably picked up a variety of programs yourself. We hope that you’re using some of Windows is swimming in a sea of free applications. Which ones can you trust and which ones are the best? If you're unsure or need to solve a specific task, consult this list., but there’s another side. Many people keep unnecessary software installed on their systems. Some programs are just outdated, others are downright malicious. Let’s take a look at commonly installed software you don’t need to have on your PC.
How to Check Your Programs Not sure how to check the installed programs on your system? For Windows 7 and above, click on the Start button and type Programs and Features. This will open your Programs list, where you can review everything currently installed on your system. To remove a piece of software, just right-click it and choose Uninstall. Depending on the software, it might uninstall immediately or require you to advance through some dialogue boxes.
This method should work fine for most users, but if you find you need to uninstall lots of software, have a look at our A mass installer or uninstaller can save you heaps of time. Remember the last time you set up a new computer? We are going to teach you how to do these tasks in a flash.
Microsoft Silverlight Once upon a time, having a variety of browser plug-ins installed was essential to having a smooth experience. One site needed Flash to play videos, another required Java for an applet, and a third needed Silverlight. That time is largely gone, and as Web browsers have become much more secure and hardened against attack over the years. The big browser security problem these days is browser plugins. I don’t mean the extensions that you install in your browser.
Continue to fade in use, they have become unnecessary. Microsoft Silverlight was sort of an alternative to Flash, and used to be required for watching Netflix in your browser (it’s since ). However, very few sites use Silverlight these days, and security patches will only support it until its end of life in 2021. Neither Chrome nor Edge support it, and it’s unlikely you’ll ever find a site that needs it nowadays.
Any and All Toolbars Toolbars used to Browser toolbars just don't seem to go away. Let's look at some common nuisances and detail how to remove them., but modern versions of Chrome and other browsers have gotten better at blocking them.
But you might still be running one of these useless toolbars. Aside from wasting screen space, they slow down your browser speed and replicate features already in the browser, like shortcuts and Google searching. Even the Google Toolbar for internet Explorer, while not malicious, is just unnecessary, as internet Explorer 11 includes a search bar. Have a look in your programs list for toolbars like the Bing Bar, Google Toolbar for internet Explorer, Ask Toolbar, Yahoo! Toolbar, or the Babylon Toolbar. If you find any of them, throw them out.
Afterwards, make sure to Have you ever opened your browser of choice and been greeted with a bizarre-looking start page or an unsightly toolbar glued to the top of the page? Restore your browser to tip-top shape. Coupon Printer for Windows The purpose of Coupon Printer for Windows is to give access to the deals from Coupons.com.
How To Program My Computer
However, since this software is typically found bundled in with other programs, chances are you that you didn’t want to install it in the first place. If I remote into your PC and see 'Coupon Printer for Windows', I know I'm scanning for Malware before I log out.
— Methos (Adam) (@seven5three) If you’re a die-hard Coupons.com user, you can leave this one installed so you can access your discounts. Everyone else, however, should check out Coupon sites are one of the best and easiest ways to save when shopping online.
From quick deals to guides on how to control your budget, here are the best coupon resources on the Web. That don’t require you to install anything. PC Cleaners Many users have installed (or accidentally installed) a PC-cleaning app at one time or another.
The majority of these products range from useless to harmful, as Much advice has been given on how to keep your computer running smoothly, as well as how to fix it when it has become slow. We have even published a Windows on Speed guide, written. If you find MyCleanPC, PC Cleaner 5000, or Advanced Windows Cleaner in your installed list, you should remove them. To Overzealous PC cleaning can break things, but some cleaning will help you free up space and keep your system running quickly., we recommend using a combination of built-in Windows tools and trusted software to safely remove unneeded files.
Java Java is a runtime that includes two components: Java on the desktop, found under Programs and Features in Windows, and the Java plug-in for browsers (which is Flash isn't the only browser plugin that presents a risk to your online privacy and security. Here are three more plugins that you probably have installed in your browser, but should uninstall today.).
Free Download IDT High Definition Audio Driver 6.10.6429.0 for Windows 8 x64 (Sound Card). Choose Manage and then find Device Manager in the left panel) 2. This package supports the following driver models:IDT High Definition Audio CODEC. Idt audio control panel windows 8 free download. Idt audio control panel free download - IDT High Definition Audio CODEC, Startup Control Panel, IDT High Definition Audio CODEC, and many more programs.
Though far more common than Silverlight, Java is similar in that its use is dropping steadily. Last year, When Java was first released in 1995, it was revolutionary. But now, it's safe to say that Java has lost its shine, and Google is about to drop support for it in Chrome. For a long time, many people kept Java installed because Minecraft required it. However, this is no longer the case, as the game now includes its own version of Java bundled in. We’ve discussed Macs are generally secure, but Java has been causing security problems for years.
It's finally time to get rid of Java on your Mac; here's how., and many of the issues also pertain to Windows. Unless you’re an Android developer or use other specialized software that relies on Java, such as MATLAB, LibreOffice Base, or PDF Split and Merge, you can uninstall Java and probably never notice a difference. If you do need to keep Java installed on your desktop, check our guide on Oracle’s Java plug-in has become less and less common on the Web, but it’s become more and more common in the news. Whether Java is allowing over 600,000 Macs to be infected or Oracle is. Manufacturer Junk Unless you’re running a premium device like the Surface Pro 4 ( If you’re looking for a flexible portable hybrid computer, one that is capable of replacing your notebook and iPad or Android tablet, the Surface Pro 4 Core M3 device is a perfectly adequate replacement.) or installed Windows from scratch on a new desktop, chances are you have lots of junk from the manufacturer installed. Laptops from HP, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo, and more are prone to this issue.
None of this software is included in Windows by default, so it’s not required for Windows to function. Some of the pre-installed branded programs, like photo and gaming apps, or those that duplicate Windows tools, are completely unnecessary.
Others, such as driver/BIOS update utilities (like Lenovo System Update), are worth keeping around. Of course, we can’t comment on every single piece of manufacturer software.
To find out about yours, it’s a good idea to Here at MakeUseOf, we've put out many articles reviewing and highlighting software that allows you to completely and cleanly uninstall applications from your system. One issue many of you run into is not knowing which., which gives an overview on what each program does and how others have rated it. When in doubt, it’s probably not a necessary tool. Have a look at Tired of software you never wanted consuming your laptop's resources? Your computer isn't free ad space. Here's how to get rid of bloatware.
And you’ll be ready to go. Windows 10 Modern Apps Bloatware You’d think that fighting manufacturer bloatware was annoying enough, but For Microsoft, Windows 10 is a cash machine.
With future updates, more apps will be pre-installed and promoted on the Start Menu. Let us show you how to easily remove pre-installed Windows Store apps., as well. It comes in the form of Modern apps, but can thankfully be easily uninstalled. Some of the default Modern apps, like Xbox and Weather, are useful to some people but not others. Others, like Get Office and Candy Crush Saga, are junk and should be removed by everyone. You can check out how to uninstall these apps one-by-one or all at once in our Windows 10 comes with several pre-installed apps that take up space on your device and aren't easy to remove. Sounds like bloatware, doesn't it?
We show you how to remove these apps. Skype Click to Call You’d think that Microsoft would be aware of the issue of programs installing extra unwanted junk, but they’re actually guilty of this issue themselves with Skype.
Installing Skype gives you not only the base program (which is a fine tool), but often brings the Skype Toolbar and Skype Click to Call extension along. I hate how every time i try to update skype it tries to trick me into downloading click to call and making bing my default search? —?bear cookies? (@shinyraichu) Click to Call enables you to click on phone numbers in your browser to call them with Skype. However, unless you’ve It's 2013 - stop paying for a land line.
If you've got broadband Internet you can set up Skype, pay for a subscription and and keep your total home phone bill under $5 a month., you’ll probably never use this features, as calls often cost money. You can feel free to remove this extra software and Skype will continue to work fine. QuickTime A few months ago, QuickTime would have fallen into the same camp as Silverlight — an old tool that’s just been phased out. However, in April of this year, Trend Micro released a warning that that Apple seemingly doesn’t plan on fixing.
Thus, there’s now no reason to keep QuickTime around. Removing QuickTime shouldn’t cause any disruptions, as iTunes doesn’t rely on it. If you need to open a specific video format that you used to use QuickTime for, like MOV, Strong media player apps always rise to the top and it's not important which one you use. The best media player for you is the one you most enjoy using. We suggest the following. Shockwave Player The Internet's relationship with Flash has been rocky for a while.
Once, it was a universal standard on the web. Now, it looks like it may be headed to the chopping block. What changed?, but its widespread use for videos and games mean that it’s still wise to keep around for the time being.
Adobe Shockwave Player is a different tool and isn’t necessary to keep around. Shockwave Player lets you view content created with, which isn’t nearly as common as Flash content.
You can remove Shockwave and you’ll, again, probably not encounter anything that needs it. Note that some browsers, like Firefox, display Flash Player as “Shockwave Flash” — you shouldn’t turn this off unless you want to Does auto-play video drive you mad? We'll talk you through the best ways to stop auto-playing videos in your Firefox browser. What Other Programs Are Just Unnecessary? For the vast majority of users, the above programs are unnecessary because they don’t serve any useful function or are outdated. When in doubt, you should remove the respective program because you can always re-install it, if needed. Looking to strip out more stuff you don’t need?
You’ll be happy to Windows 10 is packed with features, but a lot of them are unnecessary. Here's how to safely prune unwanted features off your Windows 10 system for a more streamlined experience. Now, we want to hear from you.
What other programs do you see installed all the time that just aren’t necessary? Leave a comment with your input!
Image Credits: rodimov/Shutterstock.