Revo Uninstaller
Encyclopedia
Revo Uninstaller, developed by the VS Revo Group, is a software utility
for the Microsoft Windows
operating system
designed to be an alternative to the built-in Windows "Add/Remove Programs" control panel applet.
The main feature of Revo Uninstaller is to remove unnecessary files and registry
entries left behind by incomplete program uninstallation routines.
licensing model, and a "free" edition distributed as freeware
.. NOTE - Shareware has a trial version ("free for 30 days"); VS Revo Group main page is not clear that freeware exists, but the menu bar Downloads selection offers access to both product lines.
The shareware edition has the following additional features compared to the freeware edition:
For systems where Revo Uninstaller cannot or should not be installed, a portable
version is available that can be started directly (e.g. from a USB stick) without requiring an installation and without leaving files or registry entries on the computer.
When uninstalling software, Revo Uninstaller prompts the user for which particular "mode" to use, "built-in", "safe", "moderate", or "advanced". The built-in option simply runs the application's bundled uninstaller. The safe option only removes files which mostly likely can be removed without any impact on system stability and proper functioning. The moderate and advanced modes scan deeper in the registry
and folders (directories).
In case the user wishes to roll back an uninstallation, Revo Uninstaller can create a System Restore
point.
Next, Revo Uninstaller runs the program's built-in uninstaller, if possible. Sometimes the built-in uninstaller may be corrupted or missing. In cases when the built-in uninstaller prompts for a reboot after it has completed, it is recommended to cancel the reboot and continue with Revo Uninstaller.
After the built-in uninstaller has completed, Revo Uninstaller proceeds to scanning the hard disk for leftover files using algorithms. Users can exclude certain folders (directories), file extensions, and even hard disks from scanning to ensure a critical file is not removed by accident. Once additional scanning has completed, the user is presented with a list of registry entries and files. The user can decide which files to delete or to keep. Revo Uninstaller will prompt if a reboot may be necessary to remove all files completely, as some may still be marked as "in use" (and thus the operating system will not allow them to be deleted).
Revo Uninstaller finishes the uninstallation by offering the user to go back and choose a deeper scanning mode.
Utility software
Utility software is system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize or maintain a computer. A single piece of utility software is usually called a utility or tool....
for the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
designed to be an alternative to the built-in Windows "Add/Remove Programs" control panel applet.
The main feature of Revo Uninstaller is to remove unnecessary files and registry
Windows registry
The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user...
entries left behind by incomplete program uninstallation routines.
Available editions
The product is available in two different editions: A "pro" edition distributed under a sharewareShareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
licensing model, and a "free" edition distributed as freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
.. NOTE - Shareware has a trial version ("free for 30 days"); VS Revo Group main page is not clear that freeware exists, but the menu bar Downloads selection offers access to both product lines.
The shareware edition has the following additional features compared to the freeware edition:
- Real-Time monitoring of system changes during install of programs.
- Forced Uninstall remove remnants of already uninstalled programs.
- Multi-level Backup system including full Registry backup.
- Print and Print Preview of installed programs.
- Export of installed programs in TXT, HTML and MS Excel.
- Customizable and flexible User Interface.
- Visual themes support.
- Full 64-bit compatibility Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.
System requirements
Hardware requirements call for an Intel Pentium 133 MHz processor or equivalent, 64 MB of RAM, and 5 MB of free hard disk space. Administrator privileges are required.For systems where Revo Uninstaller cannot or should not be installed, a portable
Portable application
A portable application , sometimes also called standalone, is a computer software program designed to run independently from an operating system...
version is available that can be started directly (e.g. from a USB stick) without requiring an installation and without leaving files or registry entries on the computer.
Uninstalling software
Revo Uninstaller begins with listing all the installed programs found on the user's computer. If Revo Uninstaller fails to list a particular program, the feature "Hunter Mode" can be used to manually select the program to uninstall.When uninstalling software, Revo Uninstaller prompts the user for which particular "mode" to use, "built-in", "safe", "moderate", or "advanced". The built-in option simply runs the application's bundled uninstaller. The safe option only removes files which mostly likely can be removed without any impact on system stability and proper functioning. The moderate and advanced modes scan deeper in the registry
Windows registry
The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user...
and folders (directories).
In case the user wishes to roll back an uninstallation, Revo Uninstaller can create a System Restore
System Restore
System Restore is a component of Microsoft's Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, but not Windows 2000, operating systems that allows for the rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc., to a previous state in the event of system malfunction or failure.The...
point.
Next, Revo Uninstaller runs the program's built-in uninstaller, if possible. Sometimes the built-in uninstaller may be corrupted or missing. In cases when the built-in uninstaller prompts for a reboot after it has completed, it is recommended to cancel the reboot and continue with Revo Uninstaller.
After the built-in uninstaller has completed, Revo Uninstaller proceeds to scanning the hard disk for leftover files using algorithms. Users can exclude certain folders (directories), file extensions, and even hard disks from scanning to ensure a critical file is not removed by accident. Once additional scanning has completed, the user is presented with a list of registry entries and files. The user can decide which files to delete or to keep. Revo Uninstaller will prompt if a reboot may be necessary to remove all files completely, as some may still be marked as "in use" (and thus the operating system will not allow them to be deleted).
Revo Uninstaller finishes the uninstallation by offering the user to go back and choose a deeper scanning mode.
Other features
Revo Uninstaller also includes several other computer maintenance features:- Junk Files Cleaner: Deletes temporary application files.
- Auto Run Manager: Deletes or disables applications which run at startup.
- Browsers Cleaner: Removes Internet ExplorerInternet ExplorerWindows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
, Firefox, OperaOpera (web browser)Opera is a web browser and Internet suite developed by Opera Software with over 200 million users worldwide. The browser handles common Internet-related tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, chatting on IRC, downloading files via BitTorrent,...
, and NetscapeNetscapeNetscape Communications is a US computer services company, best known for Netscape Navigator, its web browser. When it was an independent company, its headquarters were in Mountain View, California...
browsing history and cache. - Windows Cleaner: Clears temporary Windows files.
- Evidence Remover: Prevents restoration of deleted files by overwriting free space.
- Unrecoverable Delete: Overwrites and then deletes selected files and folders in order to prevent their restoration.
- Microsoft Office Cleaner: Clears the recently used file history in Microsoft Office 2000Microsoft Office 2000Microsoft Office 2000 is a release of Microsoft Office that succeeded Microsoft Office 97 and was designed as a fully 32-bit and Y2K compliant version to match Windows 2000 features. All the Office 2000 applications have OLE 2 capacity, which allows moving data automatically between various...
through 2007. - Windows Tools: Provides shortcuts to commonly used tools in Windows, such as System Restore.
- AutoUpdate: Checks for new program builds. It can download and install new versions and display a summary of changes incorporated into the latest version.