REVO Uninstaller

[SKY]

Is REVO something a novice such as myself can use w/o getting myself in trouble?
There are many times I "believe" I've successfully uninstalled a program only to discover there are traces left behind.

[J_L]

It never caused any problems for me, but only on 32-bit systems. The free version doesn't fully support 64-bit systems.

Make sure you double-check the listed entries though.

[MidnightCowboy]

For security programs I prefer AppRemover. So long as what you are uninstalling is on their supported list (see ¨supported applications¨ tab) you are pretty much guaranteed a clean and safe operation.

http://www.appremover.com/

Otherwise, Revo is only marginally more effective than the Windows removal tool unless the higher settings are used in which case (as J.L. advises) you need to check what it wants to remove carefully to avoid deleting shared files something else might need to operate.

[gonferreira]

Used Revo in 64-bits and never had a problem. Before i get rid of those traces i do a quick look of what is he erasing, and usually are those traces in AppData folder or something.

[jim]

I tried to use Revo many times over the years and cannot understand why it is so well commented. Whenever I had stuff left behind Revo could never find it. I always ended up editing the registry etc. to get rid of stuff myself. Perhaps it's the way I used it. When I uninstalled from scratch with Revo (instead of the built-in uninstaller from windows or the original program) I still had the usual stuff left behind which Revo couldn't handle.

[Sope]

Revo (free version) will work under 64-bit OS but only for 32-bit programs. It doesn't appear to even see the 64-bit part of the registry.

When I've used it in the past, certainly with some programs, it has found quite a lot of extra stuff left behind once it has run the specific program's own uninstaller. It's still not perfectly thorough though.
It's usually pretty safe to use but it is wise to review the leftover entries it offers to delete. If any don't obviously relate to the program in question, or you are unsure, then it's probably best to leave them be. After all, it is essentially an automated registry cleaner.

[torres-no-tan-magnifico]

I have been using Revo for several years now and have never had a problem when removing software from my system.

There are are 4 modes of uninstall: Built in; Safe; Moderate and Advanced.

Moderate is the default setting and the one I usually opt for. Also, Revo creates a restore point prior to uninstalling whatever you have selected. At least this gives you some form of assurance should the worse happen!

[Taurus]

Originally Posted by jim

I tried to use Revo many times over the years and cannot understand why it is so well commented. Whenever I had stuff left behind Revo could never find it. I always ended up editing the registry etc. to get rid of stuff myself. Perhaps it's the way I used it. When I uninstalled from scratch with Revo (instead of the built-in uninstaller from windows or the original program) I still had the usual stuff left behind which Revo couldn't handle.

My experience with the free version of Revo Uninstaller has been about the same as Jim's. I always have to edit the registry manually and search for entries that Revo have left behind. I really do not think Revo is all that effective especially when it comes to uninstalling security software. Drivers associated with security software also have to be uninstalled manually.

I think I'm going to uninstall Revo because at times I think it does more harm than good. It's always more effective to go with a security software vendor's uninstall utility if one is available. Even then there is clean up work that must be done by hand to get a machine clean and free of left overs. LOL...which always makes me ask why I installed the security app. in the first place?

[kendall.a]

True story...happening as I type.

On my work PC, I finally got tired of Windows Search. I decided to make a System Restore point and uninstall Windows Search. I decided to use Revo. During the process, before Revo was completed, but after the uninstaller had completed, it told me that I needed to reboot. Since Revo wasn't done yet (on moderate mode), I clicked on "reboot later" and allowed Revo to complete it's thing.

The last step was to delete several files in the "Windows Search" folder. Revo took a while to delete them, but then said a reboot was required to fully delete them. So, I rebooted. Nothing but two words...."boot guard". No ability to get into safe mode, nothing. Can't access my HD or any files; just two words..."boot guard". IT is looking at it now.

In all fairness, I think that this is related to PGP encrpytion. Several months back all of our work computers were required to be encrpyted with PGP. And, when I was uninstalling Windows Search, there was a message that "the following programs were installed after Windows Search. If any of them are related to Windows Search, their ability to function might be affected." I went ahead and clicked continue. I believe that the PGP Encrpytion software was on that list, but I don't recall. But, it probably was installed after Windows Search.

Nonetheless, I don't think that should have anything to do with it. I'm sitting in our work training room trying to do some work without my normal laptop. It sucks!! If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love some. So far, IT has struck out on 3 different attempts to resurrect my laptop.

Problem with Revo? I don't know....

[kendall.a]

Well, even after 5 attempts including a phone call to PGP tech support, IT cannot get my work laptop to boot. They even tried Bart's PE to fix it. The only solution now is format c: and fdisk. I'm devastated.

Was this a Revo issue? Again, I don't know. I can tell you this. I won't be using Revo on my work computer again. I don't think Revo and PGP go well together.