Uninstalling software you no longer need is easy, right? While you might think this to be the case, there are plenty of badly written uninstallers that either break to the point of preventing you from getting rid of unwanted programs, or that are flawed and leave behind remnants even after a ‘successful’ uninstallation. This is precisely why Ashampoo Uninstaller 10 exists. It’s able to remove software you have installed prior to installing the cleanup tool itself, but it is even better if you let it monitor new installations so they can be completely reversed when the time comes.
Although it’s primarily a software uninstaller, the utility also includes a number of other tools to help increase functionality and value. There are 11 extra modules in total, ranging from a drive cleaner and file wiper, to a backup utility and registry optimizer. These are not essential – and some are of very questionable worth – but they are good options to have nonetheless.
It’s worth noting that there’s also a free version of the program available, although this is obviously lacking some of the features of its paid-for sibling. It serves as a good taster of the paid-for edition, and it’s worth taking it for a test drive before you part with any money. The chances are that you’ll be impressed enough to make the purchase, but if not, you’ve lost nothing.
User experience
Once you’ve installed Ashampoo UnInstaller 10, it sits running in the background, looking out for new installations. When one is detected, the app will spring to life and offer to log the installation process. This means that the software will be aware of every file that is created, every file that is changed, every addition that is made to the registry and so on, so the entire process can be completely reversed should you decide to uninstall that same software. You can ensure that the program detect the start of an installation, by right clicking on a setup file and selecting the option to start installation using Ashampoo UnInstaller.
Installation logging isn’t a completely hands-off affair; you need to let Ashampoo UnInstaller know when the installer has done it work so it knows to stop recording what it happening to your system. A pop up will then appear to let you know how many system changes have been detected. Uninstallation is similarly simple, and it can be instigated from within Settings in Windows, or via the Ashampoo UnInstaller interface itself.
If you choose to use Settings, Ashampoo UnInstaller will work in a slightly different way. Rather than guiding you through the entire removal process, it will pop up at the end and offer to perform a deep scan to remove any traces that may have been left behind.
The program can be used to remove software whose setup has not been logged, but you are not guaranteed a complete cleanup. Ashampoo UnInstaller also offers you the opportunity to remove components of Windows itself, uninstall performance-reducing or security-harming browser plugins and more.
If you’re looking to boost the performance of your computer, the Impact section of the program lets you know how much each app you have installed slows down system startup, and how much memory and processor time they take up; this can be helpful if you are in two minds about whether to keep certain titles or not.
To make the utility even more useful, Ashampoo UnInstaller also includes a number of extra tools such as a drive cleaner, registry optimizer, file delete, data recovery options, and a way to easily manage Windows’ services. Not everyone will feel the need for these – or, for that matter, feel comfortable using tools that delve so deep into the system – but they are decent extras to have nonetheless.
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