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Windows 95 makes uninstalling easier by several orders of magnitude. Click on Start, select Settings/Control Panel, then double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon. The Install/Uninstall tab is the default. If the application you're trying to remove is Windows 95-savvy, it will be listed in the box below the Recycle Bin image. Highlight the application you're removing and click on the Add/Remove button. If the package you are trying to remove had components you didn't install, you'll be asked to insert the original installation disk. If not, you'll be shown a message describing the uninstallation and asking if you wish to proceed.
Shared system files become less of a problem when you upgrade to Windows 95. As each new application is installed, it tells Windows 95 which system files it needs. Windows 95 increments the count with each new application and decrements it with each removal. This doesn't account for "legacy" Windows 3.1 applications, but if you're the lucky owner of a new Windows 95 system, it should mean you'll never delete a shared system file too soon again—and you'll never leave a shared file on your disk after the last program that requires it has been removed.
If you're worried about Windows 95 making a mistake, create a new folder. After you've removed a program, right mouse-click on the Recycle Bin and select Explore. Move the files that have been deleted to the new directory you've created and keep them there till you're positive you don't need them.
When you decide you don't want a Windows application any more, consult the documentation. Often, you can find step-by-step uninstall instructions under "uninstall," "deinstall" or "remove."
Be thorough when uninstalling Windows applications. Windows programs typically place parts of themselves in their own directory, the Windows directory, the Windows/System directory, WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. Be vigilant about getting rid of every last part of old applications.
If you're thinking of deleting a file or directory, first back it up, then either rename it or move it. Never delete immediately. Power down your computer and reboot it to see if your changes have any unintended effects. Try several of your most important applications. If you're not tight for space, hold onto the deleted files and directories for at least a month to ensure that you haven't munged some rarely used application.
You can find the directory associated with a program by entering Program Manager, selecting the program's icon, then selecting File/Properties. You'll see a dialog box that contains the command line and the working directory.
If you're removing a program, don't forget to delete its icon. Select the icon and select File/Delete in the Program Manager. Click OK. After you have deleted the last icon, selecting File/Delete again will produce a dialog box asking if you want to delete the group. If you do, click OK.
You can eradicate all traces of an application from your WIN.INI file without much difficulty. First, create a copy of WIN.INI under a different name. Don't rename or move the original. In Program Manager, select File/Run and type SYSEDIT.EXE. Look for a section in WIN.INI with the same name as your program. If you find one, delete the entire section. Save WIN.INI and reboot your computer. If you have any problems, revert to the old copy.
If you're uninstalling a program and suddenly find you can't boot Windows 3.x anymore, falling back to a previous version of the program may help. You can use this batch file to make backups with different extensions. The %1 picks up whatever comes after the batch file name on the DOS command line; this prevents new backups from overwriting older backups. Thus, if the file is WINBAK.BAT, the command line
WINBAK J1
would save CONFIG.SYS as CONFIG.J1S, and so forth. You'll need to create a WINBAK directory before running this. Here's the batch file, which you should save as WINBAK.BAT:
copy c:\config.sys c:\winbak\config.%1s
copy c:\autoexec.bat c:\winbak\autoexec.%1t
copy c:\windows\*.ini c:\winbak\*.%1i
copy c:\windows\*.grp c:\winbak\*.%1g
If your program placed files in the WINDOWS and WINDOWS/SYSTEM directory, there are a couple of good ways to find them. Open File Manager. Select View/Sort by Name. Look for files with names similar to that of your application. Don't delete the files; move them first, to be sure that you haven't eliminated a file shared by other applications. If you find a file that you know belongs to the deleted program, select View/Sort by Date and look for other files with the same date and time.
Your uninstall won't be complete until you check CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. Make copies of them under another name, then edit the originals from Windows by using SYSEDIT.EXE. In both files, look for references to programs in the directory in which your application resides. In AUTOEXEC.BAT, see if that directory is in the PATH command. Delete the references, save the files, and reboot the computer immediately. Restore your backups if you see any error messages or experience any difficulty rebooting.
Determine if a file works with your application by examining its Version Information. Highlight a file in File Manager and select File/Properties. In Windows for Workgroups 3.11, File Manager will display the Version Information (if any), including the vendor and product names and a brief description of the file.
Use the document comparison function in your word processor to help with future uninstallations. Copy WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT under different names. The next time you install a new program, use the comparison function to compare the new contents of these four files; create a file containing the changes and save it. This will make uninstalling the program much easier.
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