On 18 Aug 99, at 11:56, LARRY JOUBERT wrote:

>   I would like your ideas about installing an UnInstaller software on my
> computer.

  In order to carry the Windows 95/98 logo, a program is supposed to come with
an uninstall tool, and this tool is what Add/Remove Programs will use.
  Where this scheme breaks is where a file -- usually a .DLL -- may be shared
amongst several applications.  Each of them *might* install it, especially if
they need a newer version than you already had; but none of them can safely
uninstall it, because it has no way of knowing about the other applications
that use the file.  Odds are that it will be left behind even if you
uninstall all of the applications that use it.
  Also, the uninstall that comes with a program is written separately, trying
to match what is doen by the installer.  It's very easy, though, for changes
to be made to the installer that get missed in the uninstaller, so other
files and registry entries may also get left behind.
  A third-party installer takes "snapshots", before and after, so that it
knows exactly what the installer did.  And it watches for other applications
to make use of or update shared files and DLLs; a third-party uninstaller
can, in general, tell when you uninstall the last application that needs some
DLL, and delete the DLL directly at that point.

>   I have problems Uninstalling files, etc...

  You're not very specific about your problem.  So I've outlined above the
kinds of problems that a third-party uninstaller can help fix.  Do they
sound like the kind of problems you are experiencing?

>   I do not know if this is a good idea.  ( ? ).
> I have a Starion -pentium   120 mhz
>                   memory     72 mb
>                   hard disk   4.03 gb

  I would be a lot more concerned about this if you were still using a hard
drive on the order of 500MB or so.  At 4GB, the amount of space wasted isn't
likely to be very noticable; if you have some other kind of problem, an
uninstaller may not be the right tool to solve it.


David G

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