Today, whether you buy a new Windows PC or install popular programs on an old one, the fact remains that you get more than you bargained for - in the form of bloatware and crapware. This can be in the form of a genuine programs like McAfee that come pre-installed when you buy a new Windows PC or it could be toolbars that sneak into your PC when you download free software from the web.
Whatever be the mode of sneaking in, if you have a PC running Windows, sooner or later you will find yourself dealing with crapware. There are different ways to remove crapware such as using the uninstall option in the Control Panel or using a third party program.
The limitations with the built-in Uninstaller is that you can uninstall programs only one at a time and files, folders or Registry keys generally get left behind leading to a lot of crapware accumulating and slowing down your PC eventually.
We decided to check out how the freeware Revo Unistaller helps to remove crapware and here's our review.
Revo Uninstaller Tools
Revo Uninstaller comes with 8 extra tools to clear the crapware out of your PC.
- AutoRun Manager : It stops programs from automatically starting up when your launch your PC.
- Windows Tools Manager: This tool helps you find system tools and options.
- Junk Files Cleaner: Helps you find and remove unnecessary files on your PC.
- Browsers History Cleaner: Helps delete temporary internet files.
- Office History Cleaner: Helps remove history of recently used files if you are using MS Office.
- Windows History Cleaner: Helps remove history of recently opened files and history items that are saved by Windows.
- Unrecoverable Delete Tool: Helps erase files and folders forever.
- Evidence Remover: Helps to securely erase data.
The Revo Uninstaller User Interface
Revo Uninstaller has an attractive UI with a menu bar at the top listing the most popular commands and the results section that displays thumbnail previews of all programs and components.
Below the main window is a description panel and below that is the Status bar, which shows additional information.
Let's now take a look at how to use Revo Uninstaller to remove crapware from a Windows 8 PC.
How to Remove Crapware from Windows 8 PC Using Revo Uninstaller
1. Download Revo Uninstaller from the official website by clicking here.
2. Run the EXE file.
3. Revo Uninstaller will open up and display all the main programs installed on your PC .
4. Run through the various program icons on the main window. Select the programs you don't want or consider to be crapware. Then click Uninstall from the Menu bar.
5. In the pop up box, confirm the deletion.
6. In the next screen, select an uninstall mode. There are 4 options available to you.
- Built-in: This will run just the built-in installer without additional scanning.
- Safe: This option will scan the Registry and the hard drive to find items to delete. This is the fastest option available.
- Moderate: This is an extension of the Safe mode and scans to find all of the leftover files from an application's uninstall process.
- Advanced: This is an extension of the Moderate mode and performs a deep and thorough scan for leftover files. This is the slowest mode available.
Revo sets the default option to Moderate. You can retain this option and click Next.
7. A few things will happen next. Revo will create a System Restore point. It will then analyze and pull out the built-in application installer for you to initiate action. Select the uninstall option, click Finish to complete the process and close the app uninstaller.
8. In the Revo window, click Next.
Revo will now check your PC's Registry files and hard drive for leftover files, folders and registry items and remove them as well.
9. Click Next to read the report and then click Finish.
The removal process will take a few minutes. Once it is complete, you should have a much cleaner PC.
The Good and the Bad of Revo Uninstaller
The Good
Attractive user friendly interface.
Easy to uninstall programs.
Includes tools that can make your cleanup task easier. Hunter Mode for instance puts a crosshair cursor on your desktop that you can move over an application shortcut icon to uninstall it.
The uninstalls are quick taking less than a minute to complete.
Revo creates a System Restore Point to fall back on in case something goes wrong.
The Bad
The freeware lacks many key features needed for a thorough and quick cleanup. Extended scanning for leftovers, real-time monitoring of system changes during app installation, removing remnants of already uninstalled programs, multiple uninstalls and other features are available only in the Pro version. There is however a fully functional trial available for 30 days.
The manual process may be labor intensive if you have piled up a ton of crapware over the years.
Final Thoughts
Revo Uninstaller has a great, easy to use interface, requires no learning curve to use, does a clean and fast job of uninstalling crapware and its leftover files, folders and Registry keys. It offers more powerful features in the Pro version (which costs just under $40), but the free version should be more than enough for basic users who have unintentionally ended with up crapware and don't have a clue how to get rid of it.
Have you used Revo Uninstaller to remove crapware from your Windows 8 PC? If you had a good or bad experience with this program, be sure to share your experience with us.
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