Some Lagniappe for You
By Tiny Ruisch
la·gniappe (lnyp, ln-yp)
n. Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi
1. A small gift presented by a store owner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.
2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.
Did you know that when you uninstall a program from your computer, you seldom uninstall all of the program? When you uninstall programs in Windows, they leave bits and pieces of themselves behind, such as Registry entries, file folders, shortcuts, dll files, etc.
There are many free uninstaller programs available to replace the Windows built in installer. My favorite is the Revo Uninstaller. It is one of the most popular and highly respected programs that you can download. It has been around for a long time. I don’t remember when I first started using it, but I know it has been more than five years.
Revo Uninstaller is an uninstaller for Microsoft Windows. It uninstalls programs and additionally removes any files and Windows registry entries left behind by the program’s uninstaller or by the Windows uninstall function. It works by scanning a hard drive and registry for files that would otherwise be left behind. It removes all the program’s files, auto start entries and all noticeable registry entries.
When you open Revo Uninstaller, you are presented with a list of installed programs that can be uninstalled. Right clicking on a program in the list will give you the option to search Google for the program’s name or manufacturer. I have found this useful when I am not sure what the program is.
To uninstall a program, double click on the title. Revo Uninstaller will first run the program’s built in uninstaller if there is one. Next, Revo searches for leftover program files, auto start entries, the recently opened file list and any leftover registry entries. Although, Revo Uninstaller has a few tools for removing junk files, its real forte is program uninstalls. It is not perfect and occasionally misses a file or entree, but under most circumstances, it is more than adequate.
There is also a portable program that can be run from a USB drive. A paid PRO version is also available with more features. Revo Uninstaller can be downloaded here.
If you like the program, just tell everyone that you’ve got a SWLAPCUG extra, a bonus perk, a small gift, a present from the club: a little lagniappe.