You can (mostly) clean them up manually, assuming this is an XP box.
Open the registry: Start => Run => regedit <Press Enter>
Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Uninstall
This key holds all the information used by Add/Remove Programs. The first bunch will probably be nonsense entries like “{0F71228-EF…” blah blah blah. Skip those.
Highlight the first key with a standard English name. (Use the arrow keys to scroll up and down.) Look on the righthand pane. If there’s only a few values, this isn’t an application to uninstall. If there’s around 12-20 values, this is an uninstallable application. The main values of interest are:
DisplayName: This is the name of the application listed in Add/Remove Programs.
InstallLocation: This is where the application is installed.
UninstallString: The command line for the uninstaller.
You can go to the InstallLocation and manually delete the application. This frees up the harddrive space. You can also delete this key, which will remove it from the Add/Remove Programs list, greatly reducing your blood pressure whenever you open that screen.
Before you do that, though, you may want to clear a little more out of the registry. If you can suss out a company name for the software, look for a key with the company name under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software<company>. If you find one, you can delete it. Same deal with HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software<company>. The LOCAL_MACHINE holds computer-wide settings for the software, while CURRENT_USER holds user-specific settings. This isn’t terribly useful, so you can skip this step if you feel like it.
If the program has associated documents, (double-clicking a file opens it in the program,) locate the extension immediately under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Expand and highlight HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, then quickly type a period followed by the associated extension. If you find it, look in the right pane. The (default) value holds the name of another key, also immediately under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. (It’s a crowded root.) You can delete both of these keys. (Your “Open With” menu won’t refresh until next time you reboot.) This step will actually speed things up, so it’s worth doing.
Finally, it’s pretty rare but you might want to check Application Data. These are hidden folders, so you have to manually type them in. Open My Computer, expand \Documents & Settings<Your User Name> and then put the cursor in the address bar. At the end of the path, start typing \Application Data. It should eventually appear; if not, finish typing it out and hit Enter. Again, looking for a folder with the company name. Same deal as the registry; delete individual applications for this company, or the entire company folder. Your choice. Also check \Documents & Settings\All Users\Application Data. Same deal.
Let’s see, what else. Oh, the most anoying one of all: putting shit in startup. Obviously you’ll want to clear your startup folders of any crap, but the more annoying ones hide in the registry under the following keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Run
Those keys are probably loaded with actual legitimate Windows stuff. A good rule of thumb is to be suspicious of anything under those keys that doesn’t begin with your Windows folder. (eg: C:\WINNT…)
Now that the application is deleted, go back to the first step, finding the uninstall info for the next application you want to banish with extreme prejudice.
That’s basically what those clean & sweep programs do.
Thanks.