# Programs Won't  Uninstall

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programs-wont-uninstall/609164>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 11, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programs-wont-uninstall/609164 "2012-01-11T15:05:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programs-wont-uninstall/609164/1 "2012-01-11T15:05:28Z")

</div>

My computer has two programs that won’t uninstall. When I try to uninstall Gamespy Arcade, the message reads “could not open INSTALL.LOG file”. I tried installing and uninstalling it as well as going through regedit and deleting it.

The other is Windows Live Essentials’ Live Messenger. When I check on Live Messenger to uninstall it, it goes to a screen with a message reading “uninstalling Live Messenger”, then the next screen reads “the following has been installed”, and it’s still installed.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programs-wont-uninstall/609164/2 "2012-01-11T16:30:50Z")

</div>

When that happens to me I use CCleaner to remove them. They have a separate uninstall program that often takes over where Windows fails. If that doesn’t work I first make sure that no process is running related to the program. Then I go to the program file and remove the source program. I take as much out as I can. Then I try the uninstall again. I can remove pieces of the program using various registry cleaners or CCleaner again. Glary’s is also great. I might even hunt remnants down using regedit myself. You can take out anything that was put in.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programs-wont-uninstall/609164/3 "2012-01-11T17:14:15Z")

</div>

Try revo uninstaller it’s great. The free version is usually enough, but the paid version will even help with a force uninstall.

One thing you might want to know is, sometimes a program will not uninstall right and the best way to uninstall it, is to reinstall it, then uninstall it, either with the computer or with revo uninstall