When you install software on your computer, files are written to various parts of your system, your Registry is filled with information about where the software is located on your PC and if it affects any of your metatypes. The snag is, we’ve got a bad habit of installing and testing software and then uninstalling it a few weeks later. Do this with a few security applications and you may find that they do not uninstall correctly, leave traces all over your machine.

The Windows Add/Remove Programs utility will only remove so much. It relies on the uninstall script that would have been supplied with the original installer, attempting to go back through the installation files, Registry entries and so on, removing the files on the system. This isn’t always successful, particularly with the entries within the Registry. If your Registry becomes cluttered with loads of irrelevant entries, this can cause your system to spend time sifting through the information, slows down the booting of your machine and can confuse other software.

The solution is a more powerful tool that will seek out and remove old files on your system and properly remove the installed software. It may be less relevant for Vista users – as their Add/Remove Programs module is more advanced than previous editions – but, as it’s free, you might as well see if it benefits your PC.