I had a reader question on this subject, and this is a very good question. There are things that DO need to be on your computer, and things that DON’T. Knowing the difference between the two can determine whether or not your computer still runs after you’re done fixing it. These instructions pertain to Windows operating systems. If you need a Mac version of this topic, let me know and I’ll do one.
Eliminating unnecessary software can be the key to keeping your computer running well, but eliminating necessary software is, obviously counterproductive to that objective, which is the reason behind the “how do I NOT mess it up” part. The best place to start is where Windows makes it easy to do it. In Windows XP and prior, it was called Add/Remove Programs, in Vista and later it’s called Programs and Features. If a program is listed there, it’s not an elemental operating system component. HOWEVER—and this is a HUGE however—even if it’s not an elemental OS component, it could be fundamental to something otherwise basic—like the software that runs the sound card or video card. Removing those programs may, depending on the card itself, force Windows to use its own very basic drivers to run that hardware. Your video or audio will probably not be as rich or full as it is supposed to be with the manufacturer’s software and/or drivers—worse yet, it may not function at all. So don’t go “willy-nilly” as my mom used to say, down the column of programs eliminating all the ones that look strange. And don’t—above all, don’t—start just deleting folders with names you don’t recognize.
Start with the familiar names. There will be some that you definitely remember putting on there. If they aren’t serving you, get rid of them. The date of installation can help you figure out if you put it on purposely.
This one is a definite: You should only have one version of Java. If you have more than one version of Java, you have a very old version. The later versions are supposed to be removing previous installations as part of the update. Java is very important to keep patched/updated, so if you have more than one Java installation, go to http://www.java.com and get the current version. Then go back and verify that all the old versions are gone. If not, uninstall them manually.
You need to keep anything that says Audio, Video, WiFi, and C++ Redistributable. You can also sort by Publisher (just click on the title bar and it will sort by that field), and that will give you an idea of what you need to keep as well. The names you definitely recognize (like Microsoft) are probably part of the operating system. Don’t completely discount anything you don’t recognize, on my work machine one piece of software developed by a guy with a Russian name is critical to our work. The publisher’s name is just another tool to help you identify whether or not it’s part of what you need to keep.
Look up at the bar that says Name, Publisher, Installed On, Size, and Version. You’ll see a space to the right of Version. Right click in that space and select More… and you’ll see a field chooser. Find the item that says Support Link and check that box. There’s a good chance you’ll find information from that link that will help you determine if the program was something you installed purposely.
If the support link didn’t help, or if there is no support link, then the next thing to do, is do a web search on it. A program’s website will give you clues as to whether you purposely installed it, based on what it does. If you still can’t figure out what it is and what it does, it is probably a component of something else that you do need. If you didn’t need it, it would have been removed with its parent program, in all likelihood. But in the days of 500 GB and Terabyte hard drives, a 138 MB program is not taking up enough space to worry about, if that’s what your objective was.
The best place to go to remove programs is in that Programs and Features section, or in XP and prior, the Add/Remove Programs section. The second-best place is to use the uninstaller file provided with the installation. Go to the Start area in Windows 7 and prior, go to Programs or All Programs, find the program folder, and see if there’s an uninstaller; if so, you can use that—AFTER YOU HAVE DETERMINED THAT YOU DON’T NEED THE PROGRAM! Windows 8 does not have a native start menu, so this section does not apply to Windows 8. If you have installed a start menu to Windows 8, you’ll operate just like I just described.
If you don’t see an uninstall utility there, go into the Program Files in the File Explorer or in Windows Explorer (My Computer or Computer, C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86); if you have a 64-bit operating system, you will see both Program Files and Program Files(x86); you should check in both. Find the program folder and look in there for an uninstall executable.
As far as what you NEED to get rid of, your antivirus/anti-malware program should be taking care of that for you. You do have antivirus/anti-malware, right?
If you go through all of this and still couldn’t find enough information to determine if something you found should or should not be there, let me know. We’ll figure it out.