How To Delete Programs????

[jaxnjil]

the marina here has installed wireless inter-net for us.
after giving up on the inspiron and getting a mac book last november i have brought the dell to leave on the boat. didnt want to needlessly bang the mack book up hauling back and forth.

this got me started trying to clean up the inspiron hard drive of stuff i have never needed or used. i was going great guns till i locked up the inspiron and had to dead boot it to get it to work again. at that point i decided i needed more help as a lot of the programs that are left, aren't obvious to function by name of program.

started deleting game programs ect that were test and buy, and stuff like that. most loaded on at factory when it was new.

finally get to question............is there a simple way i can go threw the program registry and trim programs that are doubled up or i dont need with out getting rid of something i might need if the future? dont want dump a program and find out a few at future date i messed up a program that needed to be there to run dvd or save photos----stuff like that.
i realy like the mac and would like to stream line the dell and windows xp to the same point the apple os is like. just have what i need and works.

some of the programs are duplicate-- dell has a media program that seems to be a copy of windows media but both have to have a out side camera related program to operate and down load pix and camera stuff.


i hope i have describe this close enough for you fellows that understand programing, to be able to help me

by the way the stuff i got rid of has seemed to have allowed the computer to boot and run faster. or is this wishful thinking on my part

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: How To Delete Programs????

Unless you know exactly what you are doing, editing the registry as a way to delete programs is pretty risky business.
Try "Start" ; "control Panel" ; "add/remove programs" then follow the prompts to uninstall any programs that are listed and which you don't want.


Your other option would be to wipe the HD clean and reinstall a bare XP using custom install option.
At least that worked for me.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: How To Delete Programs????

As stated above, use the add/remove programs.
In windows you have to "uninstall" them. If you run around deleting stuff your asking for trouble.
Windows has a rediculas amount of worthless crap in it, that only a very few people use or need, and Dell (in my opinion) is the worst of the worst.

The best way to "stream line" it is a basic install of XP without all the bells and whistles, then use the install disk in custom install to add what you want, or pay best buy geek squad to do it for you.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: How To Delete Programs????

thank tim; that's the way i have removed the programs i have gotten rid of.

i have a lot of pix and boat files (i do have them saved to c d and backed up) i was hoping to not to mess with, so didnt want to do a disc wipe. i do have the install xp and even a vista upgrade that came with comp. if it comes to that.

as you stated risky deleting programs.

my problem now is recognizing what to keep and what to throw away