I've used Revo uninstaller that, looks for registry entries after it runs the built in uninstaller. Sometimes one uninstall will leave behind dozens of them.
I have taken out programs that left 10 megabytes of code behind after I have taken them out. That is why Linux is the system of choice for smaller hard drives. Besides taking up less room to begin with, you can set Synaptic so that when you uninstall a program it also deletes the download. Part of the reason why the Netbooks tried Ubuntu is that it would work better on a small hard drive. But those netbooks had a big return to store ratio because the buyers were expecting something that worked like Windows. My daugthers boyfriend bought one and his parents paid $150 during the warranty period for the manufacturer to put a scaled down version of XP in it and it ran so slowly that he never uses it. On 7/6/10, Mark Wallace <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm scared stiff that Steve Balmer will show up at my front door with > a goon squad for criticizing Windows. He doesn't look like the type > of guy that I would want to meet late at night in a dark place. > > On 7/6/10, Chris Knadle <[email protected]> wrote: >> On Tuesday 06 July 2010 10:33:02 Mark Wallace wrote: >>> This is the last time that we should discuss a Windows issue on this >>> forum. This one is okay because it sharpens the distinction between >>> "No charge" software and GPL software. >> >> The original purpose of bringing up Windows was for the purpose of >> figuring >> out programs on Linux that had equivalent functionality. That seems like >> a >> very appropriate purpose for bringing it up. >> >>> It was by doing a google search for Fast Stone. The site purported to >>> be the Fast Stone site. >>> >>> When I installed, it would no longer let me uninstall programs or make >>> changes to them, saying that I did not have permission. (I am the only >>> user on that machine and I had never set up an administrator >>> password.) >> >> I've read similar stories; apparently this can happen because Microsoft >> designed in privileges /above/ administrator rights, which trojan >> programs >> can >> gain via privilege escalation and thus exploit to disallow even >> administrators >> from removing the trojaned software. >> >>> A system restore helped, but it denied me access to my backed up files >>> (that Window's System Restore creates) I had to run Linux from a CD >>> and copy the files to flash drives to get them out. >>> >>> Linux doesn't know or care about Windows permissions, which is why I >>> don't dual boot. It is a question of time before you screw up your >>> Windows install using Linux to reach into the Windows partition. It's >>> also twice as much work maintaining two systems on one machine. >> >> I've had great luck using ntfs-3g to mount, read, and write data to NTFS >> partitions. Recent versions of ntfs-3g and mount allow using 'mount -t >> ntfs-3g' to mount NTFS partitions directly, which I believe means NTFS >> partitions could be mounted with ntfs-3g via /etc/fstab if desired. From >> what >> I've experienced as well as read, user experiences show that it seems >> stable >> at this point. >> >>> Then I single booted Linux. That is the way that it will stay. It is >>> too time consuming to download all of the service packs needed to >>> bring XP up to date, and it is more vulnerable to viruses than Pista >>> or Pista Salvaged, (also known as Windows 7). >> >> After reading the EULA, I personally call it "Fista". ;-) On a side >> note, >> I'm utterly confused at Microsoft's attempt at allowing upgrade >> installation >> without rebooting -- and now instead of that... some upgrades install >> immediately, others install /during/ the shutdown procedure, and some >> install >> during the following bootup. ? "Fixed!?!?" >> >>> I am about quadruple backed up. I put Linux back in because Nautilus >>> does a better job of identifying duplicate files that Windows Explorer >>> and most of those files are duplicates. Konqueror is also better at >>> this than Windows Explorer. >>> >>> I had only had Windows back in for about a month. My five year old >>> would benefit from some games written for Windows 95 that my daughter >>> outgrew. But he didn't pick up on them because their way of keeping >>> you from copying the CD is that the program won't run without the >>> original CD in the drive. It is a stretch to ask a five year old to >>> insert the correct CD and wait for it to boot. >>> >>> They run too slowly in Wine to be of any use. Wine is mostly for low >>> graphics applications like configuring a wireless modem. It can't run >>> serious graphics fast enough. >> >> I sometimes play Deus Ex (a "serious graphics" 3D "first person shooter" >> game) >> within Wine, and it runs perfectly even on an old box. Wine can do a >> lot, >> but >> it doesn't run everything and even when it does run it doesn't /always/ >> run >> well. In many cases Wine is the only way to get some of the old games >> from >> the 1990's (or earlier) to even run anymore. [VirtualBox may be an >> option, >> but installing and having to run Win9x are both awful.] >> >>> My kid also got used to the faster booting Ubuntu and kept trying to >>> open Firefox whle Xtra P was still making an internet connection. The >>> XP wireless network finder isn't as good as the Linux one and, once >>> you get it gummed up, it is hard to untangle. Trying to surf before >>> you are online drives it nuts. >>> >>> I was also freaked out at the chaotic way that you download or update >>> Windows programs but have no way of knowing how safe the site that you >>> are using is. The Linux distros are checked out with a fine tooth >>> comb before they are released to the mirrors, so they are much more >>> secure. >> >> There's a big difference between getting software directly from a >> distribution >> using cryptographically signed packages and downloading third-party >> applications from a download site that doesn't offer checkums or >> cryptographically signed downloads for programs uploaded by an unknown >> source. >> >> These are vastly different circumstances. >> >> Oh and by the way the EULA for Windows now precludes publishing >> performance >> comparisons with other OS's. >> >>> I have downloaded at least three or four viruses from >>> "download.com." There are some Linux viruses and Trojan Horses, but >>> the distros filter them out. Be careful about downloading a Linux >>> program from an unknown site. >>> >>> Many "no charge" programs are only free so that somebody you don't >>> know about can "data mine". Installing the program can give your >>> firewall a permission that you didn't intend. Sometimes when you >>> uninstall a "free" Windows program, it doesn't uninstall the part that >>> is sending information back to the program's source. Do an internet >>> search for the "Wild Tangent Web Driver." It comes installed on every >>> new Windows PC as part of the game ware. >>> >>> When I used Windows, I would zero fill the hard drive every six >>> months and reinstall from the CD's >> >> When I did as well I had to do the same, generally because I believe the >> Windows registry would eventually grow too large or become corrupt. In >> my >> case the reasoning for having to reload every six months was for poor >> performance reasons rather than because of virus infection. >> >>> I think that part of the reason why I don't get spam is because I am >>> Linux only. Gmail probably also has the best spam filters in the >>> business. Yahoo's and AOL's are terrible. >>> >>> Sorry to run on, but going Linux was less time consuming than running >>> my system in "seige mentality." Ant-virus programs only find old >>> viruses. You find a new one when your system gets screwed up. >> >> Detection of viruses via signatures is a loosing battle; you really need >> some >> way of doing a system integrity check. If you run Ubuntu or Debian for >> instance, install and have a look at the 'debsums' program. There are >> similar >> utilities for other distros as well. I've yet to find a similar program >> for >> Windows to verify the integrity of installed programs and the rest of the >> system -- but in all honesty I also haven't looked very hard for such a >> thing, >> either. >> >> -- Chris >> >> -- >> >> Chris Knadle >> [email protected] >> _______________________________________________ >> Mid-Hudson Valley Linux Users Group http://mhvlug.org >> http://mhvlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mhvlug >> >> Upcoming Meetings (6pm - 8pm) MHVLS Auditorium >> Jul 7 - Patent Absurdity - The Movie >> Aug 4 - Samba >> Sep 1 - BOINC >> > _______________________________________________ Mid-Hudson Valley Linux Users Group http://mhvlug.org http://mhvlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mhvlug Upcoming Meetings (6pm - 8pm) MHVLS Auditorium Jul 7 - Patent Absurdity - The Movie Aug 4 - Samba Sep 1 - BOINC
