[itou]

i wanted to uninstall Backup software that i downloaded from .mac. All i did was open Applications from Macintosh HD and dragged it to the trash.. was that it?

Or was that just deleting the icon? How do i permanently remove that program from my HD?

I'm new to Macs.... having spent all my time on Windows PC's, removing an icon on the screen does NOT mean removing it off the HD...... any tips?

[elmacino]

hi,

if there didn't come any uninstaller with the app you installed trashing it and its preferences should do the job. switched from wintel myseld and got confused by it.

[itou]

all i did was trash the application from the "applications" folder... I don't know about any preferences or any other icon related to that program.

is it enough to just delete the icon? it did not come with any uninstalling program. where else would i find the uninstalling program if the application didn't even have a folder? images/icons/confused.gif

[WJKovacs]

Please don't be embarrassed...

This is usually the first thing that every switcher encounters.
Yes, Virginia, Macs are just "that simple"

[Nobody]

I just purchased a new iMac 17" flat screen 800 Mhz machine yesterday. I'm a new switcher. I echo howling's concerns about making sure everything is cleaned out when uninstalling software. I'm used to the ADD/REMOVE programs function in the Windows Control panel. I also have Symantec's Clean Sweep to clean up any loose ends on the Wintel machine. Will just dragging the the program folder to the trash can clean everything up on my new iMac? What about orphan DLLs, shortcuts, etc. left behind that may cause problems? Am I making this too complicated?

[Dr-NiKoN]

" I echo howling's concerns about making sure everything is cleaned out when uninstalling software."
Apps sometimes needs something extra in application support and other places, but these normally come with an uninstaller.
"Will just dragging the the program folder to the trash can clean everything up on my new iMac?"
99% of the time it will. That is the greatness of Application Bundles and the Mac OS architecure.
"What about orphan DLLs"
Don't have them.
"shortcuts"
Doesn't matter, but you have to delete them manually.
"left behind that may cause problems"
This will never happen /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
"Am I making this too complicated?"
No, thats just how Windows works /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
nikon

[Engravingimage]

I can't began to tell you the faces people make when I show them how to "uninstall" software on a mac. When you install a piece of software on a Mac in doesn't place a millions files in every direction. That's why just placing it in the trash does the job. About the only thing you have to look for is the preferance file that is placed in your prefs folder. Click on the Finder>Home>Library>Preferances....then find the file and trash it. That's it.
Installing programs are just as easy... some softwares have installers, but others you install simply by dragging the application in the apps folder.
The great part about a Mac is that you really can't do anything wrong to it other than deleting System files(which I don't think you can do anyway)
Welcome my friends to an easier life....

[Nobody]

Thanks NiKon, Engravingimage,
It sure sounds simple. It's quit different from the Wintel world. Gates should have spent more time in research and development on a well thought out base operating system rather than on cobbling together an inferior one. Gosh, I really am starting to sound like an Apple convert! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[mystery_stain]

If you feel like something might be left behind, do a search on the app name. If it installed files in Preferences, Application Support, or Documents folder you can find them that way and trash them. One thing about the Mac is a lot of "apps" are not ".exes" like Windows but are really "packages" that are bundles of files that look like one file so when you trash an app you often trash up to hundreds of files without knowing it. If you are interested in this Ctrl-click on an app and select "Show Package Contents." Those are the files that would normally be strewn across your hard disk in Windows but are boxed up neat and tidy for you on the Mac.

[Engravingimage]

What made you become a switcher? /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[griffman]

Just as a point of further clarification ... leftover preference files in your Library -> Preferences folder cannot cause any problems on your machine if you've removed the application from Applications. They take up a (small!) amount of disk space, and that's about it. I don't even bother trashing them any more, as they don't slow the system or endanger its stability in any way. They do make it a bit tougher to find other preference files (as there will be many in the folder), but it's generally not worth the trouble to empty them out.
The only other spot you might want to check is in the Login Items panel of the Login system prefs panel -- some apps (very very few) install startup demons that run when you login; you'll want to remove these from the list if you've trashed the app. But as others have pointed out, most programs that do this come with an uninstaller anyway.
-rob.

[Ron_Ross]

In reply to:

---

What made you become a switcher?

---

Without sounding like an Apple ad, I'd like to say that the simplicity of the Mac has made my switch easy. Having used PCs for 15 years, the decision to switch to Macs was based upon my hobby, digital photography.
In the beginning, the switch was a bit nerve racking. I was trying to make things more difficult than they actually were. Starting out on 9.2 I quickly learned how easy it is to load and unload programs.
As for speed, I really think that it's a toss between Macs and the Athlon XP processors. When using certain apps, the programs seem to run about the same speed.
I am glad to be a switcher.
Ron Ross

[Scoot65]

Ron_Ross Welcome to the Mac community!

[Nobody]

I guess that one of the reasons I switched was that it was time to upgrade my machine to a faster one. I was (and still have) a 200 Mhz Pentium MMX. I have had a number of problems with this system that kept me up late trying to figure out. I always have an uneasy feeling when I introduce a change on the Wintel machine. If an installation has a problem and I need to back off, the uninstall leaves a bunch of junk on the system that take up disk space. Another reason is that my father is 83 years old and a couple of years ago I ordered him a Vision Computers 800 Mhz Pentium 3. They had Windows ME on the thing and the cursor would freeze in the center of the screen at every cold boot. A restart would clear it up. Nothing I could do would help. They finally replaced the thing with one that had Windows 98 SE on it. That was better. Unfortunatley, every time I turned around I had to drive 35 miles to his place and spend time fixing something that he mistakenly on it. Rather than spend time visisting with him I was spending it working on the damn PC. I finally got Symantec's PCAnywhere and dialed in from home to fix it. I'd like to get him a Mac if I can talk him into one.
Back in 1987 I had a Mac Plus for a while and can remember that it was a trouble free system. I decided to jump back into the Mac world again. I'm sick of the instability of the Wintel world. The short time I've been back on a Mac leaves me no regrets.
/forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif