When you install software on your computer, files are written to variousparts of your system, your Registry is filled with information about where thesoftware is located on your PC and if it affects any of your metatypes. The snagis, we've got a bad habit of installing and testing software and thenuninstalling it a few weeks later. Do this with a few security applications andyou may find that they do not uninstall correctly, leave traces all over yourmachine.

The Windows Add/Remove Programs utility will only remove so much. It relieson the uninstall script that would have been supplied with the originalinstaller, attempting to go back through the installation files, Registryentries and so on, removing the files on the system. This isn't alwayssuccessful, particularly with the entries within the Registry. If your Registrybecomes cluttered with loads of irrelevant entries, this can cause your systemto spend time sifting through the information, slows down the booting of yourmachine and can confuse other software.

The solution is a more powerful tool that will seek out and remove old fileson your system and properly remove the installed software. It may be lessrelevant for Vista users - as their Add/Remove Programs module is more advancedthan previous editions - but, as it's free, you might as well see if it benefitsyour PC.