Chapter 30: Repairing and Removing Programs

IN THIS CHAPTER

Installing missing program features

Repairing damaged programs

Removing programs you don't want

Most of the time, your applications will operate smoothly and without incident. Occasionally, however, you might need to repair a program that is having problems. Or, you might want to remove a program or a Windows feature that you aren't using.

In this chapter, you learn techniques for managing installed programs. You learn how to change or repair programs, as well as how to remove programs you no longer need or want. You'll do most of these tasks in the Control Panel's Programs and Features applet or from the Windows Start screen.

Changing and Repairing Programs

Some large programs let you choose how you want to install the program. For example, you may be given options to do a Minimum Install, Typical Install, or Complete Install. You might do a Minimum or Typical installation to conserve disk space but later discover you need a feature that only the Complete Install would have provided.

Sometimes a program might become corrupted and not work properly anymore. That can happen when you inadvertently delete a file that the program needed. Or it might be caused by some minor glitch that compromised a file that the program uses.

The first step to changing or repairing a program is to get to the Programs and Features applet in the Control Panel. Here's how:

1. Press Windows+Xon the desktop and click Control Panel.
2. In the category view, click Programs.
3. Click Programs and Features.

You can also get to Programs and Features from the Search screen. Simply start typing fea, or display the Charms Bar and choose Search. Type fea, click Settings, and choose Programs and Features from the Settings screen.

The page that opens lists all your installed application programs. (It doesn't include programs that come with Windows 8.1.)

Not all programs offer change or repair options. To see what options an installed program offers, right-click the program name. Or, click the program name and take a look at the buttons above the list of program names. Things you can do with that program will be listed in a toolbar above the list. For example, in Figure 30.1, we clicked Bonjour, which offers options to Uninstall, Change, and Repair.

In most cases, you'll need the CD or DVD that you originally used to install the program to change or repair the program. If you have the CD handy, go ahead and put it in the CD drive. If Windows asks what you want to do with the disk, choose Take No Action. If the installation program opens automatically, just cancel or close that program.

Exactly how things play out from here will vary from one program to the next, so we can only provide some general guidelines and examples. But all you really have to do is make your selections and follow the instructions on the screen. For example, to repair a corrupted program, click the Repair button and do whatever the resulting instructions tell you to do.

The Change option for a program is generally for adding components you didn't install the first time around, although you can also remove any components you don't need. The exact process will vary from one program to the next, but a typical approach is to list all program features in a tree, like the example in Figure 30.2.

In the tree, click a program feature to choose an action. For example, choose Run from My Computer to install a feature. To remove an optional feature, choose Not Available. That feature will be removed and its icon will display a red X. When you're finished making your selections, click OK or Next and follow the onscreen instructions.

Uninstalling Programs

Unlike documents and other files, copying a program to your hard disk isn't enough to make it usable. You have to install programs before you can use them. Likewise, simply deleting the startup icon for a program isn't enough to remove the program from your system. You have to uninstall the program. These steps are necessary because a program often consists of many files. For example, Microsoft Office comprises hundreds of files! Furthermore, installing a program makes other changes to the system. Uninstalling is necessary to undo those changes.

Before you remove (uninstall) any program, make sure you know what you're removing and why. Just because you don't know what a program is or what purpose it serves doesn't mean you should remove it. Removing programs isn't likely to solve any computer problems.

With all those cautions out of the way, removing a program is quite simple. Windows 8.1 provides two methods for uninstalling programs. From the Start screen, right-click a program icon and choose Uninstall. Or you can use the Programs and Features Control Panel applet. Assuming you're already in the applet, right-click the name of the program you want to remove and choose Uninstall. Or select that program's icon or name and click the Uninstall button in the toolbar. If prompted, enter an administrative password. Follow any additional instructions that appear on the screen.

Unpinning from the Start screen

If you don't find a program that you want to remove in Programs and Features, you might still be able to remove its icon from the Start screen. When a program is on the Start screen, it's pinned to the screen. To unpin it, right-click the icon you want to remove and click Unpin from Start, like the example in Figure 30.3. If you find such an option, you can click it to remove the program from your system.

Dealing with stuck programs

Occasionally, you might come across a situation where removing a program generates an error message before the program is completely removed. The first thing to do, of course, is to read the error message and see what options it offers. You may be able to finish the removal just by choosing options that the error message provides.

If you can't get rid of a program through the normal means or error message, your next best bet is to install the program again. That might seem counterproductive, but the problem might be that the program only partially installed in the first place. A partially installed program may not have enough stuff installed to do a thorough removal. Once you've completed the initial installation, you should be able to remove the program without any problems.

Turning Windows Features On and Off

Windows 8.1 comes with many programs and features built right in. How many depends on which edition of Windows 8.1 you purchased. Regardless of the edition you bought, there may be some features you want to use and some you don't.

To turn Windows Features on or off, open the Programs and Features Control Panel applet discussed earlier in this chapter. Then click Turn Windows Features On or Off in the left pane. A list of available Windows Features opens, as in Figure 30.4. Items that are selected are currently installed and working. Unselected features are not active. A filled check box represents a feature that's active but that also has additional subfeatures. Click the plus sign next to a feature to see what subfeatures it offers.

The rest is easy. To disable a feature or subfeature, clear its check box. To enable a disabled feature, click its empty check box to select it. Click OK after making your changes.

Wrap-Up

Managing installed programs in Windows 8.1 is easy enough. It all takes place through the Programs and Features page. Here's a quick review of what's involved:

• You need administrative privileges to change, repair, or remove programs.
• Use Programs and Features to change, repair, or remove installed programs (open Control Panel click Programs).
• To see what options an installed program offers, click its name in Programs and Features and look at the buttons in the toolbar.
• Repairing a program generally involves reinstalling it from the original CD.
• Changing a program refers to installing features you didn't choose initially or removing features you don't use.
• Uninstalling a program removes it from your computer and from all user accounts.
• The Programs and Features window also provides an option to turn Windows features on and off.