Clean my Windows 7 of software remains

Question

does anybody know a tool which cleans windows 7 out of old folders which remained in C:\ after uninstalling a software.

For example I removed VS 2005 years ago and still have some folders under C:\Program Files\

I am thankful for each advice

EDIT:

problem is there is NOT only VS 2005 by Microsoft but also other tools which have remainings in my system. So I know the MS Uninstaller tool which is helpful for MS software, but I need a tool which cleans my system of ALL remaining folders which are not used any more by any software.

Thx for your kind help here...

Answer 1

http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/folder-is-empty-remove-empty-directories-and-trash-files-with-red/

You could try this it will scan your computer for every empty folder, i've not used it but maybe you can tailor it to your needs.

Answer 2

You should use Revo Uninstaller (Free) to uninstall your programs. After uninstalling the program with its native uninstaller, it searchs for your disk and the entire registry for probable leftovers (files, folders, registry entries).

Answer 3

After running the un-install s/ware and saving a restore point I've used everything file search utility. You can locate all folders/files with say "VS" in their name and delete them. Sometimes involves a bit of detective work and if in doubt leave them alone - what's a few kB between friends!

Answer 4

you should consider ccleaner http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner to remove the unwanted files and folders which software leave behind after uninstallation. And it also clean the registry.

Answer 5

You could start with the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility. It's a Microsoft utility. Tou cannot download it from Microsoft anymore but you will still find it by googling up for "MSICUU2.exe".

If you need a specific GUID, you can look up the registry entries in

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

Cycle through all the entries because Visual Studio bundles come as many different products.

For each key you should have a string value named "Uninstallstring" which usually translates to

MsiExec.exe /X{TheGUID}

You can safely paste this entry at the CMD prompt.

Then, once you're sure that the registry has nothing left, and if there are still folders in c:\Program Files, you can just wipe them out.

Answer 6

Have you tried using the native Disk Cleanup feature? It's what I usually use: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Delete-files-using-Disk-Cleanup