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I keep on installing different software on my system. Whenever I need something new I explore every possible piece of software on the net. I then have the task of installing those. Once installed, I pick one or maybe two which I find the most suitable for me, then I uninstall any remaining software with Revo.

However I don't believe any software can be uninstalled without leaving behind some unwanted files. On the other hand, sometimes I even forget to uninstall the software; at present the All Programs in my start menu shows four columns with each column having 51 items.

I want to get rid of the hassle of trying new software, installing and uninstalling. Is there something I can use which can install any software and then later tell that software to uninstall everything it installed?

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Use a package manager. Oh, wait... – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams Apr 24 '11 at 8:17
Take 2 Panadol, and if pain persists, see a doctor. :) Seriously, tho', this is a good question. I'd be inclined to use something like VirtualBox or VMWare Player and then when you're finished installing everything you can just nuke the virtual drive and it'll all be gone. – boehj Apr 24 '11 at 8:42
there used to be a software called altaris SVS that was PERFECT for this - they even had a free personal use version. unfortunately symentec bought it over, and it kind of vanished. I'm still looking for something as good as it was :( – Journeyman Geek Apr 24 '11 at 10:51
@Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams Actually.... code.google.com/p/windows-package-manager – Mike Ramirez Apr 24 '11 at 13:49
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Consider using a sandboxing application such as Sandboxie or running a VM.

Sandboxie allows you to run a program in a sandbox where any changes to the registry or hard drive are redirected and stored in a special area. The sandboxed program behaves as normal, but all of its changes can easily be deleted just by clearing out the sandbox.

It works well for trying new software without cluttering your normal operating system, and doesn't have the overhead of running an entire virtual machine.

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+1 for the VM solution – LaLeX Apr 24 '11 at 8:43
VM ? voice mail? virtual machine [ An IBM operating system that can run multiple operating systems within a computer at the same time ]? Vulnerability Management [ is a process in a system which decides whether to remove or tolerate on risk and cost based vulnerabilities ] ? Virtual Memory ? – Rakesh Apr 24 '11 at 8:47
Added a link to VirtualBox; thanks Rakesh. – raylu Apr 24 '11 at 8:51
+1 - Agreed that a VM is a good way to go here. – boehj Apr 24 '11 at 9:04
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up vote 0 down vote

Allmyapps is a bit like a Windows app store, and can handle installing software (even from a list of grouped applications), uninstalling, searching etc.

Screenshot

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