Mac OS X: what's the best (safest) way to uninstall programs or drivers?
Mar 27, 2006 at 1:38 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14

mshan

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I just got my dad a 20 inch Intel iMac and am just learning the new operating system.

What's the best and safest way to uninstall programs and drivers? (I don't see anything similar to install / uninstall in the Windows Control Panel)

Also, what Apple forums / websites do others recommend for learning about Apple and posting troubleshooting questions?
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 2:34 AM Post #2 of 14
Applications are typically installed in the applications folder. To remove them just drag the application to the trash. So if a program installs to Applications -> My Program. Just drag the My Program folder to the trash.

There are a lot of web sites that cater to MAC owners. Try starting at MacWorld magazine and the Apple site. Depending on what you are interested in there are a lot of other sites around.

Enjoy your new MAC.
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 8:12 AM Post #4 of 14
Congrats on the imac and welcome to the family!!!!!!!
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As stated above, to remove a program, simply drag it to the trash. That's it, nothing more to it.

Enjnoy the best computer and OS in the world
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Mar 27, 2006 at 8:22 AM Post #5 of 14
While most programs are uninstalled by just dragging them to the trash from the Applications folder, some leave remants within the Library folder, either the user's Library or the root Library. You might miss gobs of MBs if you ignore that area.

(been enjoying Macs for the past 14 years... nice to see new fans!)
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 8:49 AM Post #6 of 14
As people say, just trash the .app. If you want to be more thorough, you can use sth. like AppZapper (review link) which will also remove preferences & caches. It is rarely necessary though, you do not have to worry about installs busting up your system as it may happen with the windows registry (does that still happen?).

Another friendly place for troubleshoots:
http://www.macosxhints.com/

Learning about all things Apple:
http://www.macrumors.com/ (be sure to also check out the Mac Links of the left)
http://www.joyoftech.com/joyoftech/index.html
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 2:52 PM Post #7 of 14
First option: If the program or driver came with an actual uninstall application, use that. 2nd option: If the program or driver's install application has an uninstall option, use that. 3rd option: drag program to Trash.
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 3:47 PM Post #8 of 14
I used Finder to find all associated files with a particular program, but I am leery of removing something needed by the system (e. g. dll or something like that).

Will these remants / stragglers slow my system down or just take up small amounts of hard drive space?


Also, how reliable are the Restore disks that come with my iMac? Can I just pop it in and essentially erase the drive and restore it to factory new condition?
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 4:51 PM Post #10 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by mshan
Also, how reliable are the Restore disks that come with my iMac? Can I just pop it in and essentially erase the drive and restore it to factory new condition?


Yes, but this is one of the first things to learn about Mac OSX: You hardly ever need to reinstall the system. Ever.
What you want to do for safety reasons (say HDD failure) is an external HDD (I think intel Macs may boot off USB2.0, but get one that also has FireWire to be sure), partition it with DiskTool so one partition is the size of your iMac's internal drive, and then clone your system to said drive using either DiskTool or Carbon Copy Cloner (freeware). Check CCCs option "make bootable". In the unlikely event that the internal system fails, your Mac will search for bootable drives on external discs, find the clone and boot from it. You may then just clone the system back to the internal drive with the same procedure.

Best option is to get a really big drive and use another partition on it for music. It tends to add up
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Mar 27, 2006 at 5:51 PM Post #11 of 14
When the iMac goes to sleep, it only draws 2 watts, so I could see leaving it on all the time.

Is Mac OS X like Windows in that it needs to be rebooted every once in a while (or else it slows down), or should it be happy running 24/7 365?
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 10:07 PM Post #12 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by mshan
When the iMac goes to sleep, it only draws 2 watts, so I could see leaving it on all the time.

Is Mac OS X like Windows in that it needs to be rebooted every once in a while (or else it slows down), or should it be happy running 24/7 365?



You can leave it running all the time, and only put it to sleep. That's what I do with my iBook. I only shutdown when I install some software or an update that needs a restart. Otherwise, I always put it to sleep. My personal record for uptime is somewhere around 6 months, but I know lots of folks that have gone longer.

Even though you can leave it running, you probably want to quit/exit some programs. Safari is a particular memory hog (especially with Flash and JAVA) and will start to bog down after a while. Quitting and restarting Safari fixes it.

What else... try to think outside of the standard Windows paradigm. OSX is completely unlike the typical Windows program that litters the hard drive with DLL files. At worst, it's mostly preference files and caches, which are small. The typical OSX program, and everything required to run it, is completely contained in one giant file. Delete the file, and the program is history.

90% (or more) of your time can be spent in your home folder. Really no need to go poking around in the System or Library folders.
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 10:48 PM Post #13 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by davei
You can leave it running all the time, and only put it to sleep. That's what I do with my iBook. I only shutdown when I install some software or an update that needs a restart. Otherwise, I always put it to sleep. My personal record for uptime is somewhere around 6 months, but I know lots of folks that have gone longer.

Even though you can leave it running, you probably want to quit/exit some programs. Safari is a particular memory hog (especially with Flash and JAVA) and will start to bog down after a while. Quitting and restarting Safari fixes it.

What else... try to think outside of the standard Windows paradigm. OSX is completely unlike the typical Windows program that litters the hard drive with DLL files. At worst, it's mostly preference files and caches, which are small. The typical OSX program, and everything required to run it, is completely contained in one giant file. Delete the file, and the program is history.

90% (or more) of your time can be spent in your home folder. Really no need to go poking around in the System or Library folders.



Great advice. . . .I completely agree with everything davei commented on
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. That's how I use my iBook too.
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