When it comes to adding or removing applications on a Mac, the process is probably the easiest in the entire computer history. Except for the ones that provide an installer and an uninstaller, the rest only require you to copy them in your Applications folder and then to move them to the trash when you are done.
In the second case the entire process will most likely leave behind application-related files like preferences, logs, crash reports, caches and so on. Even if the respective files don’t bother you on a daily basis, they are unnecessarily taking up space on your computer, even slowing it down if you are a fan of trying on new software every day.
Of course, you have the possibility to manually remove the files but I am sure you don’t want to waste your time searching for them. This is where Amnesia comes in handy, by automatically scanning your computer in order to find all the related files.
The Look
The interface of the software has a very smooth design and uses one window organized by tabs: Amnesia (where the uninstalling actually takes place), Applications, Widgets, Screen Savers, Preference Panes and Plug-ins. Amnesia also offers the program’s log in a different window that can be accessed from the Amnesia menu, but also via a keyboard shortcut: Command 2. You can go back to the main window by pressing Command 1, while typing Option Command T allows you to toggle the toolbar in the main window.
The Works
Amnesia follows the same principles that most of the applications designed for this purpose do. If you want to remove an app simply drag and drop it in the Amnesia tab and it will automatically scan the computer for all the related files, searching in the Library, the Application Support and so on. It will then present them to you, together with their location, and you will be able to quickly delete them without any hustle.
If you also want to avoid looking for the application yourself, you may access one of the Amnesia tabs and automatically scan the computer for programs, widgets, screen savers, preference panes and plug-ins. You can then select them from the generated list and send them to the uninstall tab. Each tab also allows you to rescan, so you will be able to see the updated list in no time, but includes a search bar as well, in case you know exactly what you are looking for.
The novelty introduced by Amnesia is the fact that you have the possibility to back up the files before deleting. The software will create an archive with the respective files, and will be able to restore them at their previous location even if you want to do that on another computer. If you want to remove any possibility of accidentally deleting files you might need, you can enable the Backup Software Before Removal feature in the Preferences window, which will perform the action automatically.
The fact is that the program simplifies a lot the process when it comes to cleaning your computer of all those unnecessary files. And if you want to convince yourself of just how important it is to remove them, just look at the item sizes displayed on the right side for each file when marked for removal. And the best part is that you can customize your scans using the options offered by the preference window.
For one thing, you have the possibility to enable the Smart Crash Reports Support in order to get details about the problems you encounter while using Amnesia. The service is great for the continuous development of the application and is definitely a must if you want to get it running on a PPC with Mac OS X 10.4, because, so far, the software does not seem to get along with that particular environment: the application scan generates no result and backing up ends in an error message.
Regarding the scanning process, you can choose to use Spotlight for Applications search, to only locate apps on the system disk and to include the Apple software in the result list. You can add several scan locations for each category but also items to the Untouchable list, along with the ones defined internally. If you try to remove items listed as Untouchables, you will first receive a warning.
When it comes to removing the files, you also have several options besides the standard deletion procedure. The secure deletion will actually rewrite the files three times before removing them and will require more time. Still, if you don’t actually want to delete them, you may choose to move them to a user-defined location. The same area allows you to disable the program logging and to automatically rebuild Launch Services after removal.
The Good
The Bad
The Truth
Here are some snapshots of the application in action: