Professional Software Uninstaller

excellent
key review info
application features
  • Completely removes applications from your PC (all files, shortcuts and registry entries)
  • (7 more, see all...)

Whether you like it or not, installing and uninstalling programs under Windows will eventually cause system slowdowns and affect overall performance. The main culprit in this case is the uninstaller most applications come with, the basic problem being that it does not hunt down and delete all the information placed in Windows registry and on the hard disk upon the installation procedure. And such examples are all over the place.

Hence the usefulness of stand-alone uninstallers, which are designed to do away with all the leftovers at the end of the software removal process. Smarty Uninstaller is one complex solution for the problem at hand, as it comes with post-install scan engine looking for any remnant of an uninstalled application and delete it. It sells for $29.95 and you have a period of 15 days to try it out and decide whether it is worth the money or not.

Smarty Uninstaller is not the perfect answer if you’re looking for a complete uninstall, as it does not tackle the infallible method of snapshotting the registry before installing of software and then again after the process is complete, thus when removing the app, comparing the two snapshots and deleting all the differences. But it comes packed with a thorough scan engine capable of detecting all important traces remaining after eliminating a program from the system.

Upon starting the application for the first time, you will be asked to create a system restore point in order to be able to return to a safe configuration of the system in case something goes wrong. The option is available at any time via the intuitive interface, just like the possibility to create registry backups.

One of the setbacks of Smarty is that at each launch, it needs to go through the routine of analyzing installed programs. The completion of this task lies entirely in the processing power of your computer, as in our case on two different systems its behavior contrasted a lot as one of them was lower specced, while the other had an above average hardware configuration. The result on the feebler machines is that the start routine of the application will take longer to finish.

Featuring an intuitive interface, Smarty Uninstaller displays in the main window all software it detected as installed or partially installed on the computer. It will show possible broken installations, installed programs, system components (hidden installs) and Windows Updates. The list can be refreshed at any point you wish.

In the case of broken installations (the folder that belongs to the selected application is either empty, moved to a different location or deleted altogether), you can mend things up by pointing to a valid path, ignore it completely or start cleaning up all the clutter added to the registry. For the last one, the application has to search in the registry all the keys related to the item, as well as shortcuts available and files on the disk. It may take a while, but at the end of the operation, it will lay in front of you all the items related to the badly installed program and you’ll be able to continue the cleaning procedure or not.

Although during our tests Smarty Uninstaller accurately detected related items and registry entries, there is no option to select the items that should be eliminated and those that shouldn’t. Having this option around would add to the overall functionality of the application, as well as involve the user in the decision making process.

The basic steps Smarty goes through when uninstalling an application are not much different from what Revo freebie undertakes. That is the original uninstaller that came with the program will be initialized first, to get rid of the main data, then Smarty will follow with analyzing the registry keys and detecting shortcuts and files on disk. Should any post uninstall elements be found, you can remove them completely (Smarty integrated a secure deletion algorithm you can enable that will overwrite the data with random characters).

It may happen sometimes that a program is so glued to your system that its uninstaller fails to do the job. In this case, Smarty Uninstaller takes over, offering Force Uninstall option, which manifests by scanning the registry for related keys and the hard disk for shortcuts and files and deleting them. As mentioned earlier in the article, you do not have the chance to select data that should not be touched, in case Smarty Uninstaller fails the detection accuracy test.

If you have gained enough confidence in this application, it also offers an unattended mode of its Force Uninstall feature. Opting for this one will deploy the Force Uninstall procedure automatically and without showing you any of the detected information sentenced to deletion from the system. In this case, it is advisable to create a registry backup before deploying the operation, just to be on the safe side.

The power of Smarty Uninstaller lies in its capacity to analyze the registry and accurately pick up all the data left behind after the uninstall procedure. As far as this is concerned, the app can perform a full check, returning registry entries, detect shortcuts and files on hard disk. Analysis can function independently of the uninstall option of the application, whenever you want to see where an installed program has placed its data.

Should you find an unfamiliar program, there is the option of viewing advanced details on it. Depending on the information the developer included in its program, Smarty can show you the name of the publisher, version number of the software, size, modification date, last access date, website or help webpage.

Organizing all the programs in the list can be easily done by grouping items under a single category. Thus, you can create groups sheltering software installs sharing a similar trait. It is a good way to find a certain item faster. Of course, there is always the side-docked search panel, offering suggestions as you type, which can get you straight to the item you want.

Besides offering clean and complete uninstall for any application on your computer, Smarty Uninstaller also sports a set of tools ready to assist you in managing all items starting with Windows, cleaning unnecessary shortcuts, securely deleting files or simply taking a look at the processes running on your system.

The startup manager displays all the processes set to begin activity once the operating system loads. Keeping a good eye on these can really make the difference when it comes to the duration the computer needs to be ready for work.

Smarty Startup Manager comes complete with options for removing items from the list, disabling them or adding new entries. Editing features is also available, letting you change the target executable or item name.

Shortcut Cleaner’s purpose is clear as daylight; as the name states, the applet will look for shortcuts to missing programs and eliminate them from the system. It is capable of searching either in the Start Menu of Windows or on a user designated drive.

Secure Delete module in the application allows the elimination of data from the computer dimming down the retrieval chances. You can add either folders or files to secure delete them. Unfortunately, the tool does not work quite as expected. We were able to retrieve the data removed with Smarty Secure Delete by using a freebie specialized in this sort of thing.

The last tool in Smarty Uninstaller’s toolbox is Process Inspector, a manager that lets you view all currently running processes. It does not include the options offered by Windows Task Manager, but it is a handy solution when you’re working with Smarty Uninstaller, giving you details on the modules used by the selected process, and the option to search online for more information on selected items, as well as the possibility to terminate their activity.

Smarty Uninstaller comes with an intuitive interface making all the handling effortless, and although the regular price is not attractive enough to the regular users, the discounted one sure makes its purchase a bargain. It offers plenty more options than a regular uninstaller and its accuracy in analyzing the registry for leftovers of uninstalled programs takes out of the importance of running a registry cleaner (although it does not eliminate it completely).

On the downside, on Windows 7, it failed to display all the updates for the operating system, which although of little importance for the great majority of users, would be of much help to advanced users.


The Good

You get a clear view of all the programs installed on your computer, at the same time having the possibility to organize them into groups. Finding any application is as easy as typing its name in the docked search bar.

The analyzer does a great job at hunting down the pieces of information missed by an application’s uninstaller upon removing it from the system. Smarty Uninstaller also brings in a shortcut cleaner that can look in the Start Menu or on any drive of the hard disk for orphaned LNK files.

Creating a system restore points (which you can give a name too) and backing up the registry straight from the application add to its value and constitutes a safety net any user can rely on.

The Bad

After the analysis job, started after the uninstaller of the program removed finishes its task, you do not have the possibility to choose which data should be preserved.

Secure Delete tool is not too efficient, since running a recovery program will retrieve all the data. Also, the Process Inspector is not exactly feature packed, as it only allows you to view running processes and terminate them or search for information about them on the Internet.

The Truth

Smarty Uninstaller’s analysis engine does a great job and you can’t get better safety precautions than creating system restore points and backing up the registry. The interface is easy to handle and you can find an item in the list very quickly.

However, not all the knots are tied and some aspects still need to be taken care of in order to improve the overall functionality.

NOTE: Smarty Uninstaller 2009 Pro is available at 70% off on Softpedia, so you can get it for $9.9 instead of the regular price of $27.95.

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user interface 4
features 4
ease of use 5
pricing / value 5


final rating 5
Editor's review
excellent
 
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