If you’ve ever thought you could uninstall a program from your Windows 7 PC by deleting the icon from the home screen, you’re not the first one to make that mistake. Every tech support representative has gotten that call at least once. It’s common for novice users to think that the icons on the home screen control all the programs installed on the computer but those are just shortcuts that allow you to access certain programs quickly. If you’d like to remove a program from your PC, Microsoft’s Windows 7 has a simple built-in way to uninstall it without the help of tech support.
The basic uninstall process occurs in the Control Panel of your PC’s operating system. Click the Start button on your Windows 7 Start Bar at the bottom of your home screen. Click “Control Panel” in the Start Menu that then appears. Click “Programs” in the next menu and then click “Programs and Features.” At this point, you can use your mouse to highlight the program you want to uninstall. Click “Uninstall” in the menu at the top of the screen.
Depending on your computer’s settings, you may have to enter the administrative password for your PC to start uninstalling the program. If you don’t know the password, contact your administrator for help finding the password before proceeding. If this is your personal home computer, the administrator is the main user account originally set up on it and any accounts granted access afterwards. If this is a work computer, your administrative password has probably been set by the tech support department. Contact your supervisor, who can help you determine whether it’s appropriate for you to know the administrative password or if someone else should remove the program for you.
Some programs require you to restart your PC to completely uninstall the program. You can either click “Restart” when the pop-up prompts you to or continue using your computer until you’re ready to restart it. When you’re ready, click “Start” on the start bar and then click “Restart.” After the restart process, the uninstall process is complete.
One of the benefits of using a PC is that Microsoft’s Windows program enables you to perform simple tasks yourself without calling in tech support. If you want a program removed from your PC, either using the uninstall program process or the system restore process achieves the results you want.