Uninstall Games

[K_Drive]

Hello.I have always recevied good answers to my HTML, CSS, JS, XML, .Net and other coding questions on the W3Schools forums. I thought that someone could help me with this non-coding problem:I installed a couple of games on my computer: An older game called "Dogfighter" and a recent game called "Space Rangers 2".My question is that, when I uninstall them, either with the Control Panel or with the original game CD, then reinstall them, I still have old saved games on my computer. This tells me that something is not being deleted during the unintallation process.How can I completely wipe out all of the games' directories and files from my computer? After I uninstall a game its directory is not in the C:Programs directory anymore. Are there hidden files on my computer somewhere after the unintall?K_Drive

[kgun]

There is (was?) a program called advanced uninstaller.Sometimes you have to maually uninstall the program. First stop the program (CTRL + Alt + Del) + stop process and then delete the prgram and the folder it is installed in. You can also clean the registers manually.

[aspnetguy]

If you want to clean things completely do the regular uninstall. then locate the games folder (probably somewhere in Program FIles) and delete the folder. Then run a registry cleaner to clean up any registry keys that are still hanging around.

[justsomeguy]

The game is most likely completely uninstalled. The things you see still on your hard drive are files that were created after the game was installed (like saved games). The uninstaller only removes files that were originally created, it won't delete files that were created after the game was installed. If the folder where the game files were is gone, then it's probably keeping the saved games in your user folder. To find those, open Windows Explorer (hold down the Windows key and press E), and first go up to the Tools menu and select Folder Options. Click the View tab and make sure these options are set:Display the contents of system folders (yes)Show hidden files and foldersHide protected operating system files (no)Then go to the C drive, the Documents and Settings folder, your user, Application Data (it will be hidden unless you set the above options), and then check for folders in there for the games. You'll probably find your saved game files and maybe some configuration files. You can safely delete any of those folders.Some uninstallers also have an option to delete the saved games also.Also, I've heard other people say good things about Space Rangers 2, what did you think of it?

[boen_robot]

If there's no directory of the game at Program Files after the uninstall (though I find that somehow unlikely), try to search for the savegames in My Documents. In particular, search for a folder named something like "*game name* files" or "*game name* saved games" or something like that. Anything that reminds you of it. Some games store their saves there so that peope could easily backup their saves in case of emergency.

[K_Drive]

The game is most likely completely uninstalled. The things you see still on your hard drive are files that were created after the game was installed (like saved games). The uninstaller only removes files that were originally created, it won't delete files that were created after the game was installed. If the folder where the game files were is gone, then it's probably keeping the saved games in your user folder. To find those, open Windows Explorer (hold down the Windows key and press E), and first go up to the Tools menu and select Folder Options. Click the View tab and make sure these options are set:Display the contents of system folders (yes)Show hidden files and foldersHide protected operating system files (no)Then go to the C drive, the Documents and Settings folder, your user, Application Data (it will be hidden unless you set the above options), and then check for folders in there for the games. You'll probably find your saved game files and maybe some configuration files. You can safely delete any of those folders.Some uninstallers also have an option to delete the saved games also.Also, I've heard other people say good things about Space Rangers 2, what did you think of it?

JustSomeGuy:Thank you for your reply. I will look into this.As far as Space Rangers 2 goes, I have only played it for about a week now. It was under $20 at Target and after playing it, I think that it was a pretty good deal. There are five races in the game. I have tried three of them. You can take the role of a merchant, fighter, pirate and others. I have been a merchant for all three races I played. You start out with a basic ship and basic equipment: engine, scanner, weapon, gripper for retrieving objects in space. Initially, you get some training missions to learn the controls of the game. And, you get a partner who follows you around and helps out for a while. As you buy and sell merchandise on different planets, you make a profit, upgrade your engine and other components so you can travel farther to new solar systems. The five races occupy different systems and have different relationships with each other. There are pirates floating around that attack you. There is also the big factor of the robotic race that is trying to take over the universe: The Dominators. If you fly into a solar system with them in it, you will get attacked. I had played one merchant long enough where I was able to buy a larger ship and equip it with enough defensive equipment to survive an attack. I was able to make a hyperjump to anothe system to escape - but only because I had upgraded to a larger fuel tank to make two consecutive jumps. With your initial fuel tank, you usually can only make one jump before having to stop at a planet to refuel. So, as you can see from what little I have described, there is a lot to the game to keep track of. You have to monitor your ship's status and also watch out for other ships that can harm you. There are also things like black holes that will send you anywhere in any system. There is an information broadcast on every planet where you can pick up news about merchandise for sale. You really make better money when you visit the government offices on each planet. You can pick up special deliveries and buy star maps, which open up more of the universe to you. I have not tried being a pirate or a fighter. I guess you steal things from other people as a pirate. As a fighter, I think you go after the Dominators. As a merchant, I made a hyperjump into a system where a fleet of fighters was attacking a fleet of Dominator ships. I was strong enough to join in on the fight. After the Dominators were defeated, their ships blew up, and there was a lot of equipment, like engines and fuel tanks, floating around space. I could pick them up, take them to nearby planets and make some money. I expect that this game will keep me occupied a long time. Having some taste of battle, I will probaby eventually try being a fighter next. There is also something called Ground Battles, which I have only tried the training version of. You are on a planet and you create robots to fight other robots and take over their bases. It was a lot of fun, even though I just played arond with it. It is an optional part of the training course at the beginning of the game.Some other things that I have discovered by just playing and exploring are things like cooking contests, races for prizes, bounty hunts for pirates, smuggling runs ("that could affect your reputation") and escorting diplomats for a time for a fee. You can also recruit other merchants to work for you. I have not tried that, yet. Although, when you complete your training course, you get a partner who sticks by you for a while. It is good to have him around because he can ward off pirates. I will say that the game website is pretty good: http://www.spacerangers2.com/. I seem to find new things about the game just by going through it. I read somewhere that the next step will be an online version of the game. I could see that there is enough in the game to do it. I have some friends who play World of Warcraft online. I could see this game being turned into something like that. There is already a lot to it. I guess it would be simlilar because there are quests and battles and different roles. So, maybe this would be good to turn into an online game.One thing that I thought was obviously lacking is that there are no female roles. I just thought that this was strange. Maybe becase I am comparing it to World of Warcraft. When I stand behind my friends and watch them play WOW, it seems like the female roles add something to the game. And, I guess more girls/women would play this game if you could play a female characters like WOW. Maybe they will add this in the online version if it ever comes out.So, there is a lot to this game. And, I feel like I have just scratched the surface of it. I cannot compare it to Space Rangers 1, because I have not played that version.I hope that this was helpful (and not too long!)K_Drive

[K_Drive]

There is (was?) a program called advanced uninstaller.Sometimes you have to maually uninstall the program. First stop the program (CTRL + Alt + Del) + stop process and then delete the prgram and the folder it is installed in. You can also clean the registers manually.

KGUN:Thank you for the reply. I will look into my C: drive more carefully.I have heard some things about the computer's registry. At my last job, my former IT manager said that this is a file that you want to be very careful with.Can you suggest any websites that might help explain it? I have looked at MSDN a little bit.K_Drive

[K_Drive]

If you want to clean things completely do the regular uninstall. then locate the games folder (probably somewhere in Program FIles) and delete the folder. Then run a registry cleaner to clean up any registry keys that are still hanging around.

ASPNETGUY:Thank you for the reply. I will look into my C: drive more carefully.I have heard some things about the computer's registry. At my last job, my former IT manager said that this is a file that you want to be very careful with.Can you suggest any websites that might help explain it? I have looked at MSDN a little bit.K_Drive