Adverse effects of installing and deleting programs?

zipforia · 03-25-06, 03:01 PM

I'm about to receive my X51V and it seems like a lot of users here try demos and delete it or use freeware and delete it after a while. Not that I have a problem with this...but my question is, if you keep installing and deleting software onto your X51V, don't these softwares leave traces behind and start to build after awhile? Won't this take up memory like a desktop/laptop pc and slow your Axim more and more?

Z.

03-25-06, 08:17 PM

only if you install them over and over and over and over like 100 thousand times... it wears out the flash memory.... if you hard reset regularly, and re-install the programs you actually use, then you "clean-out" all the extra things they leave behind... there are also programs out there that will clean up temp files and things such as this... but the extra program files.... they will have to be hard-resetted out, or they can be removed manually by the file explorer

AKAJohnDoe · 03-25-06, 08:25 PM

There most likely are traces left behind in the registry and in modules added and not properly removed or replaced and not restored. There are tools that you could use to help clean these traces up after the fact or to take before and after images to determine exactly what did change. Not all program's uninstall processes are perfect.

I will say that I've been installing/reinstalling/deinstalling quite a bit of software and rarely have issues.

zipforia · 03-25-06, 10:01 PM

I realize if you do a hard reset it will revert back to fatory settings and clean out your ROM. And like your said, Nathan, have to re-install all the programs over again. Wouldn't that be annoying if you had all the settings just right and had to reinstall all the programs all over again?

Back in the day, when I had a Handspring Deluxe, I had a program call Clean Sweep. When ever I installed something, it would record all the files that got added on and when I decided to delete the file, it would delete everything that program installed. It was a great little program. Is there something like that around for WM5?

Z.

AKAJohnDoe · 03-25-06, 10:05 PM

I saw something on Tanker Bob's site that created reports before/after, but don't recall what it was called and have not used it myself.

I use SKTools. There's more like MemMaid and others. Scan through some View MyPDA entries and see what other folks use, too.

zipforia · 03-25-06, 10:43 PM

How is SKTool or MemMaid? Do they do a good job in cleaning out the the system? I really really really hate orphaned files. If I want to delete something, I want EVERYTHING related to that file gone. Does SKTool do that?

Z.

AKAJohnDoe · 03-25-06, 10:49 PM

You will probably want to trial these utilities to make your own decisions.

Pocket PC Magazine does an annual review of PPC software. While this review is not all-inclusive as it typically does not include freeware, it is a reasonably good reference.

spunker88 · 03-26-06, 07:15 AM

Unistalling programs on the axim is the same as desktop. They can leave behind prog files folders, help files, and a mess in the registy. I was thinking about hard resetting, but then came across sk tools. It really helps to get rid of the unused crap.

Gigi · 03-26-06, 08:31 AM

If you're worried about losing settings, just make sure you have a backup created at the point when your device is "clean" and configured to your liking. Restore back to that point when necessary.

03-26-06, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by zipforia

How is SKTool or MemMaid? Do they do a good job in cleaning out the the system? I really really really hate orphaned files. If I want to delete something, I want EVERYTHING related to that file gone. Does SKTool do that?

Z.

SK Tools is the most comprehensive cleaner. You can use :-

Invalid Registry Entry
Invalid Registry Values
Bad Shortcuts
Bad/Old Uninstall Info

Also I think that SK Tools Uninstall Programs does a more complete job than Start Menu\Settings\System\Remove Programs.

zipforia · 03-26-06, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Gigi

If you're worried about losing settings, just make sure you have a backup created at the point when your device is "clean" and configured to your liking. Restore back to that point when necessary.

Backing up my file is sorta like making an image file? Will Sprite Back Up or SPB Back Up do this? Which do you recommend?

Z.

Gigi · 03-26-06, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by zipforia

Backing up my file is sorta like making an image file? Will Sprite Back Up or SPB Back Up do this? Which do you recommend?

Z.

A good backup program will restore your device to back to the exact state it was in when you made the backup. I personally prefer Sprite, but I am not sure which one is the best for WM5. From what I have read, both are at least better than the built-in backup program (under WM5).