13. Programs and Features
Programs
and Features performs most of the same tasks for Windows 7 that the Add
or Remove Programs applet performed for Windows XP. However, there is
no provision for installing programs with Programs and Features.
Because this feature was hardly used in Add or Remove Programs, its
absence in Programs and Features is no great loss. The major functions
of Programs and Features include
Changing or uninstalling existing programs
Viewing installed updates
Enabling or disabling Windows features
Programs
and Features is available from the Programs category of Control Panel
and is also available in Large or Small Icons view.
Uninstall or Change a Program
You
may occasionally have programs on your system that don’t show up in the
Uninstall or Change a Program listing you see when you open Programs
and Features (see Figure 25).
Only programs that comply with the 32- or 64-bit Windows API standards
for installation have their filenames and locations recorded in the
system database, allowing them to be reliably removed without adversely
affecting the operation of Windows. Many older or less-sophisticated
applications simply install in their own way and don’t bother
registering with the operating system. These programs, which are
increasingly rare today, must be removed manually.
Tip
Never attempt to remove an application from your system by deleting its files from the \Program Files
folders (or wherever). Actually, “never” may be too strong. Removal
through manual deletion should only be done as a last resort. Always
attempt to use the Programs and Features applet or the uninstall
utility from the application first. Contact the vendor for help if you
cannot uninstall the application. In a few cases, it might be necessary
to go into the system Registry to remove pieces of an application. |
What’s
more, the built-in uninstaller lets you make changes to applications,
such as adding or removing suboptions (assuming the application
supports that feature).
Use of the uninstall feature of the applet is simple:
1. | Open the Programs category, then Programs and Features applet from the Control Panel.
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2. | Check the list of installed applications. A typical list is shown in Figure 25.
To sort applications by criteria such as size or date of installation,
click the appropriate column head. You can use this information to find
space-hogging programs you don’t use.
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3. | Select the program you want to change or uninstall.
|
4. | Click
the Uninstall or Change button above the program listing. Note that
program listings marked as (Remove Only) don’t offer Change as an
option.
|
5. | Answer any warnings about removing an application as appropriate.
Tip Obviously,
removing an application can’t easily be reversed by, say, restoring
files from the Recycle Bin, because shortcuts on the Start menu and
Registry settings are also deleted. |
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6. | At
the end of the process, the selected program is removed from your
system and from the list of installed applications. Depending on the
program you uninstalled, you may need to restart your system.
|
Some
applications (for example, Microsoft Office) prompt you to insert the
program CD when you attempt to change or remove the app. These prompts
can be annoying, but what can you do? The setup, change, and uninstall
programs for some large suites are stored on their CDs, not on your
hard disk. So, just insert the disc when prompted.
Note
Incidentally,
Add or Remove Programs can be run only by users with Administrator
credentials on their local computer. Although some applications can be
installed or removed by nonadministrators, most do require
Administrator privileges. |
View Installed Updates
To
see updates for Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Office applications, and
other applications that receive updates through Windows Update, click
View Installed Updates in the Tasks list of Programs and Features. All
installed program (but not driver) updates are shown. Figure 26 shows a typical listing.
If
you determine that an installed update is not working correctly, select
it and click Uninstall. (Note that some updates cannot be uninstalled.)
Note
To
view updates for separate programs bundled with Windows 7, such as
Windows Defender and Windows Media Player, or hardware driver updates,
open the Windows Update icon in the Control Panel’s Large Icons or
Small Icons view. |
Turn Windows Features On or Off
In
addition to managing add-on products and applications through the
Programs and Features applet, you can also enable and disable Windows 7
features. Click the link in the Programs and Features Tasks list to
open the Windows Features dialog box, shown in Figure 27.
Generally,
you should need to add features only if you are configuring Windows 7
for specialized situations. For example, if you need to manage a remote
client with Telnet, you should add the Telnet client. To learn more
about a feature, hover your mouse over the feature to see a brief
explanation.
An
empty check box indicates that the feature is turned off. A check mark
in a box indicates that the feature is turned on. Shaded boxes indicate
that only some features are turned on. For example, note that the only
active parts of Print and Document Services on this system are the
Internet Printing Client and Windows Fax and Scan.
Note
Enabling
or disabling a feature doesn’t change the size of your Windows 7
installation; it merely changes whether you can use the feature. |
To enable a feature, click an empty check box. To disable a feature, clear a check box. Click OK when you are finished.
