Monday, June 11, 2012

How Do I Uninstall Microsoft Silverlight 5?

Are you looking for an efficient way to uninstall Microsoft Silverlight 5? Do you want to remove the application without causing any hassle? You will know how to achieve that after reading this article.

To remove the application, we need to understand what it is.The application, released on December 9, 2011, is a plug-in or an add-on for Internet browsers, allowing users to experience various Internet applications within web browsers. It is a big advancement over the previous version, with improved media features and user interface facilities. Take Hardware Decoding as an example, it enables low power netbooks to play HD content. Another example is that Trickplay in the application can speed up or slow down the video while keeping the audio pitch correct.

Unfortunately, there are also problems with the application. The most common one is the frequent occurrence of crashes caused by the application, in particular, crashes of Internet Explorer. For instance, IE8 usually stops working and it asks you to download a file called "dw20.exe" and you can not fix the problem after downloading that file. Another big problem is that the software, though similar to Adobe Flash, is less well-established, supporting only few browsers in windows and in Mac. Other reoccurring problems are the application's corrupted installation and corrupted registry entries. Apart from these problems, you have to keep updating web browsers and the operating system on your computer to avoid errors related to the application. Sometimes, even with the system and web browsers being fully updated, the application still refuses to work.

You may wish to uninstall the application due to these issues. How to uninstall it from your system?

If you are a Windows XP user, you should take the below steps:

Step 1. Shut down all browsers.

Step 2. Click on the Start button and then move on by going to Control Panel.

Step 3. Double-click on Add/Remove Programs.

Step 4. Select the target program and then click the Remove option.

Step 5. Follow the window wizard to complete the removal.

For Windows Vista users, take the following steps:

Step 1. Close all browsers.

Step 2. Click Start and then locate Control Panel.

Step 3. Go to Programs, click on Uninstall a Program( if you are in Category View, select Programs & Features).

Step 4. Click Uninstall/Change.

Step 5. Select the plug-in and click Uninstall.

This method will not delete the annoying plug-in entirely. There will be files and registry entries left behind by the plug-in. You can remove the left over files by searching and deleting them. And you can resort to a registry cleaner to get rid of those registry entries. But you should take care when choosing a registry cleaner in case of any further problem. To save against a rainy day, you'd better backup your registry and create a restore point before running the registry cleanup tool.

You can also uninstall the plug-in by using the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility, which only eliminates registry entries and files related to the Windows Installer portion on the program. It will not remove many files from the computer. To remove the plug-in with the utility, you should follow the instructions below:

Step 1. Login as an administrator.

Step 2. Download and run the utility.

Step 3. Close all the browsers.

Step 4. Select the plug-in in the list of installed programs and click on Remove.

You might find that the application still cannot be removed completely after using Windows Installer Cleanup Utility. In fact, using an uninstaller to do the removal is a better option for you. Here I take Mighty Uninstaller as an example. It will not only remove the stubborn programs that could not be removed completely from Windows Add/Remove program but also provides services like scanning both your registry and hard-drive, cleaning the empty or corrupted registry entry, improving your overall PC performance and backing-up your registry as well. What's more, it is easy to use and friendly user interface. To use that uninstaller, you can firstly download it for free from a safe website and then click the .exe file to install it in your computer. The next step is to run this application and select the plug-in in the program list displayed then click on "Uninstall" button. The removal will take a few minutes.

1 comment:

  1. Now days which people that have done silverlight and they are using their own application by themselves. This is the main part that uninstall process it is very good stuff step by step.

    Offshore Silverlight Application Development Services Company In India

    ReplyDelete