Purging an application

Hey guys,

I've recently tried a new software which I regret installing. It's called snaprocket.

Like Perian, it installed on my System Preferences Panel. How can I get rid of it completely?

Cheers

Try App Cleaner: AppCleaner

Or AppZapper or CleanApp. Any of the three mentioned to you will dig out the associated system files as well as the application. You choose what you want to do with the files. My favorite is CleanApp, but it's not free.

hughvane said:

Or AppZapper or CleanApp. Any of the three mentioned to you will dig out the associated system files as well as the application. You choose what you want to do with the files. My favorite is CleanApp, but it's not free.

Click to expand...

And AppCleaner is. Take your pick, all three will do the job.

but the thing is that the app is not in the Application folder...

Like when u install Perian, it just goes to the System Preferences Panel, not in the App folder...

yan03 said:

but the thing is that the app is not in the Application folder...

Like when u install Perian, it just goes to the System Preferences Panel, not in the App folder...

Click to expand...

Just right-click on its pane in System Preferences and do the obvious. There should be a preference file in your Library under Preferences, but it'd be very small in size and have no real impact on your system. If you really want it out, you can root it out and delete it. If you really want to be sure everything is gone, you can try an app that will "uninstall" apps and preference panes for you. The only one worth spending money on is TinkerTool System. It has an uninstaller as part of its suite that is the only one I've seen that will root out user-specific support files for all user accounts on your computer. All the others only work with your user account. No big deal if you are the sole user though. But anywho… just select that preference pane from TinkerTool System's list and "uninstall" it from there.

lifeisabeach said:

Just right-click on its pane in System Preferences and do the obvious.

Click to expand...

I tried that already. Unfortunately the app stills work afterwards.

lifeisabeach said:

There should be a preference file in your Library under Preferences, but it'd be very small in size and have no real impact on your system.

Click to expand...

It keeps re-appearing. I am guessing it is because the app is still running.

lifeisabeach said:

If you really want it out, you can root it out and delete it. If you really want to be sure everything is gone, you can try an app that will "uninstall" apps and preference panes for you. The only one worth spending money on is TinkerTool System. It has an uninstaller as part of its suite that is the only one I've seen that will root out user-specific support files for all user accounts on your computer. All the others only work with your user account. No big deal if you are the sole user though. But anywho… just select that preference pane from TinkerTool System's list and "uninstall" it from there.

Click to expand...

I really want it out. I am a "clean system" freak. Thanks for that recommendation. Trying rooting it out, assuming my definition of rooting and yours are the same, but in vain.

yan03 said:

I tried that already. Unfortunately the app stills work afterwards.



It keeps re-appearing. I am guessing it is because the app is still running.



I really want it out. I am a "clean system" freak. Thanks for that recommendation. Trying rooting it out, assuming my definition of rooting and yours are the same, but in vain.

Click to expand...

That's odd. I'll install it and check it out. I like a challenge.

yan03 said:

Like when u install Perian, it just goes to the System Preferences Panel, not in the App folder...

Click to expand...

Is it in SysPrefs > System > Accounts > Login Items? If so, it can be removed from there.

Ok, before trying to remove SnapRocket from your System Preferences, you first must uncheck the option Enable SnapRocket. Until you do that, the program will remain loaded and you won't be able to empty it out of the Trash. Once you have done this, then you can remove the panel as described. Of course, you should also have deleted the installer that you downloaded. The preference file is titled com.graymatterlabs.SnapRocket.plist. Using an uninstaller may help root out that plist for you. An older version of AppDelete (a freebie before they went shareware) was able to. Oddly, neither TinkerTool System nor AppTrap, the two that I like to use, found that file.

EDIT: As hugh suggested, you didn't happen to put the installer that you downloaded into your login items, did you?

yan03 said:

but the thing is that the app is not in the Application folder...

Like when u install Perian, it just goes to the System Preferences Panel, not in the App folder...

Click to expand...

The three mentioned application-deleting programs in the beginning, especially AppCleaner, can find any application, whether or not it is in the Application folder. Now, as for the rest of these replies, I would follow their advice since I personally do not know about Snap Rocket

lifeisabeach said:

you didn't happen to put the installer that you downloaded into your login items, did you?

Click to expand...

It may well have installed itself there. A number of apps do, particularly those which use the inner workings of the OS. If the OP was required to enter his admin password on installing SnapRocket for the first time, there is a serious possibility that SR opens on system boot.

hughvane said:

It may well have installed itself there. A number of apps do, particularly those which use the inner workings of the OS. If the OP was required to enter his admin password on installing SnapRocket for the first time, there is a serious possibility that SR opens on system boot.

Click to expand...

Oh you're right, that it certainly does do by necessity, though disabling it via the preference pane does remove it from the login items. I've had this sort of thing happen with a couple other items… iPhone apps with Mac-based helper apps in particular. You have to disable the item via its preference pane first before trying to remove the preference pane, or you'll be stuck in limbo.

Concerning the login items, it is just a pointer to the program, right?
I don't think it would affect anything.

I'll give a go to everything you guys suggested.

Just to share my personal experience, some of the app cleaners are pretty bad at their job.

That's something Apple should develop better; removal of apps.

yan03 said:

Concerning the login items, it is just a pointer to the program, right?
I don't think it would affect anything.

I'll give a go to everything you guys suggested.

Just to share my personal experience, some of the app cleaners are pretty bad at their job.

That's something Apple should develop better; removal of apps.

Click to expand...

Yes, the login item is just a pointer to the program. If you disable the software first from the System Preferences, then it will be removed from there. The way they packaged this software is rather weird. That file you download doesn't identify itself as an "installer", nor really behaves like one. It actually looks like it is supposed to be "the" app, but all it really does is ask if you want to install the Preference Pane, which is the REAL application. So, I got the idea in my head that you may have put the installer that looks like the app but it isn't that you downloaded into your login items, then didn't delete the installer. I don't understand why they don't simply make the preference pane item the actual download. Activating that from where you download it to will prompt you to install anyway. This is how everyone else does it.

As for "uninstallers"… I agree 100%. I don't think any of them are really worth spending money on. None of them. I do use a freebie called AppTrap, which I will recommend. It monitors apps going into your Trash. If it catches one, it will ask if you want to also delete the associated support files. It's the most convenient of them all, but otherwise fails in the same ways all the others do.