Another Question Already

How do I SAFELY uninstall something and is there someplace else I can find all my "installed" applications on here besides in applications? Still trying to find MSN Messenger for Mac which I installed last night. It is nowhere to be found on this machine yet I know I installed it. <sigh>

Thanks!
Tallulah

To uninstall an App simply drag it to the trash. Some Apps come with an uninstaller program but if not, you just put it into the trash and empty it, that's it. This isn't Windows, Apps don't install stuff hither and yon on your Hard Drive. That App that you click on your Mac is actually a wrapper for the all of the Apps parts that Windows tosses everywhere. Much simpler and easier to get rid of.

The biggest exception to this is, not ironically, MS Office for the Mac. It prefers you to run the uninstaller because it STILL throws stuff everywhere in OSX even.

Yup.. I had the same doubt till a few days back! Love this feature of MAC!!

i wouldn't say that's completely true. there are plenty of apps that add files to other places, so clean up can be a bit tedious if you want to clean absoutely everything up manually. the nice part is that if you don't clean them up typically the files won't interfere with anything or make the computer run slower (like a dirty windows registry will).

there are a couple ways to be sure everything for an app is removed.
use spotlight to search by the apps name to find rogue files, or use an app like appzapper to remove applications.

eric said:

i wouldn't say that's completely true. there are plenty of apps that add files to other places, so clean up can be a bit tedious if you want to clean absoutely everything up manually. the nice part is that if you don't clean them up typically the files won't interfere with anything or make the computer run slower (like a dirty windows registry will).

there are a couple ways to be sure everything for an app is removed.
use spotlight to search by the apps name to find rogue files, or use an app like appzapper to remove applications.

Click to expand...

Well, there are always prefs files and the like, but all they do is take up space. My point was, this isn't windows and you don't generally need an Uninstaller App to get rid of Apps.

Well after I drag an app into appzapper then I look in spotlight for any remnants of the app and delete those references. I also use another little app called easyfind and search for the app name and delete even more from in there. Just type in any and all names of the application you want to get rid of and see if anything comes up in easyfind.

as for the msn messenger, I'm probably the least knowledgeable person on this forum but install msn messenger on your mac again; im sure the dmg file is still in your downloads folder and put it in your dock
it was the only way i got msn messenger to stay within reach
it still doesnt show up in my apps but it's in my dock so i can just click on it

You do not put the DMG in your dock. You OPEN the DMG and when the window opens, you drag the application inside the mounted DMG to the Applications folder. Then close the DMG window and drag it to the trash to unmount it. Otherwise you have to open the DMG every time you run an app and that is not the way OSX works.

A DMG is a Disc Image. You click it and it mounts like a drive on your desktop. The Application is Inside.

dtravis7 said:

You do not put the DMG in your dock. You OPEN the DMG and when the window opens, you drag the application inside the mounted DMG to the Applications folder. Then close the DMG window and drag it to the trash to unmount it. Otherwise you have to open the DMG every time you run an app and that is not the way OSX works.

A DMG is a Disc Image. You click it and it mounts like a drive on your desktop. The Application is Inside.

Click to expand...

Ya right. That's what I meant. I don't know much, but I know that much. lol
I should have explained that more clearly; she said she couldnt find the msn messenger app so i said to look for the dmg im sure its there
install it again and drag it in the dock
sowwy

No problem, just being sure in case!

Download Appzapper, or AppCleaner (AppCleaner is free).

Both of these apps remove not only the Application, but the associated preferences files that you no longer need or want.

I would ALWAYS use one of these rather than just trashing the app itself - there is no point in littering up your Library folder with junk.

zongamin said:

I would ALWAYS use one of these rather than just trashing the app itself - there is no point in littering up your Library folder with junk.

Click to expand...

I would COMPLETELY disagree with this. Deleting apps by trashing them is perfectly acceptable in most cases. The files left behind do nothing but take a miniscule amount of space.

unless you're talking about garageband.

eric said:

unless you're talking about garageband.

Click to expand...

Or iTunes.....

exactly.