uninstaller

[sethg]

Since uTorrent does put entries in the registry, there probably should be, at some point in the future, an uninstaller. The same is true if it adds icons to the desktop, quick lauch bar and start menu.

I hate to suggest this bloat, but leaving cruft in the registry, not to mention icons, shortcuts and directories, is not terribly friendly.

[silverfire]

uTorrent does not put entries in the registry as far as I know. All of its settings and data is stored either in %appdata%uTorrent, or its local folder.

[sethg]

uTorrent does not put entries in the registry as far as I know. All of its settings and data is stored either in %appdata%uTorrent, or its local folder.

There are entries under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTapplications, HKEY_CURRENT_USERsoftwaremicrosoftwindowscurrentversionexplorerfileexts.avi. If you check off "Start uTorrent on system startup", it also places a registry entry in HKLM...Run (I think that's where it goes). Gotta love Windows, eh?

[silverfire]

I don't think that warrants a full-blown uninstaller, then. A more practical approach to go about this would be a 'remove registry entries' button or something, where it would remove anything it put there.

[chaosblade]

The minimal registries that are left by windows are meaningless and take no more then the few bytes they stand for. They are left for many a programs that ever ran in windows and any decent registery cleaner would wipe 'em out. I suggest RegSupreme Pro.

[sethg]

OK, I was just thinking of unsophisticated users. There are the few registry entries, the executable, the uTorrent appdata directory for each user on the system, the desktop icon, ...

Each time you put something on the system and remove it where there isn't a thorough uninstaller, more cruft accumulates and eventually, your system is a mess. You can handle it, I can handle it, but can the average PC user? If your goal is to have this be a mainstream BT client, you have to take the needs of unsophisticated users into account.

[QauNuckShin]

Those registry entries are nothing..

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT: Used for making utorrent the app for .torrent files

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTapplications: Same as above

HKEY_CURRENT USERsoftwaremicrosoftwindowscurrentversionexplorer fileexts.avi: Lists utorrent as an app for .avi files while choosing "Open with"- Weird, but I noticed BitTornado has done the same thing..

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEsoftwaremicrosoftwindowscurrentversionrun: Makes utorrent autostart.

So, these are insignificant. Delete the exe file, and they won't do anything. And as chaosblade said, a registry cleaner would fix it.

What about icons? Does utorrent create them automatically? I haven't noticed..

[Astral Monkey]

any decent registery cleaner would wipe 'em out.

Yeah there's a lot of free registry programs out there if you're worried about crap being left behind.

OK, I was just thinking of unsophisticated users. You can handle it, I can handle it, but can the average PC user?

I'm pretty sure they don't even know what the the registry is, and don't care.

[chaosblade]

Even if left behind they have no effect on the system what so ever.

[Ultima]

Well... except if someone ticked the option for µTorrent to start up with Windows, in which case, wouldn't Windows nag about it? (I'm not sure, I haven't had missing programs from my startup in the longest time)

[sethg]

Even if left behind they have no effect on the system what so ever.

The HKLM...run entry will cause the system to look for a non-existent executable at startup. I'm pretty sure it will ask the user what to do, and the average PC user will have no idea and worry that something is broken, which it is. The same thing will happen if the file type associations between .torrent and utorrent.exe remain after the executable is gone and someone clicks on a torrent link.

None if this is a problem for an experienced PC user. Even though the inexperienced PC users don't know what the registry is, not to mention how to maintain it, it is not good for their systems when a lot of stuff like this accumulates. That is why most well-behaved applications have thorough uninstallers. Yes, this single application leaving a little bit of cruft behind doesn't cause much trouble. Multiply that by a hundred and you've got some problems.

Suggesting that the average PC user learns about the registry, selects a reasonable registry cleaner and uses it without breaking anything is not realistic. It's not even advisable. This is similar to the attitudes of one camp in the Debian community (I'm a Debian user, too). Their idea is that anyone who can't operate their system from the command line, read the endless and contradictory documentation and write PERL scripts should be exiled into the Windows world for their ignorance. That attitude itself is somewhat ignorant and is a big part of what's stopping Linux from taking over the desktop. They think the world will come to them, which is not terribly likely. People like me who use Linux as a tool and are willing to invest the time have already come there, but the average PC user? I don't see this happening in its present form.

We have to remember that most average PC users have a life that doesn't include time, interest or sometimes the ability to learn how their machines operate. This is why they don't know what the registry is, how to select a reasonable registry cleaner or how to use it without damaging their system. It seems trivial to most of us, but believe me, it is far beyond what these folks are willing or capable of doing.

If you want to be friendly to the vast majority of unsophisticated PC users, and thus have a shot at being a major client, don't leave cruft on their systems. None. Don't wait for a major magazine reviewer to pick up on this and give the client a bad rep before it's even out of the gate.

[Ultima]

The part about the .torrent association... well, if someone deleted µTorrent and continue to use torrents, then chances are, they already replaced µTorrent with another client, so that part probably isn't cause for worry.

[SledgeDG]

The HKLM...run entry will cause the system to look for a non-existent executable at startup. I'm pretty sure it will ask the user what to do, and the average PC user will have no idea and worry that something is broken, which it is.

as soon as you uncheck the option in utorrent, the key is deleted anyways

To the situation about the keys on a more general note:

Basically you have a toss up here between 2 or 3 lines left in the Registry

or - if you would use an uninstaller - 2 or 3 gaps in the Registry (deleted keys don't save you anything...just your Registry becomes fragmented over time)

Which is a perferctly normal "every day" Window situation

I really don't think that would justify an uninstaller...if I was concerned, I would be more concerned about what's left in %appdata%...and even that are only a few bytes no need to loose any sleep about

-DG

[TurtlesRock]

I really wish that programs behaved themselves and undid anything that they changed. If they did that, then we wouldn't have this need for registry cleaners and things of that nature. I uTorrent makes a change in the registry, then uTorrent should undo that change. If not an uninstaller, then how hard is it to create a .reg file that the user double-clicks on to undo all the changes that have been made. When a user checks an option that changes the registry the first time, a pop up box comes up stating that a .reg file has been created to undo all changes to the registry. Or maybe a section in the FAQ about which keys to delete and which folders to delete to fully "uninstall" uTorrent.

[slayers]

uTorrent doesn't need to be installed in a strict sense. Just create a folder for it and off you go. "Uninstall", then, should be the exact opposite of what you did -> delete the folder containing uTorrent. But we all know that would leave things behind. A clean, 1-step uninstall is what we expect from any program.

For this reason I think uTorrent warrants an uninstaller. It doesn't have to be part of the main program but something that is created with an installer package. For those smart enough to do without these just download the executable and don't worry about other conveniences. The average user does not know how to work with the %appdata% and even if it is safe to delete stuff in a folder that is hidden by default.

If everything were contained within uTorrent's folder I would not think this would be needed.

[silverfire]

Well, personally, I don't think µTorrent warrants an uninstaller, but a 'Remove Footprint' option in some menu, preferably near 'Check for Updates' would probably serve the purpose if it removes all registry entries, appdata files, folders, etc.. Basically it would delete all but itself (the exe) and tell the user that it's now safe to delete the exe then exit. Another option would be an 'Download uninstaller' option somewhere, maybe in the same place as the previously mentioned 'Remove Footprint' option that would download an uninstaller, shut down µTorrent, run the uninstaller, and prompt the user to delete the uninstaller, much like how the update process replaces the exe itself and restarts.

[chaosblade]

People being concerned about the registery left overs should read the matching reg cleaners entry here: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/SupportCD/XPMyths.htm

[TurtlesRock]

Link doesn't work.

[chaosblade]

Seems like it died. Anyway, There was a quote of microsoft employes stateting that even an incredible amount of 'broken' registery values should not effect performance at all, unless you have a program that does some sort of odd exhustive search on all the keys on your OS.

[Astral Monkey]

Here's the link that chaosblade tried to post (its .html not .htm): Click

[shadow20002]

I will to see some installer with uninstaller. This will just enhance it like the way i see it.

[ScubaSteve]

an installer is completely unnecessary. all it will do is add about and extra 100KB to the size of the download, and todo what exactely ? extract the .exe to a program files folder and make a shortcut in the startmenu or desktop. the registry settings left behind are completely harmless and would be replaced anyway if someone else installs a different torrent client. shortcuts are also very easy to remove. ppl like to create shortcuts to there program pinned in the start menu, uninstallers dont remove those links so the user would be able to work out to delete them anyway. the only thing that could maybe improve the situation is for µTorrent not store its settings in %Appdata% but instead always keep the settings next to the executable.

[ColdArmor]

Why would you want to remove the registry entires anyways, it must take up very very little space...

[Intangir]

the only thing that could maybe improve the situation is for µTorrent not store its settings in %Appdata% but instead always keep the settings next to the executable.

That would work, but I think it would befuddle Joe User when he finds out after double-clicking the exe it "mysteriously" made two files on the desktop (or wherever) alongside it. The appdata method is nice because it facilitates upgrading the client as new versions are released (which seems to fairly often). But then with this method, it seems disingenous. The client, as far as I remember, doesn't tell you that it's making those files or where, nor does it prompt you to tell you it's making shortcuts (I believe one on the desktop and one on the "executive" locale of the Start Menu -- which I do agree to be somewhat arrogant; either ask me if it's okay or let me do that myself).

As I see it, µTorrent does 'install' itself it just doesn't have the courtesy of telling you it did or where. It's in an ambiguous area between a conventional program (installer/uninstaller) and a standalone executable program/tool. If it were completely standalone, it obviously wouldn't require an uninstaller.

Either tell me you're placing files somewhere (via a prompt or a readme) or have an uninstaller. Having no documentation on uninstallation would lead me to believe it's all self-contained, yet if I delete the exe (rationalizing that it is all just one file) there is still a folder with files in it. Does it affect anything? Most likely not, but it's still bad practice.

A possible compromise, and I think others have mentioned it, is to have an Uninstall option in a menu. Click it -> "ZOMG are you sure!?" -> have it delete the µTorrent folder and (perhaps) any associated registry keys -> "Done. Delete the exe and be off with you!"

Regardless, it's up to where the devs want to take it. A full fledged program with install/uninstall or a standalone. Being one and acting like the other is rather dishonest.

[MechR]

As far as the Start menu shortcut not being in a folder, I presume it's just because the program has only one shortcut, so there's no point.