Although we handle support for novice software customers, there’s one area that often leaves us perplexed. Why does software manage to leave so much data on your computer after you run the official uninstaller?

It should be straightforward, right? You install software, uninstall and the entire process should remove the components, registry entries, startup modules and upgrade flashes? Often they fail. We still get warnings about software being out-of-date we installed months ago and even a tool from a well-known brand offer us an upgrade. Try and locate the source of these issues and they are often hidden deep in your registry or other hard to find locations.

IObit Uninstaller 9 is a powerful free uninstall tool designed with one thing in mind: delve deep into your PC and make sure installed software is fully and thoroughly removed. It can also locate previously removed stubborn applications.

New in v9 is an Install Monitor which will detect a software install, log everything a new installer will attempt to change on your system, so it can be reversed. A brand new Software Health module will scan your entire drive and run a report on previous software and advice which wasn’t fully removed. We were impressed with this new module – it found 331 issues with previous software which hadn’t been fully removed. It fixed our issue with a certain software title claiming it needed to be updated on system boot when it had been removed many months ago.

What else is new? v9 brings an enhanced scan engine, a wider stubborn program database, plus support for removing malicious plug-ins from your web browsers. There’s now a rating system for your Windows apps so you can share with other users what you think is worth keeping.

Although IObit Uninstaller 9 is promoted as freeware, most of the better and more usual features are reserved for the paid PRO edition. You get the basic uninstall tools with Free, but PRO offers the Install Monitor, the module to check for stubborn installed software, to remove plugins, remove bundled software, 1-click tools and more. Uninstaller 9 PRO can be purchased for a reasonable $19.99.

Download IObit Uninstaller 9 Free.