How do I permamently remove an application from my harddrive?

Discussion in 'Mac Basics and Help' started by Cakebread, Oct 8, 2007.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Cakebread, Oct 8, 2007

    Cakebread macrumors newbie

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2007
    #1
    I've just gotten a mac, and I put flash cs3 on it, but the problem is that I accidentally deleted the file. I went to reinstall it, but the computer says that flash is still somewhere on my hard drive. I've basically just been deleting every file that says "flash" somewhere in it, but that hasn't worked. Does anyone know how I find the file that's stored away on my computer so I can get rid of it and reinstall the program? Thanks!
     
    share
    + Quote Reply
  2. WildCowboy, Oct 8, 2007

    WildCowboy Administrator/Editor

    WildCowboy

    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2005
    #2
    The Adobe apps put a lot of "hooks" into your system when they're installed, so you can't simply get rid of them by deleting the main file...you need to run the uninstall utility. I believe it can be found in Applications\Utilities\Adobe Installers. Try running it...it should be able to clean everything up even if the main app has already been deleted manually.
     
    share
    + Quote Reply
  3. Eidorian, Oct 8, 2007

    Eidorian macrumors Penryn

    Eidorian

    Joined:
    Mar 23, 2005
    Location:
    Indianapolis
    #3
    While Spotlight is useful, I find that it doesn't work for files in /Library or /System.

    I suggest the same uninstaller route as above. Adobe more then likely put system level files that are a big pain to remove otherwise.
     
    share
    + Quote Reply
  4. Cakebread, Oct 9, 2007

    Cakebread thread starter macrumors newbie

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2007
    #4
    So...the uninstaller doesn't work, maybe because I've already been deleting tons of other files. It says the installer database is invalid. Does anyone happen to have any idea what to do here...?
     
    share
    + Quote Reply
  5. trippr, Oct 11, 2007

    trippr macrumors member

    trippr

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2007
    #5
    can u run the installer and repair at all?
     
    share
    + Quote Reply
  6. QuantumLo0p, Oct 11, 2007

    QuantumLo0p macrumors 6502a

    QuantumLo0p

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2006
    Location:
    U.S.A.
    #6
    If the uninstaller does not work then maybe...

    How about if the app is still in the trash, maybe try to put it back then run AppZapper or AppDelete?

    I have used both and I like AppZapper better although AppDelete is free.

    AppZapper seems to find all of an app's files, even if they use a different naming convention.
     
    share
    + Quote Reply
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)

Share This Page