Give DS/DIM the option for a clean uninstall

Bright Shadow

As discussed in this post, to resolve a problem with a broken library configuration I uninstalled DS, DIM, and all content. I thought reinstalling from scratch would reset everything and restore default values.

Unfortunately the DIM and DS uninstallers leave behind a lot of files and registry keys, including most or all preferences and library configuration settings.

I was finally able to uninstall both programs down to bare metal by deleting a bunch of file directories and registry keys. The average user won't have the patience to do that, and won't know where to look.

Deinstallers for complex software packages often give you the option for a clean uninstall. Often there's a question like "Do you want to keep your settings in case you reinstall the software later?"

Adding something like this to DS/DIM would help when people want a deep uninstall. It's also just a good thing to do, rather than leaving lots of unused stuff behind.

Thanks for listening.

SpottedKitty

Michael Efrem said:

As discussed in this post, to resolve a problem with a broken library configuration I uninstalled DS, DIM, and all content. I thought reinstalling from scratch would reset everything and restore default values.

There's one more vitally important thing, if what you want is a complete wipe. The content database is not stored with the program or the content, it's completely independent: you must reset it manually from the database controls in the Content Library tab Options menu. If you miss out this step, your old content will be resurrected as soon as you reinstall D|S — and it's even more confusing, since the links in the database are still pointing to the locations of the content files that you haven't reinstalled yet. This catches people out regularly; it really ought to be better documented.