I previously had several versions of Sketchup simultaneously installed on my computer. I recently downloaded the latest version (Sketchup 2015) and decided I want to keep 2015 as the sole Sketchup program on my machine. I started by uninstalling ALL versions (including 2015) through the default windows uninstaller, I used iObit’s “Powerful Uninstaller” which scans for leftover bits, and also used CCleaner afterwards to remove anything that still gets left behind. I then went into the “Program Data” folder and deleted the sketchup folders there as well as anything in the “AppData” folder (which clearly show me that these uninstallers perform less than favorably). Then, after restarting my computer, I reinstalled Sketchup 2015. As I right clicked one of my .skp files to choose the default program, I noticed that sketchup 2013 and 2014 are still listed as one of the options, which means they still have info lurking somewhere on my machine and it’s driving me absolutely bonkers! I’ve tried scouring through the forum but have been unsuccessful in finding any other steps to take.
Is there any way of ridding my machine of absolutely every single thing relating to Sketchup so I can start with a clean install?
The Uninstaller software that your using might have left those directory folders behind as a measure of safety for you. Attempting to protect any possible customized files from being wiped away, had they taken a more heavy handed approach.
Alternatively, it might have been due to the fact that directory files tend to get treated with a little more protection - which is evident if your were to ever delete these by way of the command line terminal.
I’m not making excuses for them, but you might consider this for what it is. I don’t really know.
The few times which I have used a 3rd party uninstaller program, it always worked better when I had it installed prior to the installation of the other programs… and that was because it would then be able to create a list of every corner of the harddrive which files were written to during the install. and the uninstall process would use that list when removing software.
If you’ve already deleted all of the stuff out of the Program Files SketchUp folder, then I’m not sure what’s left to go after. The finishing touches on this will probably end up with you having to track down some stray entries within the registry.
That’s always a fun time, and at some point you’ll begrudgingly give up the search. partly because of waning persistence, and also due to increasing nervous paranoia. . . You don’t want to mess up the registry, it requires a light and informed touch.
I wish I could give you a list of the registry keys you need to look for, but I’m not sure what they are. I haven’t looked at it in a few years. I’m currently running my copy of SketchUp on a macbook pro.
Maybe someone from sketchUp will have a complete list for you.
The “open with” menu is populated from the registry. I would have expected our uninstaller to remove these entries, but you can do it by hand as well. Take a look at this article from Microsoft to track down the remaining entries: