-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 0
/
QA.txt
100 lines (73 loc) · 5.95 KB
/
QA.txt
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
Q: What version of Windows does this work with?
A: Windows 8, 10, 11 (64bt)
Q: Does this work with 32bit versions of Windows
A: Not at the moment. When made in 32bit, this program runs, but does not work properly.
Q: Does this remove 100% of all associated registry keys, and files?
A: No. Due to naming, versions, Windows Updates, etc, it is impossible to get them all.
Q: Why do my desktop icons flicker when running this program?
A: The program builds a database of installed apps. To do so, it clears the installed list cache, which refreshes the icons.
See "rebuild_database" in the source code for more details.
Q: Why does it take so long for "App Exorcist" to open?
A: When "App Exorcist" is started, it checks for conflicts or potential issues with running the program. If issues are found, it fixes them.
Q: What does it check, on startup?
A: Services, and sets Reg keys to prevent the apps from re-installing again
Service: PcaSvc #Program Capability Assistant Service - Prevents Get-AppxPackage removal from working
Service: AppXSvc #AppX Deployment Service - Prevents Get-AppxPackage from getting app list
Service: camsvc #Capability Access Manager Service - Prevents Get-AppxPackage removal from working
Download newest list of apps from: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ShadowWhisperer/AppExorcist/main/Source/apps.json
Q: How do I update the apps list database?
A: It is automatically updated, every time the program is ran.
To manually update it
Put: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ShadowWhisperer/AppExorcist/main/Source/apps.json
Here: C:\ProgramData\ShadowWhisperer\Apps\database_new.json
Q: What is the windows that flashes, before the program list is shown.
A: It is the pre-open issue checker, mentioned above. On slower hardware, the GUI shows that it's checking for issues.
Q: Why does "Remnants" take so long?
A: It searches for every app in the known database "(see Source/apps.json)" and searches for remains. This is a long list.
Q: "Remnants" isn't showing anything in the log.
A: It may take some time, until matches are found.
Q: When I run "Remnants" multiple times, it keeps showing the same files/keys in the log.
A: Some elements are not able to be deleted, even with brute force.
Q: Why do I need to reboot Windows 11 for the apps to clear from the list?
A: Windows 11 does not manage the installed apps list, the same way Windows 10 does. I'm still looking into a way around this.
Q: Why does app "X" show "[Not in database]" under the "Issues" column?
A: The "Issues" information is maintained by me. All apps need to be inspected/researched for problems.
If I don't know with 100% certainty, I leave it blank.
Q: Why does the app name under "Info" have a ?
A: The ? means the app is not in my database list, it reads the description from the registry, and adds a ?
Q: Why is "Xbox", "Sticky Notes", "OneNote" "etc.." not selected by bloat?
A: I run this on ever new computer I sell, and don't want to break these features. (If the future owner wants to use it)
Q: What is the difference between "Bloat" and "Native"?
A: "Bloat" is software that is not needed, but not "Native" to a clean Windows install. (Installed by 3rd party).
"Native" means that it is installed by a clean install of Windows. (Built into the system)
Q: Where is the log saved for the stuff that gets deleted?
A: "C:\ProgramData\ShadowWhisperer\Apps\uninstall.log"
Q: What is "C:\ProgramData\ShadowWhisperer\Apps\database.json"
A: It is a database of the currently installed apps. When "App Exorcist" is ran, it builds this file when it starts.
If you remove an app, the shown list refreshes and checks this file; instead of re-building the database every time.
If you close "App Exorcist", it will make an updated list, on the next run.
Q: Why do some apps like "Microsoft.Windows.DevicesFlowHost" not show in the list?
A: Microsoft.Windows.DevicesFlowHost specifically breaks driver installers. If the app noes not show in the list, if a
requirement. See Source/apps.json and look for "hide": "yes", for all of the hidden apps.
Q: Explain the apps.json file
A:
"name": "Microsoft.Windows.Apprep.ChxApp", #App name, given by the publisher
"info": "Windows Application Reputation service", #Clean name, as shown in the list
"issues": "Prevents identification of potentially harmful apps", #Problems caused by removing the app
"hide": "no", #Hide it from the shown list y/n
"native": "yes", #Native to the factory Windows install y/n
"bloat": "no" #Considered bloatware, not essential for stuff to function
Q: Should I remove apps that have a "?" under "Issues"
A: Do some research online, but proceed at your own risk. I hide the apps that break systems.
Q: I removed X and now X does not work. Can I undo these changes?
A: You can try a system restore point. It may work for some things, but most likely not.
Q: Does AppExorcist use a list of file and registry keys, or how does it know what to delete?
A: AppExorcist does not use a pre-define list of stuff to delete, it searches for it.
Q: How does AppExorcist differ from RevoUninstaller?
A: As far as I can tell, Revo uses a predefined list. It misses a lot of registry items/files.
AppExorcist has no animations,no PowerShell popups, and is 100% free.
Q: I ran "RevoUninstaller", but AppExorcist still shows it installed, why?
A: Revo does not fully remove the app; otherwise it wouldn't show in the list.
Q: Where does AppExorcist get the list of registry items, and files to delete?
A: AppExorcist searches the system for stuff to delete, the only thing predefined, is app specific stuff.
Example: Removing "Microsoft.Print3D", AppExorcist knows where to look for a key specific to Microsoft. Print3D's context menu