Uninstalling or repairing a program is really easy on Windows XP and is accomplished through the Add or Remove Programs component of the Windows XP control Panel.

Removing a program from your computer using Add or Remove Programs is the correct way to uninstall a program on Windows XP. Simply deleting the directory that contains the program can cause your computer problems as this does not remove registry and startup entries related to the program. If a program has stopped working you may also find it has a repair option in Add or Remove Programs that will allow you repair it and get it working again.

To repair or uninstall a program in Windows XP click on your start menu, usually located in the bottom left hand corner of your screen.

When your start menu opens up you will see control panel on the right hand side of the menu usually about the sixth one up from the bottom. If you have a view applied to your start menu you may have to click on settings to locate control panel. Click on Control Panel.

You may either have Control Panel in Classic View or Category View. If you see icons rather than categories click on Switch to Category View on the top left hand corner of the screen to return your Control Panel to the default view.

With Control Panel in Category View the Control Panel is simplified rather than having a large number of icons. Category View groups these icons by type and can simplify navigation to the settings you want to change.

With Windows XP's Control Panel in category view you will see Add or Remove Programs as one of the categories. Click on Add or Remove Programs.

Add or Remove Programs will open up and populate a list of programs installed on your computer. This may take a few moments depending how many programs you have installed. The list will display the programs name and the amount of disk space that it uses, very useful if you are out of disk space and are removing unused programs to free up space. If you click on a program this will select it and a remove button will appear. If you dont know what a program is it may be wise not to uninstall it.