One of the biggest causes of detritus on Windows computers are the files and Registry entries leftover by programs when they’re uninstalled. Sure, you can employ the services of cleaning utilities like CCleaner, but the fact you’re scanning for leftovers from programs removed weeks or even months ago makes it hard to spot which files and Registry entries are safe to remove, and which ones aren’t, which can cause problems further down the line.

Far better, then, to remove these leftover elements with the program itself, which is where a dedicated uninstaller program like Revo Uninstaller Free 1.95 and Revo Uninstaller Free Portable 1.95 come in.

The brand new version of Revo Uninstaller Free has one major thing going for it (aside from the usual round of minor bug fixes and language updates), and that’s Windows 8 compatibility. Try removing software using the previous version and it would hang during the scanning process for leftovers, rendering the program useless.

Version 1.95 of Revo Uninstaller Free now fully supports Windows 8.

Now, however, Revo Uninstaller Free works correctly again with the latest build of Windows, giving you no excuse whatsoever to keeping on top of your drive cleaning by removing leftovers with the programs themselves, which makes it easier to identify whether they’re safe to remove or not.

The program is simple to use: select your unwanted program from the list and click the Uninstall button, clicking Yes when prompted. Leave Moderate selected, then click Next. Windows will take a fail-safe System Restore point (advanced users can switch this off, plus tweak other settings via the program’s Options button), then let the program’s uninstaller remove itself in the usual way.

Once complete – don’t reboot if prompted – click Next to let Revo scan for leftover Registry entries. Review them all before ticking selected entries or clicking Select All before clicking Delete followed by Yes.

Click Next again, and Revo will show what leftover files it found: again, review the list before choosing Select All or individual entries and clicking Delete > Yes to move these files to the Recycle Bin. Click Next followed by Finish to move on to the next program or reboot if prompted by Revo. Result, one properly cleaned up PC.

Revo Uninstaller Free 1.95 and Revo Uninstaller Free Portable 1.95 are both available as freeware downloads, while a more fully featured version – Revo Uninstaller Pro 3.0.5 – is also available as a fully functional 30-day trial download. Additional features in the Pro version, which costs $35.25, include forced uninstall of partially removed apps, real-time monitoring of system changes and the ability to uninstall multiple apps at once.