How to Restore Your Program Settings?
Here, "program settings" standards for the frequently mentioned "Add or Remove Programs" and "Uninstall a program" under Windows Control Panel.
If a program isn't working right, just reinstalling it won't necessarily fix it. You may need to reset the program to its default settings, and some programs don't offer an easy way to do this.
You can erase any program's settings from your computer if you just know where they are. We'll show you the most common places programs store their settings and demonstrate how to track down any program's settings.
The Easy Way
You'll ideally be able to reset a program's settings by uninstalling it and checking the "Delete preferences" or "Delete settings" box in the uninstaller. This option is usually unchecked by default. Reinstall the program after uninstalling it.
Not every program has this option in its uninstaller. if the program doesn't have this option, you'll have to hunt down its settings elsewhere.
Use a Reset Option
Some programs have a built-in Reset option. For example, Firefox can reset itself to its default settings so you don't have to mess with your Firefox profiles folders. Access this option in Firefox by clicking the menu button, clicking the question-mark-shaped Help button, selecting Troubleshooting Information, and clicking Reset Firefox. Chrome, Internet Explorer, and some other programs have similar options.
Locate and Delete the Program's Settings
Before you delete anything by hand, be extra careful. If you delete the wrong folder or registry key, you could erase a different program's settings or cause problems with your system configuration. Here's where most programs store their settings:
Your user account's AppData folder: You can access this folder by plugging C:\Users\NAME\AppData into File Explorer or Windows Explorer's address bar and pressing Enter. This folder is hidden by default. Most applications should store their settings in AppData\Roaming, but many store settings in the AppData\Local folder.
The Windows registry: You can open the Registry Editor by pressing Windows Key + R, typing regedit in the Run dialog, and pressing Enter. You'll generally find a program's settings under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software. Delete a program's settings by locating its key (folder), right-clicking it, and deleting it.
Be very careful when doing this âEUR" delete the wrong registry key and your Windows system may become seriously damaged. For example, if youâEUR(TM)re trying to wipe out MumbleâEUR(TM)s settings, feel free to delete the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mumble key. But donâEUR(TM)t delete the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft key or you could cause very serious problems.
The ProgramData folder: This folder is located at C:\ProgramData âEUR" plug C:\ProgramData into your file managerâEUR(TM)s address bar and press Enter to access it. Delete the folders for a program and it should wipe its settings. Windows forces old programs to store their settings here if they try to write them to their Program Files folders. Modern Windows programs shouldnâEUR(TM)t store their settings under their folder in Program Files.
Hit http://www.howtogeek.com/194563/how-to-reset-a-windows-program-to-its-default-settings/ and read up the full article by Chris Hoffman, who is is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry.
If a program isn't working right, just reinstalling it won't necessarily fix it. You may need to reset the program to its default settings, and some programs don't offer an easy way to do this.
You can erase any program's settings from your computer if you just know where they are. We'll show you the most common places programs store their settings and demonstrate how to track down any program's settings.
The Easy Way
You'll ideally be able to reset a program's settings by uninstalling it and checking the "Delete preferences" or "Delete settings" box in the uninstaller. This option is usually unchecked by default. Reinstall the program after uninstalling it.
Not every program has this option in its uninstaller. if the program doesn't have this option, you'll have to hunt down its settings elsewhere.
Use a Reset Option
Some programs have a built-in Reset option. For example, Firefox can reset itself to its default settings so you don't have to mess with your Firefox profiles folders. Access this option in Firefox by clicking the menu button, clicking the question-mark-shaped Help button, selecting Troubleshooting Information, and clicking Reset Firefox. Chrome, Internet Explorer, and some other programs have similar options.
Locate and Delete the Program's Settings
Before you delete anything by hand, be extra careful. If you delete the wrong folder or registry key, you could erase a different program's settings or cause problems with your system configuration. Here's where most programs store their settings:
Your user account's AppData folder: You can access this folder by plugging C:\Users\NAME\AppData into File Explorer or Windows Explorer's address bar and pressing Enter. This folder is hidden by default. Most applications should store their settings in AppData\Roaming, but many store settings in the AppData\Local folder.
The Windows registry: You can open the Registry Editor by pressing Windows Key + R, typing regedit in the Run dialog, and pressing Enter. You'll generally find a program's settings under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software. Delete a program's settings by locating its key (folder), right-clicking it, and deleting it.
Be very careful when doing this âEUR" delete the wrong registry key and your Windows system may become seriously damaged. For example, if youâEUR(TM)re trying to wipe out MumbleâEUR(TM)s settings, feel free to delete the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mumble key. But donâEUR(TM)t delete the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft key or you could cause very serious problems.
The ProgramData folder: This folder is located at C:\ProgramData âEUR" plug C:\ProgramData into your file managerâEUR(TM)s address bar and press Enter to access it. Delete the folders for a program and it should wipe its settings. Windows forces old programs to store their settings here if they try to write them to their Program Files folders. Modern Windows programs shouldnâEUR(TM)t store their settings under their folder in Program Files.
Hit http://www.howtogeek.com/194563/how-to-reset-a-windows-program-to-its-default-settings/ and read up the full article by Chris Hoffman, who is is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry.
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