I was trying to update HWiNFO and accidentally downloaded an installer instead of the portable version. After running it, I decided I didn't want extra files or registry entries, so I used the program's uninstall executable. Instead of removing only the files it had installed, the uninstaller deleted nearly every folder in that directory, including several PC maintenance utilities and modding patches I had collected over the years. HWiNFO and ISLC were still running and survived.
I may be able to live without most of the files, but I'd like to understand what happened. Are uninstallers allowed to behave this way, or was this likely a bug or poorly written script? Is there any realistic way to recover the deleted folders or at least reconstruct their names? I also want to know whether my habit of keeping multiple portable tools and installers together contributed to the problem, and what a safer cleanup workflow would be.
4 Answers
There isn't one universal Windows uninstall routine. An uninstaller is essentially a program or script created by the software publisher, and it can be written to remove specific files, an entire installation folder, or unfortunately much more. MSI packages are more standardized, but they still contain instructions supplied by the publisher. So you shouldn't assume every uninstall executable will safely distinguish between program files and unrelated folders.
A safer workflow is to create a separate directory for each application, keep portable utilities in their own folders, and make a backup or archive before testing an installer. For cleanup, use Windows' installed-apps entry or the publisher's documented uninstall process, but still treat both as potentially unsafe. If an uninstaller offers no confirmation and appears to target a parent directory, cancel it rather than proceeding.
Stop using the affected drive as much as possible and try file-recovery software. If System Protection, File History, backups, or another snapshot feature was enabled, those may help too. Recovery tools work best before deleted data gets overwritten, but there is no guarantee, especially if the folders were removed securely or the drive has been heavily used since then.
System Protection was disabled on my machine, so I don't have a restore point to fall back on. I'll avoid writing to that drive and look into recovery options.
The download source matters here. There can be similarly named programs and unofficial mirrors, while the official portable package would not normally need an uninstaller at all. Verify the publisher and download URL before running installers, and scan the file if anything seems unusual. It would also be safer to keep each installed program in its own dedicated folder rather than placing unrelated tools together.
I downloaded the installer from a different domain than the one I usually use, so I can't rule out a bad package or a serious implementation mistake. In the future I'll use the portable version or isolate every installer in its own folder.
That makes sense. I've used uninstallers for years without seeing one behave like this, so I assumed they all followed the same safety rules.