how does uninstalling a software work? Why is it so quick, when installing takes longer?
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Uninstallation deletes files from disk and entries from the registry which instruct some files to be called in specific situations, such as when a document file is opened or a peripheral device is connected.
Deletion can be faster because the space freed up is marked as free but not immediately cleared out. It can be reused later as needed. Often some registry entries are left behind to avoid deleting settings that the user might want to keep, and it could be too hard to track all settings and unambiguously associate them with this program. This has created a market for 3rd party programs that aim to provide a more thorough uninstallation.
The speed of installation and uninstallation is influenced by the number of operations done. Many small files sometimes found in software ported from linux would take longer than larger packs.
Installation can be further slowed down if the application runs a more complicated code to tailor the files to the specific system. For example, a game might convert textures from one color format to another. This is a bigger job for the processor than direct extraction.
It is similar to setting up a desktop computer in the first place. You have to open the box (unzip the software), connect all the cables to the computer and monitor. Turn it on, wait for it to boot. Then there are all the settings to set (software need to do all these settings base on the established system parameters).
To get rid of the computer you just unplug it and throw the whole thing in a dumpster. The only choice is are you going to keep anything (sometime you keep some of the data, just like in the analogy you knight keep the monitor).
It is similar to setting up a desktop computer in the first place. You have to open the box (unzip the software), connect all the cables to the computer and monitor. Turn it on, wait for it to boot. Then there are all the settings to set (software need to do all these settings base on the established system parameters).
To get rid of the computer you just unplug it and throw the whole thing in a dumpster. The only choice is are you going to keep anything (sometime you keep some of the data, just like in the analogy you knight keep the monitor).
When you store a file, system writes a particular sequence of 0s and 1s in binary. Down there, everything is in binary. Writing this particular sequence takes time. When you delete, system just mark that location to be freed. It doesn’t write 0s everywhere in that location. So that’s fast.
When you store a file, system writes a particular sequence of 0s and 1s in binary. Down there, everything is in binary. Writing this particular sequence takes time. When you delete, system just mark that location to be freed. It doesn’t write 0s everywhere in that location. So that’s fast.
basically, when you install something, you mark an area of disk space as being “file A”, then copy all of File A into that space. you also, as the same time, create a entry in the disks index that says “File A is at *this* location”. whenever it needs to find the file, it goes to check the index, then goes to that location to retrieve it.
when you delete the file, all the computer does is get rid of the index entry saying where it is. the physical data is still in the same location, but as far as the computer is concerned, that area is just “free space”. eventually, the area will get overwritten by some new file, but until then, it sits there.
you might have heard people say that “files are never really deleted”, or talk about recovering a file. this is what they mean. you can in theory go into the disk system and rebuild the index.
the only way to permanently remove a file so it cant be recovered is by repeatedly overwriting the disk space to remove any traces of the data. Theirs purpose built software used for this (the version i know is called “blancco”), but merely pressing “delete” just clears the registry and doesn’t remove the actual data.
basically, when you install something, you mark an area of disk space as being “file A”, then copy all of File A into that space. you also, as the same time, create a entry in the disks index that says “File A is at *this* location”. whenever it needs to find the file, it goes to check the index, then goes to that location to retrieve it.
when you delete the file, all the computer does is get rid of the index entry saying where it is. the physical data is still in the same location, but as far as the computer is concerned, that area is just “free space”. eventually, the area will get overwritten by some new file, but until then, it sits there.
you might have heard people say that “files are never really deleted”, or talk about recovering a file. this is what they mean. you can in theory go into the disk system and rebuild the index.
the only way to permanently remove a file so it cant be recovered is by repeatedly overwriting the disk space to remove any traces of the data. Theirs purpose built software used for this (the version i know is called “blancco”), but merely pressing “delete” just clears the registry and doesn’t remove the actual data.
basically, when you install something, you mark an area of disk space as being “file A”, then copy all of File A into that space. you also, as the same time, create a entry in the disks index that says “File A is at *this* location”. whenever it needs to find the file, it goes to check the index, then goes to that location to retrieve it.
when you delete the file, all the computer does is get rid of the index entry saying where it is. the physical data is still in the same location, but as far as the computer is concerned, that area is just “free space”. eventually, the area will get overwritten by some new file, but until then, it sits there.
you might have heard people say that “files are never really deleted”, or talk about recovering a file. this is what they mean. you can in theory go into the disk system and rebuild the index.
the only way to permanently remove a file so it cant be recovered is by repeatedly overwriting the disk space to remove any traces of the data. Theirs purpose built software used for this (the version i know is called “blancco”), but merely pressing “delete” just clears the registry and doesn’t remove the actual data.
This relates to how it’s possible to recover deleted data. When you “delete” something you are removing the thing that tells the computer there is data there. All those 1s and 0s stay how they are, the data is still there. It remains there untill that specific spot is reused, at which point the 1s and 0s are changed to whatever is being written. It is impossible to move data on a computer. What you are really doing is copying it from the first place to the second, and flagging the original location as free.
This relates to how it’s possible to recover deleted data. When you “delete” something you are removing the thing that tells the computer there is data there. All those 1s and 0s stay how they are, the data is still there. It remains there untill that specific spot is reused, at which point the 1s and 0s are changed to whatever is being written. It is impossible to move data on a computer. What you are really doing is copying it from the first place to the second, and flagging the original location as free.
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