Uninstalling Your Software Programs
Some of the most prevalent disk space hoggers are programs and games. You should periodically review what software is installed on your computer. Uninstalling and removing software you don't use any more can really help make more room.
Especially keep your eye out for free trial software that has expired and games that aren't of interest any longer. If you share your computer with others, however, you may want to consult them before going on a uninstall fest.
To see what software is on your computer and to uninstall programs, you can use the Add or Remove Programs window in Windows XP or the Program and Features window in Windows Vista (see Figure 3), accessible from your Control Panel.
By default, the programs are listed in alphabetical order by the program names. Sorting by the Size of the program can help identify large applications that you may consider removing. Additionally, think about sorting by Date Last Used or Frequency of Use in XP and the Installed On attribute in Vista. In XP, you can select the sorting attribute from the Sort by drop-down menu in the upper-right corner of the window. In Vista, you can simply click the column titles to sort by the given attribute.
Once you find an application you want to get rid of, select it and click the appropriate button to remove or uninstall it. It will do one of several things: start uninstalling right away, ask for confirmation before removing, or take you to the setup screen of the particular application where you can uninstall it.