How to Uninstall Firefox 4

What is Firefox?

Firefox is an extremely popular open source web browser designed by Mozilla Labs. It is a free application which has tabbed browsing, live bookmarking, and a built-in download manager. It provides a wide range of plug-ins called extensions that help enhance the functionalities of the browser. Firefox 4 promises faster user experience with lots of newer technology implementations and enhancements.

How to uninstall Firefox 4

To uninstall Firefox 4, follow these methods:

  1. Windows Uninstaller
  2. System Restore and Windows Installer Cleanup
  3. Third Party Removal Software

Windows Uninstaller–Windows has a tool in the control panel called Add/Remove Programs in Windows XP/2000 or Programs and Features in Win Vista/7. This uninstaller is present in all versions of the Windows OS and can be used to uninstall any program from the system. Follow these steps to remove using the uninstaller –

  1. Close the Firefox 4 browser
  2. Click on Start and then on Control Panel
  3. Click on Program and Features in Win Vista/7 or Add or Remove Programs in Win XP/2000
  4. Select Firefox 4 from the list and choose Change/Remove or uninstall and click Yes
  5. Restart the system

This will remove all folders and files related to Firefox 4 from the system. Firefox 4 syncs the bookmarks and settings from previous versions of Firefox and keeps a profile folder in Windows which helps in the retrieving this information.

Therefore, even after the browser is uninstalled, the profile folder will not be deleted. To remove the profile folder, follow these steps –

  1. Click on Start and then on Run
  2. Type %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
  3. Delete the folder related to Firefox 4
  4. Close all the windows and restart the system

Windows Installer Cleanup and System Restore – Windows Installer Cleanup can be downloaded and installed from the Microsoft website. After installing it, double click on it and follow these steps –

  1. From the list, choose Firefox 4
  2. Click on the Remove button
  3. Close the Windows Installer Cleanup application

This will remove most of the registry entries related to Firefox from the system. After this, you can remove the rest of the entries by using System Restore.  System Restore keeps a snapshot of the registry on a regular basis. It provides a list of dates with the backup data, and once a date is chosen, the registry settings of that date are applied.

In this way, the registry entries of the programs installed after the chosen date will be automatically removed. To run this feature, use these steps –

  1. Click on Start and go to All programs
  2. Browse to Accessories and then System tools
  3. Click on the System Restore option
  4. Choose a date prior to the installation of Firefox 4
  5. Click Next after selecting the date

The system restarts after the settings are applied.

Third Party Removal Software– You can use Perfect Uninstaller to remove Firefox 4 from the system. All the registry entries related to Firefox 4 can be cleaned using RegGenie.