Installing software can be an annoying process. Insert code, wait to activate, click to install, shut down, boot up and wait are just par for the course. Installing software can be a laborious bore. On the other side of installing is uninstalling. That can be just as messy, if not more so.

It is no secret that some software packages, way too many for my preference, do a poor if not awful job of uninstalling themselves. During the installation of a program in Windows, files are dropped in all assortment of locations. If they are not removed, your hard drive is storing junk. Valuable space is wasted, and for SSD drives this is a real issue.

To the rescue comes Revo Uninstaller Pro 3.1.2, current version, ready to eliminate the leftovers that comes with uninstallers that are too lazy to pick up after themselves.

For years there has been debate about utilities in Windows. Windows has over time become more adept with some core features. When it comes to removing applications, Windows is dependent on the good graces of software developers to create uninstallers that work effectively.

Granted, there are many free, or close to free, options on the Web to handle the basics that Windows may be stumbling, but when it comes to the delicate art of file removal, reputations and consistency do matter. Uninstallers vary in what they can do.

From my vantage point, Revo Uninstaller has always done the job without turning my computer into a mashed up mess of lingering files.

Revo Uninstaller offers a free version, but it is very limited. However, it does offer a clue as to what the program can do. A full version 30 day trial full version is available so that you can see it in full glory.

Revo Uninstaller looks at the detritus left by programs and does an amazing job of locating those files that simply refuse to say goodbye. Miraculously, it can remove files without having to monitor them during the installation process.

Even the most savvy of Internet users winds up installing a program or toolbar by accident. Revo is out there to make sure you can pick up the pieces and get the mess removed.

In my experiences with the program, over years, Revo has always done an excellent job. You are offered several layers of intensity in terms of how deep you want the program to delve. Users are shown windows that locate where the files to be deleted are actually located. You have full control of what you want to remove and shown where it is.

Packed in with Revo are some rather unexpected features that one might not expect to see in a program with such a specific focus.

There is an auto run manager, junk file cleaner, access to Windows tools, browser cleaners — it handles the heavyweights, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Opera (the more esoteric ones are not covered), a Microsoft Office cleaner, Windows cleaner, an evidence remover as it is amusingly called to cover up traces permanently and unrecoverable delete.

Revo Uninstaller can also monitor an install as well to see what is placed where. The Web site also offers up videos demonstrating the application in action.

Software removal is not something most of us think about. All assorted software manages to sit center stage, but uninstallers are not always high on the list of “must haves.” This hierarchy changes quickly when an uninstall goes badly, or wrecks a new install.

Saving hard drive space counts, and Revo does a consistently great job of doing so. If I had to pick a utility to purchase and limited to only one, Revo would make the top of the list without question.

Review, great software, feature packed and consistently good. I wish one license covered at least three computers. Overall, an excellent program and popular for a very good reason, it works so well.

Fully functional 30 day trial is available. Purchase of a software license means support and free updates until the next major version is released.

Pricing, $39.25 for one computer, $58.86 for three, $98.10 for five

Revo Uninstaller works with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows Server (32 bit and 64 bit)