15  Uninstalling the T.O.V.A. in Windows

There may be times when you’ll want to uninstall the T.O.V.A. . We’ve done our best to make that process simple and straight-forward.

WARNING! We always recommend that you back up your database before installing or uninstalling the T.O.V.A. . You can never be too careful!

1. Go to your Control Panel and choose ‘Add/Remove Programs’, ‘Programs and Features’, or ‘Uninstall a Program’ (It depends on your version of Windows.) You will see a list of your installed programs, including ‘T.O.V.A. 9’.
2. Highlight ‘T.O.V.A. 9’ and click on ‘Uninstall’ or ‘Remove’.
   Choose your uninstall options
3. There are a few uninstall options:
   • Normal uninstall - Most of the time, you will want a ‘Normal’ uninstall. This will leave some things behind:
     • Your T.O.V.A. database (section 25.4 for location).
     • Any automatic database backups (section 25.5 for location).
     • Some settings at the install folder, usually C:\Program Files (x86)\tova_9.) (On 32-bit systems, C:\Program Files\tova_9
     • A few registry entries in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\The TOVA Company\T.O.V.A. 9.
     • A few other logs, settings, and temporary files that might have useful information for support.
   • Clean uninstall - If you choose ‘Clean’, the uninstaller will do its best to remove all files and registry settings, except for your actual T.O.V.A. data. Choose this if directed by T.O.V.A. technical support, if there is concern that your current settings could be causing a problem.
   • Delete T.O.V.A. database - This will remove your T.O.V.A. database, with all of your subject and session information and test data. Please only choose this option if you are confident you’ve already securely and reliably backed up this data, such as when you are clearing space on an old PC. If you are worried about destroying personal and private health information, please take steps to securely wipe or destroy the hard drive.
   • Delete automatic database backups - This should remove any partial or complete T.O.V.A. automatic database backups. Again, only choose this option if you are confident you’ve already securely and reliably backed up this data elsewhere. This may not remove any manual backups you’ve saved to a different name or folder. If you are worried about destroying personal and private health information, please take steps to securely wipe or destroy the hard drive.

   Note: Even a clean uninstall will not remove the .NET Framework or the Java Runtime Environment (if installed with a previous T.O.V.A. version). You can select and uninstall those separately, but we do not always recommend it. They may be required for other software you have installed.

   Click ‘Next’ when you have selected your options.

4. Uninstall details - The next page shows the progress of the uninstall. When the uninstall is complete, click ‘Close’ to exit the uninstaller.

Details of the uninstall