A little ask,, when you uninstall something we all just click next and don't realise that sometimes some files are needed for other programmes. I have a blue screen come up on mine and think it may be this and would like to try and fix it before i take it to someone to see if it is a problem with a piece of hardware. I run vista ultimate. Thank you Katz.

You see those warnings all the time but I alway click to remove them and have never had problems. Because something is marked as a shared file, it does not mean it is being shared. If you don't remove those items, your hard drive will get cluttered with orphaned folders and files. The exception may be for suites - such as security suites or Office suites and care must be taken there that you don't remove something needed for the portions of the suite not being uninstalled. But if unwanted features are removed via the suite's own installer, that should not be a problem.

Note that BSODs are typically hardware related. We need the error code and text from the BSOD to really help. As stolen from Broni:

Download BlueScreenView
No installation required.
Double click on BlueScreenView.exe file to run the program.
When scanning is done, go Edit>Select All.
Go File>Save Selected Items, and save the report as BSOD.txt.
Open BSOD.txt in Notepad, copy all content, and paste it into your next reply.

I will be entertaining/entertained by the grandson today, so I may not be able to get back to you quickly - hopefully someone else may come by and lend a hand.

or you may try this to remove bad sector go to start type cmd type sfc / scannow it may help fix error

SFC is a system file check, not really hardware related, and has nothing to do with removing bad sectors.

I have tried the blue screen download and its on my pc but it has errors. Have tried a few time and each time the same.
I have had a blue screen since and the information is much the same as the one given on blue screen web site, but I have technical information at the end which is:
STOP: 0x000000D1 (0x00000002,0x00000008,0x00000000) assuming that the 0 are zero and not an o. No other reference to anything at all.

I am real confused now and not sure what I should do?

Sorry about that. Does this BSOD problem happen often? Or just when uninstalling programs? Yes, those are zeros and that is a Stop D1 error. Usually there is more the error message.

You can try this, A Stop error occurs, or the computer stops responding when you try to start Windows Vista or Windows 7

The blue screen comes intermittently, sometimes often and sometimes not. Can happen when opening closing a page or for no reason at all. There does not seem to be any particular action that can cause it. Can go days without it happening other days it can happen a few times in a session, hope that helps explain it better. Thank you for your patience with me ............

hope that helps explain it better.

It does. Since it does work some times, that would mean no critical file was deleted during an uninstall.

Before we go too much further, we need to know more about the computer. What is the make and model of the computer, or motherboard if custom/self built? What operating system? When did this problem start? If just recently, did you try System Restore? If the BSOD happens again, see if there is any text, along with the numbers, as seen in these examples.

Is the interior clean of heat trapping dust and dirt? Do all fans spin properly? While checking the interior, inspect the motherboard for bulging or leaking electrolytic capacitors. These failed or failing capacitors are a common cause of sudden, but seemingly random system lock ups and reboots. The capacitors look like tall soda cans, many of which surround the CPU socket. The capacitors on all older motherboards, and many of today's less expensive motherboards are electrolytic capacitors containing a liquid electrolyte. Failing (including flawed and/or abused/over-heated) capacitors literally bulge at the seams due to excessive internal pressures. Extreme (and very rare) cases result in a firecracker type explosion that can really stink up a room. Typically, electrolyte just oozes from the pressure relief point, which appears as a symbol or letter stamped in the top of the capacitor casing. The electrolyte can be caustic to motherboards and flesh. Look for white to dark-brown, dried liquid or foam on the tops or bottoms of the capacitors. Bulging capacitors are a sign leakage is about to occur.

A motherboard with bulging or leaky capacitors can be repaired, but often it is more cost effective in the long run to replace the motherboard.

Be sure to first power down, unplug the computer, and keep yourself discharged by touching the bare metal of the case before reaching in.

***

BSOD are normally hardware related. Unfortunatley, intermittant errors are hard to track down, as they could heat related, power related, or just a component that is weak, sitting on the threshold of failing. Do you know what the temperatures of your hardware is? There are several good monitors out there, or your computer or motherboard may have come with a HW Health monitor - you can check the maker's site. I prefer to try the HW Monitors that come with systems first, simply because they normally put the correct label to sensor - often a problem with 3rd party programs.

I always want to know if I have good power. Here's my canned text on testing power supplies:

To properly and conclusively test a power supply unit (PSU), it must be tested under various realistic "loads" then analyzed for excessive ripple and other anomalies. This is done by a qualified technician using an oscilloscope or power analyzer - sophisticated (and expensive) electronic test equipment requiring special training to operate, and a basic knowledge of electronics theory to understand the results. Therefore, conclusively testing a power supply is done in properly equipped electronic repair facilities.

Fortunately, there are other options that are almost as good. I keep a FrozenCPU Ultimate PSU Tester in my tool bag when I am "in the field" and don't have a good spare power supply to swap in. While not a certain test, they are better than nothing. The advantage of this model is that it has an LCD readout of the voltage. With an actual voltage readout, you have a better chance of detecting a "failing" PSU, or one barely within specified ATX Form Factor Standard tolerances. Lesser models use LEDs to indicate the voltage is just within some "range". These are less informative, considerably cheaper, but still useful for detecting PSUs that have already "failed". Newegg has several testers to choose from. All these testers contain a "dummy load" to fool the PSU into thinking it is connected to a motherboard, and therefore allows the PSU to power on, if able, without being attached to a motherboard - great for testing fans, but again, it is not a true load or suitable for conclusive testing.

As mentioned, swapping in a known good supply is a tried and trued method of troubleshooting used for centuries, even by pros. Remove the "suspect" part and replace with a "known good" part and see if the problem goes away.

I do not recommend using a multimeter to test power supplies. To do it properly, that is, under a realistic load, the voltages on all the pins must be measured while the PSU is attached to the motherboard and the computer powered on. This requires poking (with some considerable force) two hard and sharp, highly conductive meter probes into the main power connector, deep in the heart of the computer. One tiny slip can destroy the motherboard, and everything plugged into it. It is not worth the risk considering most multimeters, like plug-in testers, do not measure, or reveal any unwanted and potentially disruptive AC components to the DC voltages.

And remember, anything that plugs into the wall can kill. Do not open the power supply's case unless you are a qualified electronics technician. There are NO user serviceable parts inside a power supply.

****

This could also be failing RAM. You can test RAM using one of the following programs. Both require you to create and boot to a bootable floppy disk or CD to run the diagnostics. Using the floppy method is generally easier (and another reason to include floppy drives in new builds). However, the CD method is just as effective at detecting RAM problems. Allow the diagnostics to run for several passes or even overnight. You should have no reported errors.

Windows Memory Diagnostic - see the easy to follow instructions under Quick Start Information.
or
MemTest86+ (for more advanced users) - an excellent how-to guide is available here.

Alternatively, you could install a single RAM module and try running with that to see if it fails. Repeat process with remaining modules, hopefully identifying the bad stick through a process of elimination.

***

I know that's a lot to digest, but with nothing to indicate the exact problem, we're fishing - but so goes the nature of troubleshooting intermittant problems.

Wow, ok will print this off and take a day off to do it all in. I am sure I am capable of looking inside have done things before with instructions and know about the safety issues too. have the grandson for the weekend so will be a while before I get back to you as I said need to take a day off to do it with no one here, thank you so much x