Problems Solved
PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT
Why won’t System Mechanic uninstall?
Q Norton AntiVirus requires me to uninstall System Mechanic before I can install Norton Utilities Ultimate. I tried to do this via the usual uninstall option in Control Panel. However, after 10 hours of waiting System Mechanic remained! Would you suggest using another program to remove System Mechanic? I remember that you have recommended others in the past. Is it Windows 8.1 that is causing the problem, and should I upgrade to Windows 10? I am elderly with limited computer knowledge, so I would appreciate simple, clear instructions if possible.
Alan Smith
A We’ll work backwards. The problem with uninstalling this particular app is very unlikely to be caused by Windows 8.1. However, as it’s an ageing operating system, we suppose there is the remote possibility that some as-yet-undiscovered and unfixed bug is somehow holding things up.
Next, we would certainly advise upgrading to Windows 10 – or even 11, though more on that in a moment – but not necessarily purely to fix this problem. By that we mean that Windows 8.1 is getting long in the tooth. Moreover, come January next year it will officially disappear from Microsoft’s radar, as the company has scheduled that date to end all support for Windows 8.1.
So, it would be sensible to upgrade sooner rather than later to Windows 10 or 11. It is still free to do so, for either, but you can’t go straight from Windows 8.1 to 11 – you’d need to first install 10. You can get it from www.snipca.com/41278. Click the ‘Download tool now’ button (see screenshot 1), under the ‘Create Windows 10 installation media’ heading, then run the tool and follow the prompts.
Should you decide to do that then, if your PC is deemed compatible by Microsoft, Windows 10 will soon enough offer you a free upgrade to Windows 11. You can check compatibility ahead of. To check for the Windows 11 update itself, click Start followed by ‘Update & Security’ and then Windows Update.
