If you installed applications designed for Windows 95 by using the Add/Remove Programs option in Control Panel, they can safely be removed in the same way. Because the application's components are tracked through the Registry, Windows 95 deletes all of the application's files unless those files are being used by another installed application. Shared files are retained on the hard disk.
For more information about removing an application that was designed for Windows 95, see online Help. For all other applications, check their documentation to determine which files should be removed.
Note
To appear in the uninstall list in the Add/Remove Programs option, an application must provide an uninstall utility. Only applications designed for Windows 95 include this functionality.
Removing a Win16-based or MS-DOS – based application is not always straightforward. You can delete the directory that contains the application but, especially in the case of Win16-based applications, additional files belonging to the application are often located in the Windows or Windows SYSTEM directory. There is no way to determine which applications placed certain files in these directories, so some of the application's files may be left behind on your hard disk.
Conversely, if you try to delete all the files of an application installed in the Windows or Windows SYSTEM directory, you might delete a system file that is used by other applications. If this happens, the other applications will not run properly and must be reinstalled.
To avoid problems when removing Win16-based or MS-DOS – based applications, check their documentation for instructions about removing them, and keep backup copies of DLLs and other essential system files in case you need to restore them.