I inherited an iMac from my grandfather recently, and have come to realize that he's nowhere near as tech-savvy as he thinks. The computer constantly tries to update programs such as Adobe Reader and Microsoft Office-- except it has multiple versions of each! It seems to be running both Office 2008 and 2011, as well as Adobe Reader 9 and 10. I'm not sure how many other programs might have the same issue, nor do I have any idea how to figure it out (I was not previously a Mac user). Additionally, the computer has the ability to run Windows Vista as well as Lion. I don't know how to delete the earlier unwanted versions of programs without potentially deleting things I don't want to, and I'm afraid to just dig around and try to work it out! It doesn't seem like my grandfather really had any clue how to effectively set up a computer, and unfortunately when it comes to a Mac, neither do I.
Any suggestions?
Thanks a ton,
Lily
Hi Lily firstly, some apps come with their own uninstaller so it's best to ask here first before removing them.
Usually it's as simple as dragging the app from your applications folder to the Trash & entering your admin password when prompted.
Any leftover files will be of such small size you really needn't worry about those. If you like there are free 3rd party solutions to completely remove all trace of a app.
Just have a look through the apps folder for duplicates.
For Adobe Reader just drag it straight to the Trash. The current version is ver 11.
For Microsoft Office, do you have the installer media for this? If you ever need to reinstall Office you will need them.
Remove Office 2008 for Mac
As you wrote, your Mac also runs Vista so obviously you need to also have the install media for that. If you ever wish to remove the windows partition you would need to ask here and we'd need to know if you boot between the 2 operating systems or not. You also need the discs for Mac OS too for further down the track.
If you want to set up your Mac from scratch again we can help you but without the Microsoft discs you will lose Vista & without the Mac discs you will need to purchase them first.
The Mac OS X version you have is also important.
Hope this helps
