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Fwiffo
August 6, 2020
Question

BUG: Quickbooks Tools Hub does not fully uninstall (users beware)

  • August 6, 2020
  • 1 reply
  • 0 views

Hi Intuit!

 

You guys really need to clean up your bloat.

 

I installed Quickbooks Tools Hub today, and ran Quick Fix (which incidentally failed) and File Doctor (which succeeded but found nothing wrong).  Then I uninstalled both.

 

I was very disappointed to find that 10 minutes using this software left all kinds of unwanted remnants behind on my system.  Here are the details, generated using a snapshot-compare utility I ran before and after:

 

https://i.imgur.com/VqsnwEr.png

(Click the image to zoom in and see detail)

 

I realize some of the remnants are supporting dependencies (e.g. Visual C++ Runtime) where the convention may be to leave those behind (to avoid breaking any other software installed in the interim).  I work in the software industry, and advise my clients to try and avoid shared dependencies in order to eliminate conundrums like this (it's not as hard as you might think, especially with modern compilers and post-build packagers).

 

But even after taking that into account there is still a lot of garbage here that remains.  You don't even do the user the courtesy of removing the broken File Type Association.

 

For a company of accountants and bookkeepers, you guys have become awfully freewheeling about desktop software.  Please pass this report along to your developers and ask them to clean up their act!

 

In the meantime, I wouldn't shy away from recommending users who care about system bloat to avoid using this tool on anything other than a sacrificial desktop or VM environment.  It saddens me to make that statement.

 

This may sound extreme, but all the little tidbits from poorly crafted software like this add up and developers need to get the message that some of us users out here care about it.

 

Thanks!

1 reply

L
LauraAB
August 6, 2020

Hello Fwiffo,

 

Thanks for taking the time to share these concerns and for the depth you've gone into to explain what's going on with QuickBooks Desktop, the Tool Hub, File Doctor, and these remnants on your system. This amount of detail and the screenshot have allowed me to take a deeper dive into this to get you answers.

 

In my research, which included a conversation with a member of the back-end team, I was able to learn this kind of trail left by a program or tool is normal, even after an uninstall. Since you're familiar with the software industry yourself, you may already be familiar with what I'm about to say, but the reason these components are added to your system is to ensure the smooth operation of the program and/or tool that's been installed. 

 

I can absolutely appreciate how having these removed during the uninstall progress would be ideal and save you time from having to do it yourself. This is something that I shared, along with your post and screenshot, with that member of the back-end team, so they've received your feedback and concerns.

 

At this time, the best method for getting rid of unwanted components is to manually remove them. For users that aren't comfortable with this process or not sure what to do, we recommend checking in with an IT professional to ensure there are no negative impacts on the rest of the system and programs being used.

 

Please know that your concerns have been heard and are in the hands with the appropriate team. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

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