How do you UNinstall Canon EOS software?

<p>Well, it seems I made a mistake. I installed the new Canon Imagebrowser suite of software (EOS Digital Solution Disk ver 23.0) which came with a new SLR. And I hate it, but that is another discussion.<br>

I can't get this turkey off my Mac. Or that is, I can remove it according to the instructions, but if I try to install a different Canon EOS camera software, the installation program says that the software component programs, such as Imagebrowser, are already installed.<br>

I followed the instructions for <strong>un</strong>installing, which is quite simple. Just drag all the files in the Canon Utilities folder to the trash, empty the trash, and restart. Sounds simple enough. If it worked!<br>

Too bad this psychotic program doesn't want to go away. My desire, BTW, is to install, or maybe I should say, re-install the earlier version that I like because it is quicker, easier to file, and simpler to use.<br>

Unfortunately, I can't re-install any earlier version of the software anymore. The Canon installation program will only proceed when it is re-installing the same version 23.0<br>

First, I don't think it really doesn't matters which version of this software suite you are trying to get rid of because the problem also occurs with EOS ver 6.1 on both 10.4.11 and 10.5.8 I can't get rid of it either, if I want to.<br>

Second, there is no Uninstall program on the installation disks.<br>

Third, I can re-install the same version of the software, but I don't want to do that. I can also seem to "upgrade" to a later version. <em>("Upgrade" seems a dubious term, at best, to describe a version of what should be a simple program to download files that is less efficient than the old program. Also, I am looking at the name, "EOS Digital Solution Disk" with a bit of wry distain. I like the older versions of this program a lot. The newer versions seem less desirable.)</em><br>

Fourth, I have also noticed that you can't install two versions of this software on a Mac computer system, even if you try to put it on a separate drive. Having different versions could solve this problem, but that is apparently verboten.<br>

Has anyone figured out how to <strong>UN</strong>install Canon's EOS software successfully? </p>

<p>I have a tool called "<a href="http://www.freemacsoft.net/AppCleaner/">AppCleaner</a>" on my Mac, which really removes all the bits of a programme. It may be that some little dominant file is still stuck in your Library or your Prefs, and it's a tedious work to go searching back and forth. It's worth to install this. If you drag an application to this tool, it will show you all files that are being removed.</p>

<p>Call Canon.</p>

<p>As Monika said, use an app for removing apps, eg. App Cleaner or App Delete, etc., Those programs search for all the associated files to display before you hit remove. But why not just keep it and not use it? I only use the EOS Utility to download images from my Canon 5D, otherwise I ignore it.</p>

<p>As for running double applications, it's true and not true. You just rename the other application. I do this a lot when updating or upgrading, renaming the old version with a 'app' and 'version number' name. Sometimes I don't like the newer version and simply keep it but use the old one. I have two complete copies of Canon utilities as separate folders, one the latest install and one with 5D in the name. As long I as don't run both simultaneously I'm fine.</p>

<p>Hi Monica,</p>

<p>The idea of having to buy still another program to get rid of an annoying program that does not have accurate instructions of how to UNinstall the program sounds like another level of irritation and expense.</p>

<p>Thanks for the idea, though. If no other solution works, short of erasing both HD's afflicted with this program, I might have to do that. But if the program costs more than another HD, guess how interested I will be in getting an App cleaner. </p>

<p>Brooks, not a bad idea, though I have a feeling that they will just tell me what is in the manual on UNinstalling the software. But I try calling them next week, if nothing else works. I don't think I'll be able to do anything about it earlier. </p>

<p>Hi Scott (Knowles)<br>

Second problem first. I tried renaming the old version and installing the new version. That doesn't work with this version 23.0. The "smart" installer apparently seeks out the files very throughly. It even seems to find evidence of simply the fact that they were ever installed. Having found that, it won't let you install any earlier version. That makes me think that I will have to go into OSX installation files (or something else as annoyingly DOS or Windows-like as that) to remove something in the plist or some other system file. <em>This is one of many reasons I still prefer Apple's older OS9. Dealing with all the time I would spend rewriting Microsoft's code in the 1990's just to get Windows to be reliable is why I don't do Windows. And Apple's command-com OSX reminds me more and more of Windows.</em></p>

<p>Renaming the existing program didn't work. Renaming the new version and putting it in a separate folder with a different name didn't work. In fact, that is how I tried to install it in the first place. (And the 2nd time.) I even tried to install the software on another non OS partition with a new name. It didn't like that either. The install program seems to be so smart, it is dumb, and then treats the operator like they should have no control of where the software is installed. It's simple to install, and a nightmare afterwards.</p>

<p>As to the question of keeping it and not using it. This gets into the question of why I don't like this program. I do use the Imagebrowser part of the program. I like it, at least the old version of it, for sorting and previewing images. I like it much more than Lightroom, and all the other free and paid filing programs. And, no, I don't like Aperture or iPhoto at all. I like it because it is easy and quick to create new folders. I like it because it is very easy to sort images, and, at least on the old version that came with my cameras in 2003-5, it loads folder contents (images, sub-folders) into the window quickly. I don't understand what the designer was smoking when they came up with that "Time Tunnel" on the later versions, nor can I figure out any use for it.</p>

<p>I would prefer to use the download utility that was integrated into the old 3.0.7 Imagebrower. It got the job done without that silly later version CameraWindow program that you have to quit whenever you put in a new card into your card reader just so the silly program will read the new card after it has told you it can't find a file. That's minor. The most annoying parts of the new CameraWindow on the ver 23.0 disk is that it lumps video and picture files together, and it no longer lets you drag images directly into folders or the window in Imagebrower. All earlier versions let you drag, plus, they don't download video, which is totally unnecessary. So now I have to move files separately to avoid putting video in with the stills and I have to specify folders through a slow and annoying pop up window that assumes I want my files all in one generic photo file instead of allowing me to drag and drop them into folders in the Imagebrowser. This really adds hours to my workflow. Basically, the CameraWindow sub-program has become as annoying and slow to use as Apple's Image Capture. It is a real step backwards.</p>

<p>Two other things the Camera Window does that is integrated into 3.0.7 is it actually displays the date and time each image was taken. That was dropped from the two later versions I have. The old Camera Window also could accept a change in the prefix XXX file numbers. Once Canon changed to 4 digit suffix numbers out of the camera that really went to 9999 this worked very well to give me a way to quickly chronologically track files by file number without going to the trouble of renaming files with a date. Of course, that version didn't have a provision for batch renaming, anyway. But I have several programs for doing that, including </p>

<p>The only reason I installed the new version from the 23.0 Solution Disk (ver 23.0 has Imagebrower 6.6.0) is because the old Imagebrowser 3.0.7 will only read, rotate, and enlarge files from Canon cameras properly. I have found it will not show the proper rotation from the camera, nor will it enlarge files from Nikon, Sony, Leica, or Pentax cameras made after around 2005 or 2006. (An error window appears saying that file information is missing.) The newer versions of Imagebrowser (5.8 and 6.6.0) will display files from every camera I have used, owned, or tested. Unfortunately, the CameraWindow doesn't download efficiently. For me, the Imagebrower 5.8 that came with my Canon 40D seems to be the best compromise, since it will still allow dragging from the CameraWindow utility, and will display image files from various camera manufacturers properly.</p>

<p>I found a work-around method to get another old version of Imagebrower (3.0.7) onto the drive I want it on, but I had to do it by dragging that Imagebrower (3.0.7) folder from another OSX HD to the drive that has the new version. I could not install it from the disk. I put it into a separate folder. So I copied the file folder for Imagebrowser 5.8 from another system I have to a FW drive, and transferred that to the system with the annoying 6.6.0 version.</p>

<p>All work. I can also have all three Canon Imagebrowsers up at the same time without an issue. I tested it with a card in a card reader. I found I can ignore the automatic pop up window that comes up and just double click on the DCIM file in whichever Imagebrowser variant I want to use. </p>

<p>Imagebrowser 5.8 seems to be the best version I have to file and collate images, but only because it will also download and display images from other camera manufacturers properly. It has the annoying completely separate CameraWindow that I have heard others complain about, but I found will at least allow you to drag and drop any or all image files into the Imagebrowser browser window or any file folder displayed in Imagebrowser. No file info, other than the file name is displayed in the CameraWindow. And it does have that silly TimeTunnel.</p>

<p>When using Canon cameras (Digital Rebels, 20D, 40D 50D, 60D, 5D, 1Ds, G7, G10, G11, G12 all used) the older Imagebrower 3.0.7 works nicely, and has the quickest interface, with Camera Window being virtually integrated with Imagebrowser. It is the only one of these three that displays the date and time the images were taken in the Camera Window. This can really be helpful if you need to sort by time. </p>

<p>I would recommend the EOS Digital Solution Disk as nothing but a coaster, and a lousy one, at that.</p>

<p>Now I just wish I could truly get the software from the Canon EOS ver 23.0 disk completely off the 2 HD's it is on.<br>

So I am still all ears for anyone that has actually had this problem with any of the Canon EOS camera software, and succeeded in removing it.</p>

<p>I will post if I come up with a way to remove that will allow installing another (earlier) version of the suite from the installation disks.</p>

<p>Scott - the programme is free. :-)</p>

<p>Thanks Monica, I'll check into it.</p>