How do I completely uninstall Altium Designer?

Note: The uninstall procedure is applicable to versions Altium Designer 6 and later. For the purposes of this document, <version> represents the Altium version number, eg, Winter 09. The default installation will include the version number as part of the folder name. Similarly, <username> represents the Windows username of the Altium Designer user.

Preparation and Backup

* Ensure Altium Designer (DXP.EXE) is shut down.
* If necessary, backup any design files in the folder where Altium Designer was installed. Typically:
   C:\Program Files\Altium Designer <version>\
* To preserve settings such as customization, backup this folder:
   C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\AltiumDesigner <version>\
* To preserve Auto Save Backups, make a copy of the Recovery folder:
   C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\AltiumDesigner <version>\Recovery\

* To preserve updates that have been downloaded previously, it is possible to back them up so that the patches do not need to be re-downloaded
   in the future. This is not recommended, nor is it standard procedure. The updates can be found in the folder:
   C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AltiumDesigner <version>\
* If necessary, backup the.ALF license file if it is contained in the following folder:
   C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AltiumDesigner<version>_Security\

Uninstall

   * From the Windows Start button, choose Control Panel » Add or Remove Programs, and choose to remove Altium Designer.
   * Choose to remove the parallel port driver if prompted.

Cleanup

   * Now that Altium Designer has been removed, the folder where the software was installed will still remain. Examine this folder for any saved files
   and back them up if necessary. (The sub folder ..\System\Uninstall may contain a large amount of backup binary files created during updates.
   There is no need to back up these uninstall files.)
   * Delete the installation folder where Altium Designer was installed. Typically:
   C:\Program Files\Altium Designer <version>\
   * Delete the following folder:
   C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\AltiumDesigner<version>\
   * Delete the following folder:
   C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\AltiumDesigner<version>\
   * Delete the following folder:
   C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AltiumDesigner<version>\
   * Delete the following folder:
   C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AltiumDesigner<version>_Security\
   * Using Regedit, delete the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AltiumDesigner<version> and all sub keys. To do this, go to the Windows
   Start Menu, select Run, type regedit, and then press OK. Go to Edit » Find, and search for AltiumDesigner<version> to find the correct registry
   key, then delete it. Users who are not experienced in editing the registry are advised to ask their IT department for help, as making mistakes
   can cause stability problems.
   * Edit the paths in the computer's environment variables:
   In Windows Explorer, or on the desktop, right click on My Computer and select Properties. The System Properties dialog box will appear - select
   the Advanced tab, and then press the button labeled Environment Variables. Under System Variables, delete the variable AltiumPath. The path
   can also be modified, to remove references to Altium Designer's folders.
   * C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp may also contain some files that can be deleted.
   * Return to Control Panel » Add or Remove Programs. If any Altium Designer updates were installed, remove each of them. As the files were
   deleted as part of the above procedure, an error message will appear: "An error occurred while trying to remove Altium ... It may have already
   been uninstalled." Answer Yes to remove this entry from the Add or Remove programs list.
   * Finally, go to the Windows Start menu and delete any remaining icons for Altium Designer.