Can I safely delete all this SQL stuff?

[chrisj1968]

I'm trying to recover HDD space on my 750MB laptop drive and I am a bit unhapy to find alot of SQLsoftware installed but I don't even use SQL.

 

here's an image of what it looks like in my add or delete programs

 

 

Now I don't know much about SQL so THAT in itself I do know means I don't need it for anything I do. Would it be safe for me to uninstall it to get back a meager amount of HDD space?

 

thanks ahead of time

 

~Chris

[The Evil Overlord]

Not sure, but I'm sure someone will be along who knows more about that than I

 

but in the meantime, have you used any of the cleanup tools and defrag?

[chrisj1968]

Not sure, but I'm sure someone will be along who knows more about that than I

 

but in the meantime, have you used any of the cleanup tools and defrag?

Yeah just installed the latest defragger on neowins front page and did an entire defrag. Sure that helps with recovering SOME space

 

this defragger https://www.neowin.net/news/auslogics-disk-defrag-4500

[TAZMINATOR]

If you are running Visual Studio / SQL server.. then do not delete them.  They were updated.. 

 

Check your programs and see which programs that are linked to those items as mentioned in the list.

[chrisj1968]

If you are running Visual Studio / SQL server.. then do not delete them.  They were updated.. 

 

Check your programs and see which programs that are linked to those items as mentioned in the list.

is there a way of doing that? I'm not well versed with that?

[TAZMINATOR]

 

Look at the last line... that is my program...  the other stuff shown above my program.. they are for this program..

 

if you remove, you will be at security risk.

 

If you are not sure, go to microsoft support and see if they are safe as long as they are not linked to your program.

[chrisj1968]

Ok based upon what you have shown me, I have visual studio 2012 Ultimate installed. I never use it anymore and visual studio 2012 eats a whopping 7.11 GB

 

You cannot imagine the big DERP I'm thinking to myself right about now. thanks a million bro.

 

~Chris

[TAZMINATOR]

ok feel free to remove those stuff including the program as long as you are not using it anymore..

 

if you use it again, the updates will show up there again like your shown list.

 

I want Ultimate...  send it to me?  :shifty:

[chrisj1968]

lost my darn disc in my move to reno.. lost about $2,000 in original software  :wacko: and having used a moving company i found out later who were shady.. an even bigger doh!

[TAZMINATOR]

lost my darn disc in my move to reno.. lost about $2,000 in original software  :wacko: and having used a moving company i found out later who were shady.. an even bigger doh!

 

I understand... I HATE moving companies....   they dropped a furniture and damaged my new tiles in the entry (by front door).

 

Edit:  If you bought a disc from Microsoft or any retail store... you can get it back... you can tell them that you lost the disc... and see if they are willing to give you the replacement.

[xendrome]

Yeah just installed the latest defragger on neowins front page and did an entire defrag. Sure that helps with recovering SOME space

 

Defragging doesn't recover any space...

[_dandy_]

Based on your screenshot, the SQL stuff was installed on 9/10/2013.  I would sort the list by Install Date and see what else was installed on that day--that should give you a pretty indication of what installed the SQL components.

 

But, if you've already determined that this was VS (it does, by default) then yeah, you should be safe to uninstall both (VS and the SQL components).  I'd start with VS and see if it prompts you to get rid of SQL at the same time--I'm not sure whether it does, it's been years I've uninstalled VS from a machine.

 

My suggestion:  If you're gonna play around with massive tools such as these that install lots of stuff everywhere, including services that run constantly, and you're not sure whether they're tools you're going to keep, you should use VMs.  I suspect VS doesn't do that good of a job cleaning up after itself, even after you've deleted everything from the uninstall list (I've seen SQL, for example, leave behind well over a GB worth of disk space in installation log files alone--not to mention database files and transaction logs) .  If you run all of this in a VM instead, you can be certain that deleting the VM won't leave behind any files you no longer need.

 

Of course you need more space to get VMs running, but they help tremendously in keeping your host OS in a pristine state.

[chrisj1968]

The SQL stuff was installed on 9/10/2013.  I would sort the list by Install Date and see what else was installed on that day--that should probably give you a pretty indication of what installed the SQL components.

 

But, if you've already determined that this was VS (it does, by default) then yeah, you should be safe to uninstall both (VS and the SQL components).

 

I have a bad feeling that PERHAPS SQL connected to my steam application, dealing with bought games, saved achievements...

[TAZMINATOR]

I have a bad feeling that PERHAPS SQL connected to my steam application, dealing with bought games, saved achievements...

 

Could be...

 

I have a few programs that are linked to SQL server or database.

[Praetor]

I have a bad feeling that PERHAPS SQL connected to my steam application, dealing with bought games, saved achievements...

 

Steam doesn't install SQL, neither any game that i'm aware of. :D

 

If you don't need Visual Studio or Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager (both need SQL Server) or any other application that need SQL, then uninstall it. Also there must be other stuff you can reclaim space, like old recovery points or old software.

 

Also as a last resort: if you installed an Service Pack you can always delete the whole package that was extracted into your harddrive or even the repository of updates: use Disk Clean Up, it's your best pal for that! :laugh:

[_dandy_]

If you don't need Visual Studio or Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager (both need SQL Server)

 

Strictly speaking, VS doesn't need SQL.  The installation will set it up (unless you tell it not to), but you can definitely run VS without it.

[TAZMINATOR]

 

Strictly speaking, VS doesn't need SQL.  The installation will set it up (unless you tell it not to), but you can definitely run VS without it.

 

Yes you need SQL if you want to create program that can be used with database for your users to store the data in the database ..

 

I made a movie program that create an inventory which stored in the database via SQL server.

[Praetor]

Yes you need SQL if you want to create program that can be used with database for your users to store the data in the database ..

 

I made a movie program that create an inventory which stored in the database via SQL server.

 

well, he's saying that you can use VS without SQL; you can code without the need of using SQL.