# Preform needs to clean up after itself in the Control Panel **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature Requests & Ideas\ **Created:** [April 2, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163 "2018-04-02T00:55:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mjncad](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/mjncad/32/8872_2.png) [@mjncad](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/mjncad)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/1 "2018-04-02T00:55:03Z")
Why doesn’t Preform clean up after itself once an update is installed. Are these phantom entries in my Control Panel, or what? ![Capture](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/formlabs/original/2X/0/02fa33b97852a189065906d747ad56faaf7824d9.PNG) ---
**Author:** ![spiderx1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/spiderx1/32/10777_2.png) [@spiderx1](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/spiderx1)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 2:34am UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/2 "2018-04-02T02:34:45Z")
These seem to be phantom files. However, when I deleted the old ones I had to reinstall Preform. No big deal just a few minutes and it retained the old recent files etc. But I agree, every install seems to leave a mess behind. ---
**Author:** ![mjncad](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/mjncad/32/8872_2.png) [@mjncad](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/mjncad)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 6:58am UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/3 "2018-04-02T06:58:50Z")
I’d say they are more than phantom files/entries if Preform puked after you removed the old versions from your PC. Formlabs needs to put this so far minor annoyance bug on the ‘to be squashed’ list. Thanks for replying. ---
**Author:** ![Walter\_Gillespie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/35a633/32.png) [@Walter\_Gillespie](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Walter_Gillespie)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/4 "2018-04-02T15:04:56Z")
The Preform software is really good but the implementation and installation need a LOT of work. I did software development for a number of years and we wouldn’t have gotten away with the issues I’ve seen and had with the installation and upgrading to Preform. Again, Really good programming but lousy roll-out. ---
**Author:** ![spiderx1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/spiderx1/32/10777_2.png) [@spiderx1](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/spiderx1)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 3:54pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/5 "2018-04-02T15:54:26Z")
Agree, I guess maybe the term phantom files was not correct. It is a mess. ---
**Author:** ![spiderx1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/spiderx1/32/10777_2.png) [@spiderx1](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/spiderx1)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 4:03pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/6 "2018-04-02T16:03:54Z")
Ok, played with it some more on another computer, if you delete any one of the multiple versions it deletes the entire exe file and no more preform, IF you have, say, 7 versions showing under programs in settings, and you delete the oldest, you will still have the other 6 versions and you lose your current install, and you still have all the other 6 listed, but now you cannot delete the others, because of a cannot find message, all of this leads to the other versions showing up in settings / programs as “phantom files” they are listed but really are tied to the latest version. Deleting anyone results in losing the latest install and not be able to locate any of the others listed. Messy ---
**Author:** ![mjncad](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/mjncad/32/8872_2.png) [@mjncad](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/mjncad)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/7 "2018-04-02T18:39:11Z")
I think ‘zombie files’ is a better description than my original ‘phantom files’ based on your experiment you described below. In other words; leave it alone until if and when Formlabs fixes it ---
**Author:** ![mjncad](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/mjncad/32/8872_2.png) [@mjncad](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/mjncad)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/8 "2018-04-02T18:42:32Z")
Preform’s installation and updates reminds me of as-built drawings in the engineering world. They are necessary; but rarely done as no one wants to do such boring scut work, and companies rarely budget for them. ---
**Author:** ![Frew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c0e974/32.png) [@Frew](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Frew)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/9 "2018-04-02T20:23:43Z")
Thanks for letting us know. I’ve made sure that this has earned a spot on the ‘to be squashed’ list. ---
**Author:** ![mjncad](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/mjncad/32/8872_2.png) [@mjncad](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/mjncad)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/10 "2018-04-02T20:47:10Z")
Thanks Frew! ---
**Author:** ![Volguus](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/volguus/32/7962_2.png) [@Volguus](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/Volguus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 11:44am UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/11 "2018-04-04T11:44:47Z")
Not to cause any trouble, but I brought this up over a year ago and kind of got the same answer. 😉 [PreForm Old Versions Remain Etc. Etc.](http://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-old-versions-remain-in-remove-programs-windows/12071) ---
**Author:** ![mjncad](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/forum.formlabs.com/mjncad/32/8872_2.png) [@mjncad](https://forum.formlabs.com/u/mjncad)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 10:36pm UTC](https://forum.formlabs.com/t/preform-needs-to-clean-up-after-itself-in-the-control-panel/18163/12 "2018-04-04T22:36:30Z")
Cause trouble Volguus as that is the only way things get fixed.