Is there a "universal" uninstaller program that I can download and use?

I have an older laptop (8 years) that still works great for making text documents and storing pictures that I like. No reason to get rid of it.
It has a couple of programs on it which take up space and which I do not use.
I have tried to uninstall them (Windows XP Pro) but for one reason or another the uninstall fails. I do not have the original discs any more.
Is there a free uninstall program that will clean these things off the computer?
Thanks.