Can't Uninstall Program???

[Keebler Elf]

I've got a program I want to uninstall but Windows Vista won't let me. It keeps telling me there's an error with the Installer Package and to contact the vendor.

The folder that contained the files for this program is now empty.

Is there any workaround to get rid of it? I think it must be stuck in the registry or something.

I tried re-installing but the program says it detects an existing program and won't install.

I've tried rebooting and it doesn't help.

 

[djk]

You're right. It's either stuck in the registry or something is missing or went wrong with Windows Installer.

 

[happy the man]

Save all your stuff and reformat the sucker! That'll kill that little registry bugger...............
Ain't it the truth that it's usually those pesty little annoyances that can send you over the deep end. LOL

 

[Horney_Senior]

A bit extreme to uninstall one program. A registry cleaner would be an easier way to start. Formatting the drive and re-installing everything is a last resort, not a first option.

 

[capt_avatar]

Try REVO Uninstaller. Just google it. Great program.

 

[nihilism]

Try REVO Uninstaller. Just google it. Great program.

Was just going to suggest the same program, very handle tool.

 

[Keebler Elf]

When I run REVO it doesn't detect the program in question as being installed...

 

[tboy]

I've run into this before. Re-installing the program and then uninstalling it usually works......using a program like clean sweep or similar is better than the windows uninstall.

 

[Keebler Elf]

But I can't reinstall. It won't let me. The program says it's already installed and won't let me reinstall.

I'm thinking the uninstall function is looking for a file that is now gone and because it can't find it, it won't uninstall. But I can't get that missing file back because I have to reinstall to do that and it won't let me. So I'm stuck.

 

[Lagavulin2]

I would suggest running CCleaner (same company that makes Revo). Do a normal clean and then do a registry clean. The registry clean in CCleaner while being gentle still picks up a lot of garbage.

http://www.ccleaner.com/

Beware using other registry cleaners. I had a very bad experience with one years ago where it deleted vital entries. I was able to save my data, but then had to reformat and reinstall the OS.

If you are lucky you may have an automatic restore point that the system generated prior to the install. If the offending program was the last install then you can use the restore point to bring the machine back to its state just prior to the install. It is a good practice, prior to installing any software, to create a restore point manually so that if bad things happen you can easily get back to where you were.

 

[tboy]

But I can't reinstall. It won't let me. The program says it's already installed and won't let me reinstall.

I'm thinking the uninstall function is looking for a file that is now gone and because it can't find it, it won't uninstall. But I can't get that missing file back because I have to reinstall to do that and it won't let me. So I'm stuck.

Ah I had this problem before too. You can find the program name and then do a search through the registry and delete all references to it. I think a registry cleaner should find them but if it doesn't? You have to do it manually. it takes a bit of time but it can be done. I found that after uninstalling norton protection suite, it left all kinds of crap in the registry that wasn't removed even by a registry cleaner. I manually got rid of them all.....

 

[WoodPeckr]

Sometimes rebooting your PC will correct this. A couple times I had Windows apps/folders that wouldn't delete until a PC reboot. After reboot they were able to be removed.

Another trick for removing stubborn app/folders is create a 'new folder' and 'drag & drop' the stubborn folder into the newly created folder, then delete them both.

 

[realthing69]

There is a registry key that holds software installations. Run REGEDIT.EXE and go to this key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

Go through each of the sub-keys and see if the program is there. If found then delete the key. Use CCleaner or whatever registry cleaner to remove any orphaned registry keys.

Be careful of what you delete!

 

[Keebler Elf]

I found one key in there and have deleted it...

 

[happy the man]

But did it work KE?

 

[Keebler Elf]

Didn't work. This is such a pain in the ass. The program name still shows up in Control Panel but now the icon is gone along with the uninstall option for the program. But when I try to reinstall I still get the already installed error.

Are there any registry cleaners you don't have to pay for? Even if it's a trial period? I don't wanna spend $50 on this...

 

[Keebler Elf]

I downloaded the trial version of Registry Mechanic and it found another item that I deleted.

It also found 25 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{bunch of numbers}

Can these be deleted? I don't know what they are but perhaps one of them is the culprit?

Edit: The answer to this would be NO!, they cannot be deleted lol!

 

[WoodPeckr]

Here's a link to a couple free registry cleaners.

http://download.cnet.com/windows/ut...ems/most-popular/3101-2018_4-0.html?tag=mncol

Just be careful what you delete in the registry or you can really fark up Windows.
This is another reason for switching to Linux which has no registry to worry about getting screwed up.

 

[realthing69]

Didn't work. This is such a pain in the ass. The program name still shows up in Control Panel but now the icon is gone along with the uninstall option for the program. But when I try to reinstall I still get the already installed error.

Are there any registry cleaners you don't have to pay for? Even if it's a trial period? I don't wanna spend $50 on this...

Icons found in Control Panel come from files with the *.cpl extension, most of them are found in the Windows System32 folder. May not be able to delete it if the CPL file is running. Might want to Google "how to remove Control Panel icons"

There could also be a folders (might be hidden) like "InstallShield" or "Uninstall Information" that tell the install program if it's been installed.

C:\Program Files\Uninstall Information

 

[Lagavulin2]

Are there any registry cleaners you don't have to pay for?

See post #10 which has the link - ccleaner has a registry cleaner
remember to re-boot after you alter/clean the registry for the changes to take effect
if you still have an icon visible try revo uninstall - may need to use the "hunter mode"

be extremely careful with manual registry edits