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I previously downloaded a program from the web and deleted it without unistalling it. It is still in the Add/Remove programs list and I can't get rid of it. When I try to remove it, it says "error: could not locate uninstall etc..." I tried right clicking and delete but only shows a box "What's This" when I right click on it. cant seem to get rid of it entirely. How can I delete this permanently?
Thanks!
You can reinstall and remove it - Or start regedit and scan down to:
HKLM\Software\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
Search for the key that contains the application name, and delete it.
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OR, , , get TweakUI and use the add/remove clean up tool. It will clear out dead entries without the worry of messing up in the registry.
http://www.pcforrest.freeserve.co.uk/tweakui.htm
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Tinkerbong - Have you personally used this (the TweakUI) option? I've seen this reply posted so many times, and have always been somewhat skeptical.
It looks to be nothing more than the REG entries for the Uninstall Keys.
Enlighten me here - just how does TweakUI load an uninstall.inf that doesn't exist?
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TweakUI just deletes the name of the program in Add/Remove so you don't have to edit the registry yourself. There is a warning in TweakUI that removing a program from the list doesn't uninstall any of the program. It's just a handy tool for removing invalid entries.
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what is regedit and how do I run it? You guy's aren't speaking my language here. I'm not too experienced with computer stuff which is why i have problems in the first place.
Thanks
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Ellis , Yes, I have been using TweakUI in win95 and 98. I've used the 1.25 ver, the 1.33 beta, and the current ver. 1.33.
Did not mean to imply that it cleaned all refferances from the registry. It does get the program entry out of the control panel add/remove list.
To clean out the registry entirely of entries made by a program is a totaly different matter. Best done with regedit or other registry access tools, and only done by somone who at least has some understanding of what it is they're working with. Other wise hope that the uninstall progrming will do what it's supposed to, which isn't always the case.Jeff: the registry is the catalog of data and settings that windows uses to interconnect all the program parts and hardware info. that make your puter do what it should. Regedit is an editing tool to access that data and the settings in it. Used properly regedit can be very helpful for resetting how windows does certain things and is kept from doing other things.
Used haphazardly it can make your installation of windows unusable.
You wanted to get rid of the add/remove entry in control panel , I suggested using tweak UI because it makes the required changes in registry without the operator having to dig into the registry to find the right keys, values and data. TweakUI is like any other options /settings dialogue applet. They are Graphical User Intfaces, ( GUIs )for editing very specific parts of the registry.
Keep reading Jeff, and the language will become less foriegn.
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