Obsolete Entries in Add/Remove Programs

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by Sean Sullivan, Jan 12, 2006.

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  1. Apparently after being uninstalled some programs do not remove their entry in Control Panel's Add or Remove Programs. How can I clean out these 'orphaned entries' (my reg cleaner doesn't do it)?
     
  2. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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  3. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    While I have no doubt that Ron's suggestion (ccleaner) will do the job, so will Microsoft's TweakUI. However, should you want to be venturous and directly remove those orphans, here's how:

    - Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
    - Locate the following key in the registry:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
    - Make sure you backup the keys by exporting them to a .reg file.
    - Look for the name of the program with the orphaned entry.
    - Delete the entire listing for the software with the orphaned entry.
    - Close the registry editor and restart your computer.

    Fwiw, most programs do a lousy job of removing all of their traces when they are uninstalled. That is why it is essential to have good cleanup tools in your PC arsenal.

    Cheers, pv
     
  4. ErikAlbert

    ErikAlbert Registered Member

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    Yes, as long they don't fix the software uninstall programs, this problem will return over and over again.
    I don't even understand why they don't fix the problem in the roots.
    Creating extra programs to fix the errors of other programs, caused by sloppy programming, isn't a solution.
     
  5. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    Erik~ That's 'the nature of the beast', so we just have to deal with it. Actually, writing an included unistall program is rather difficult and the problem is further complicated when the user makes changes to the default installation parameters. Btw, there are specialized programs (uninstallers) available that record every entry during an install into a database for future uninstalling, but even those programs are sometimes less than perfect. ~pv
     
  6. pvsurfer

    pvsurfer Registered Member

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    Sean~ Be advised that Ron's suggested tool, CCleaner, is extremely aggressive and therefore will sometimes cleanup something that is still required. When I last used it (some time ago), it did not automatically back up that which it was about to clean! If that is still the case and you decide to use it, you should definitely backup your files before allowing CCleaner to do its thing! ~pv
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2006
  7. zcv

    zcv Registered Member

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    Actually, if you click on a obsolete Add/Remove entry, and not found, then XP asks if you want to remove it :)

    Regards - Charles
     
  8. When I first got my Dell it came with a crippled burner by Sonic so I uninstalled it and installed Nero. At that time, ever Sonic entry was removed from Add/Remove Programs except "Sonic Encoders".

    Taking Ron's advice, I installed CCleaner. I then went to Tools>Uninstall, tried to uninstall "Sonic Encoders and got a message to the effect that it can't find 'sonicencoders.msi'. So I then tried to delete the entry and got the message "Can't delete MSI Installer".

    Now what?
     
  9. Not in this case! :(
     
  10. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

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  11. Tassie_Devils

    Tassie_Devils Global Moderator

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    sean.... if Ron's link does not work, try Add/Remove Pro 2.08 [FREE]

    Add-Remove Pro shows you what is in the Add-Remove Programs list, which entries are valid, and allows you to uninstall or remove any entry that's not needed. I have used it in the past, worked for me.

    Here is screenie of my add/remove, showing valid [GREEN] entries

    Here: http://www.shareup.com/Add-Remove_Pro-download-11835.html

    Here: http://www.superwin.com/ffreewar.htm

    or Here: http://www.softpicks.net/software/Add-Remove-Pro-5945.htm

    TAS
     

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  12. TD: Thanks for recommending Add Remove Pro - it worked like a pro! Admittedly, I didn't have the courage to try pvsurfer's brute-force method, but neither CCleaner or TweakUI would delete the entry. However, Add Remove Pro did the job and is now one of my favorites!

    Sean
     
  13. Tassie_Devils

    Tassie_Devils Global Moderator

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    No probs Sean... glad you resolved it.

    Cheers, TAS
     
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