Removing programs and unins000.dat Windows XP Home edition

S

SarahF

I'm a UK User.
I have been having difficulties removing programs and have tried all the
solutions offered here without success. The programs I want to remove are
shown in the list in Add/Remove programs, but when I click on remover they
tell me that 'pathname'/unins000.dat does not exist and so the program can't
be uninstalled. In every case there is such a file in the directory for the
relevant program. Some solutions suggested I just delete the program folder
from the Program directory but the system won't allow me to do this either
(tells me I don't have permission - I am the admin user)). When I tried to
run the clean-up scanner from Onecare it finds a big list of registry issues,
none of which seem connected to any of the several programs I am trying to
delete. I did not proceed further with the Onecare clean-up because I was
not confident that the files it identified should be removed and I could not
find any documentation that clarified this. I have also tried to repair and
reinstall the programs so I can then do a clean uninstall and I have not been
able to do this either.
My situation now is that I have a series of half uninstalled programs that I
can neither remove or reinstall clean versions of and cannot seem to get any
clear advice on what to do. The problem arose in the first place because I
was using download managers from various TV stations to watch tv episodes and
soon after installing SP3 found that my DRM permissions were corrupted and
the solution to this (from the knowledge base) was to deinstall WMP 11 and
reinstall, then deinstall the download managers and reinstall - this I can't
do. I have had the same problem with Adobe Flash player, which the download
managers need to play the content.
The fact that both the uninstall and DRM problems are spread across several
different programs, all from reputable sources (i.e. Adobe and national TV
companies, including the BBC) suggests that the problem lies with something
in Windows XP on my system rather than a fault with either the downlaod
managers or Adobe.
 
T

Twayne

If I were you and didn't have a disk image I could revert to, I would
probably do a full backup of the sytem drive and let Onecare remove the
stuff it wants to. I've no experience with Onecare so I've no idea
whether it's any good or not. I've heard stories both ways.

Anyway, if it trashes your system somehow, you would have a backup to at
least restore back to where you were with.

Why can't you do the reinstalls? You don't mention why that is or what
happens when you try.

In my experience, when the uninstall files have names like
unins000.exe/dat, they may well be VB6 programs, in which case there
many not be any registry entries to remove except for the Add/Remove
entries.

Have you tried going to Safe Mode and using the default Admin account
from there? Not your own, but the system's adminsitrative account.
It'll be there' it cannot be deleted. So unless you put a password on
it you should be able to jsut hit enter and start it up under that
account.

What are the names of some of these programs you have problems with?

You really haven't provided much information to go on here.

HTH,

Twayne
 

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