Add/Remove in Xp Pro

[ME]

I run XP PRO with SP3
My Add remove page is full of junk that I can't remove because I lost an
external hard drive that contained many programs I used to install on it.
When the external died it took every thing with it but my registry can't
forget those lost programs so they still show on the Add Remove page.

Probably the registry itself is also full of junk but for now I can live
with it.

I need your help in how to clean the Add/Remove page. I understand I must
go into the registry but I don't know where.

Please help.

Thanks

 

[smlunatick]

I run XP PRO with SP3
My Add remove page is full of junk that I can't remove because I lost an
external hard drive that contained many programs I used to install on it.
When the external died it took every thing with it but my registry can't
forget those lost programs so they still show on the Add Remove page.

Probably the registry itself is also full of junk but for now I can live
with it.

I need your help in how to clean the Add/Remove page.  I understand I must
go into the registry but I don't know where.

Please help.

Thanks

Since you feel that your registry might be "full of junk" it might be
time to consider a re-install of XP as a "fresh" clean install,

 

[db]

actually, I was using spybot
the other day and rediscovered
some useful tools it provides.

one of them is the ability to
delete unwanted line items from
the add/remove page.

try the spybot freeware method
above.

it's safe and I highly
recommend it to others.

--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces
- Microsoft Partner
- @hotmail.com
~~~~~~~~~~"share the nirvana" - dbZen

 

[glee]

I run XP PRO with SP3
My Add remove page is full of junk that I can't remove because I lost
an external hard drive that contained many programs I used to install
on it.
When the external died it took every thing with it but my registry
can't forget those lost programs so they still show on the Add Remove
page.

Probably the registry itself is also full of junk but for now I can
live with it.

I need your help in how to clean the Add/Remove page. I understand I
must go into the registry but I don't know where.

Hi,
With some of the entries, you may be able to select it in Add/remove and
click Uninstall, and when it cannot uninstall Windows may pop up a
message to that effect, and offer to remove it from the list.

On of the simplest and least intrusive methods to edit the list is to
install HijackThis and use its Uninstall Manager.

Start HijackThis but do not do a HijackThis scan.

If it starts at its Startup Screen, click the button for "Open the Misc
Tools section", then click the "Open Uninstall Manager" button.

If it starts at the Scan screen, do not scan. Instead, click the
"Config" button in the lower right of the program, then click the "Misc
Tools" button at the top of the next screen.
In the System Tools list, click the "Open Uninstall Manager" button.

From there you can select items and delete them.

HijackThis installer:
http://go.trendmicro.com/free-tools/hijackthis/HijackThisInstaller.exe

I agree with smlunatick though....you'd be better off doing a format and
clean install.

 

[GTS]

Add/Remove Pro 2.11
http://www.soft32.com/download_9082.html

 

[ME]

I agree with the Clean install but I still have much in the machine that
will be gone.

For the fun of it here is one!
I got one of those 320 gig HP instant drive that sucks it all and keep it.
Then I formatted the drive.
When I restored the content from the instant to the inner drive, surprise
surprise...every thing was back with all the problems...
So back to the drawing board....

Now I downloaded this Add/Remove Pro 2.11 and I'll use this . Let you know
the results.

 

[ME]

Hello all
The Add/Remove 2.11 is a nice little program that works but I would give it
a 70% mark.

1) It came up with red marks on those lines in my Add Remove page that I
couldn't remove. It allowed me to separately remove either:
A) the line on the page if this is all there is or:
B) parts or all of the programs left in the hard drive.
BUT
It can't see every thing.

Because after a successful action that went smooth and very well I went back
to the Add Remove page and there are still some things on it. Those things
that are still marked on the Add Remove page doesn't even exist anywhere on
the hard drive and I checked it out manually piece by piece, nor do they
have any digital weight on the Add Remove page.
The name of the item is there on the left but on the right where it says
how many MB this thing is, this is blank.

I believe the best thing is the Format and clean install is the best move in
such cases and I'll keep this nifty little program for the future
Thanks to all

 

[glee]

I think you're using a program that tries to do more than is necessary.
A simple manager such as what I recommended in the HijackThis tools,
would do what you requested. This app you are using is apparently
offering to remove files left by the program also, which is not
something you need to attempt with the external drive missing. The app
is trying to do more than it should be attempting.

 

[Jose]

Hello all
The Add/Remove 2.11 is a nice little program that works but I would give it
a 70% mark.

1)  It came up with red marks on those lines in my Add Remove page thatI
couldn't remove. It allowed me to separately remove either:
    A) the line on the page if this is all there is or:
    B) parts or all of the programs left in the hard drive.
                                BUT
                    It can't see every thing.

Because after a successful action that went smooth and very well I went back
to the Add Remove page and there are still some things on it. Those things
that are still marked on the Add Remove page doesn't even exist anywhere on
the hard drive and I checked it out manually piece by piece, nor do they
have any digital weight on the Add Remove page.
 The name of the item is there on the left but on the right where it says
how many MB this thing is, this is blank.

I believe the best thing is the Format and clean install is the best movein
such cases and I'll keep this nifty little program for the future
Thanks to all

You do not need to reinstall XP to remove erroneous entries from Add/
Remove Programs. Everything you see in Add/Remove Programs is
"somewhere", you just have to find it.

I also tried the Add Remove Pro which was interesting, but here is a
way to do these things by hand:

Everything you see in Add/Remove programs comes from individual
entries in the registry.

There is no undo or quit without saving option in the registry editor,
so before you make changes, backup your registry with this free tool
called ERUNT:

http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/

If you do not install ERUNT you are taking some risk with your
registry and some of what follows will not make sense since I use the
ERUNT installation as an example.

To open the registry editor, click Start, Run and in the box enter:

regedit

Click OK.

Using regedit, navigate here:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

There is a lot of stuff in the Uninstall folder and what you see under
it may not be obvious unless you scroll through them one by one.
Start looking through the list on the left and you will start to see
things you recognize.

Not everything you see under the Uninstall folder will show up in Add/
Remove Programs, but everything you see in Add/Remove Programs will
show up under the Uninstall folder.

As you land on each entry in the Uninstall folder on the left, on the
right hand side is the contents of the registry key for each installed
program.

Find some Uninstall folders with names you recognize. You will see
some values under Uninstall that have an information value on the
right called DisplayName. That is what you see in Add/Remove
Programs.

You may also see an entry called UninstallString. That is what will
get run when you click the Remove button in Add/Remove programs.
There is a lot of other interesting information that will start to
make sense from what you see in Add/Remove Programs.

You will have some things under the Uninstall folder that may not
appear to make sense or not have much information under them on the
right hand side. Just leave these alone unless you know what the are.

If you installed ERUNT, it will show up in Add/Remove programs and you
also now be able to find the ERUNT program in the list of Uninstall
folders on the left and see the DisplayName and UninstallString for
ERUNT on the right.

You can search for an entry under the Uninstall folder to help you
find things that you see in Add/Remove Programs. In regedit, click
and highlight the Uninstall folder on the left hand side, then click
Edit, Find and search for the program name you see displayed in Add/
Remove Programs and you will be taken right to the entry. You may
land on the DisplayName value on the right and can see that the
appropriate Uninstall folder will be open on the left.

If you are convinced the program is uninstalled after looking on your
hard disk and the entry still shows up in Add/Remove programs, it can
be deleted from the Uninstall list in the registry by right clicking
the folder in the Uninstall list and choosing delete. You will not
see the program listed in Add/Remove Programs again. Deleting a value
under Uninstall is not the way to uninstall a program - it will just
remove it from the Add/Remove Programs list.

You can also export the appropriate Uninstall key to a file before
deleting it. If something goes wrong, you can import the file later
to replace just the registry key you accidentally deleted. That will
not reinstall the program, but it will show up again in Add/Remove
Programs.

 

[Jose]

Hello all
The Add/Remove 2.11 is a nice little program that works but I would give it
a 70% mark.

1)  It came up with red marks on those lines in my Add Remove page thatI
couldn't remove. It allowed me to separately remove either:
    A) the line on the page if this is all there is or:
    B) parts or all of the programs left in the hard drive.
                                BUT
                    It can't see every thing.

Because after a successful action that went smooth and very well I went back
to the Add Remove page and there are still some things on it. Those things
that are still marked on the Add Remove page doesn't even exist anywhere on
the hard drive and I checked it out manually piece by piece, nor do they
have any digital weight on the Add Remove page.
 The name of the item is there on the left but on the right where it says
how many MB this thing is, this is blank.

I believe the best thing is the Format and clean install is the best movein
such cases and I'll keep this nifty little program for the future
Thanks to all

....and I don't understand why sometimes people are so anxious to
reinstall XP for issues that are easy to understand with a little
research! A reinstall will work, but it is a lot of trouble.

Your issue is common when people install things on a secondary drive
and then sometime later lose that drive. It is no big deal to fix it.

If you are going to reinstall anyway, you have nothing to lose by
using my long winded copy/paste instructional method, which I will be
happy to make shorter or easier to comprehend with your feedback if it
is not understandable.

 

[Iceman]

Since you feel that your registry might be "full of junk" it might be
time to consider a re-install of XP as a "fresh" clean install,

And if you choose that option, you should read this page for instructions:

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

 

[glee]

...and I don't understand why sometimes people are so anxious to
reinstall XP for issues that are easy to understand with a little
research! A reinstall will work, but it is a lot of trouble.

Your issue is common when people install things on a secondary drive
and then sometime later lose that drive. It is no big deal to fix it.

If you are going to reinstall anyway, you have nothing to lose by
using my long winded copy/paste instructional method, which I will be
happy to make shorter or easier to comprehend with your feedback if it
is not understandable.

Actually, it depends on how much, and what, was installed on the missing
external drive. If fairly complex apps or a suite of apps was installed
there (such as Microsoft Office, or similar), it can be a big deal to
fix....bigger than backing up and doing a fresh install. Large
Office-type suites and other programs that install files all over the C:
drive as well as in whatever custom location was chosen, also add
literally thousands of Registry entries that refer to those various
locations, making a repair anything but easy.

So it matters much what was installed on the external drive...it's not
necessarily "no big deal".

 

[Jose]

Actually, it depends on how much, and what, was installed on the missing
external drive.  If fairly complex apps or a suite of apps was installed
there (such as Microsoft Office, or similar), it can be a big deal to
fix....bigger than backing up and doing a fresh install.  Large
Office-type suites and other programs that install files all over the C:
drive as well as in whatever custom location was chosen, also add
literally thousands of Registry entries that refer to those various
locations, making a repair anything but easy.

So it matters much what was installed on the external drive...it's not
necessarily "no big deal".

Actually, it depends on how much, and what, was installed on the missing
external drive.  If fairly complex apps or a suite of apps was installed
there (such as Microsoft Office, or similar), it can be a big deal to
fix....bigger than backing up and doing a fresh install.  Large
Office-type suites and other programs that install files all over the C:
drive as well as in whatever custom location was chosen, also add
literally thousands of Registry entries that refer to those various
locations, making a repair anything but easy.

So it matters much what was installed on the external drive...it's not
necessarily "no big deal".

Programs were installed on an external hard drive. The external hard
drive crashed. It is annoying to see junk from those programs in the
list for Add/Remove Programs that cannot be removed or "nothing
happens" when the Remove button is clicked. Fixing the problem it is
not even remotely intellectually stimulating.

It is no big deal to remove junk from the list of items in Add/Remove
Programs. Is that not the issue? If you don't like the list or the
list is wrong, fix it. It doesn't depend on anything. It is an
annoying problem that can be fixed in a few minutes.

What are your ideas to fix the problem that do not involve
reinstalling XP?

Reinstalling is an option when a person gives up on fixing the
problem. Reinstalling is not necessary to clean up Add/Remove
Programs or the left over references in the registry, but leftovers in
the registry was not reported as an issue. There is no need to
reinstall XP to fix the reported issue - you can reinstall if you
want, but it is not required.

I do not know of any application that installs files all over the C:
drive. Tell me one or some large office type suite (I have all
versions of Office since Office 2000) which does that and I will
install it and then tell me where/how it is all over my C: drive so I
can see what you are talking about. If any application does that, the
installation is very sloppy. I am not saying it isn't so, I have
just never experienced it and if you have, give some examples.
Something besides "fairly complex apps or a suite of apps"... you
know... an example I can try. Office Enterprise? I can do that -
tell me what to look for.

The XP installation on the computer I am using now is ~4.5 years old
and has never seen a reinstall, a Repair install or a Restore Point
(to fix a problem).

 

[glee]

Jose wrote:
Programs were installed on an external hard drive. The external hard
drive crashed. It is annoying to see junk from those programs in the
list for Add/Remove Programs that cannot be removed or "nothing
happens" when the Remove button is clicked. Fixing the problem it is
not even remotely intellectually stimulating.

It is no big deal to remove junk from the list of items in Add/Remove
Programs. Is that not the issue? If you don't like the list or the
list is wrong, fix it. It doesn't depend on anything. It is an
annoying problem that can be fixed in a few minutes.

What are your ideas to fix the problem that do not involve
reinstalling XP?

Reinstalling is an option when a person gives up on fixing the
problem. Reinstalling is not necessary to clean up Add/Remove
Programs or the left over references in the registry, but leftovers in
the registry was not reported as an issue. There is no need to
reinstall XP to fix the reported issue - you can reinstall if you
want, but it is not required.

I do not know of any application that installs files all over the C:
drive. Tell me one or some large office type suite (I have all
versions of Office since Office 2000) which does that and I will
install it and then tell me where/how it is all over my C: drive so I
can see what you are talking about. If any application does that, the
installation is very sloppy. I am not saying it isn't so, I have
just never experienced it and if you have, give some examples.
Something besides "fairly complex apps or a suite of apps"... you
know... an example I can try. Office Enterprise? I can do that -
tell me what to look for.

The XP installation on the computer I am using now is ~4.5 years old
and has never seen a reinstall, a Repair install or a Restore Point
(to fix a problem).

Apparently you didn't read my reply, or my earlier reply, or don't
understand them. I'm not going to repeat them when you can go read them
yourself. I gave one example...the Microsoft Office suite....there are
many others. It creates a huge number of registry entries (as I already
stated) and installs files in multiple locations on the C: drive (as I
already stated), including a number of locations in Program Files, and
in Program Files\Common Files, and in Windows' system folders, and other
locations. If the user has installed the main program files to the now
missing external drive, Office still installs a large number of files to
almost all the locations I mentioned above. The registry entries refer
to all those varied locations. That is what I refer to as "all over the
drive".

If the user want to continue using the computer AND wants to again use
those programs, the rather large number of registry entries will have to
be changed or removed and the suite reinstalled elsewhere. An Office
repair will not do this or not do it correctly, if the suite was
installed on the missing drive.

I already gave the user a very simple method to remove the Add/Remove
entries, in my first reply to this thread. My subsequent reply and info
mentioning a reinstall referred to the additional possibility I have now
for the third time reiterated in this thread. Read my replies more
carefully. I am certainly not going to go back and forth with you
re-explaining what I already posted.

Do a clean install of the complete Office suite to another drive than
C:, while monitoring the installation with a utility that records all
changes to the file system and to the registry, and also open and
activate each program in the suite, and customize the document templates
and user info...THEN stop the monitoring and look at how many file
system additions and registry changes were made, and in how many
different locations. You will see why having the drive disappear can
wreak havoc on an attempt to reinstall the suite to a different location
without first rectifying the orphaned entries.

I have no interest in making an off-topic discussion out of this simple
concept, in this thread. Do your own research band testing and see for
yourself if you don't believe me.