How to uninstall signatures

[Bill Sanderson MVP]

Back to square one, sort of!

Well--you could try the uninstaller Tom Emmelot has suggested?

I don't think that I know a way out of the bind you are in without using the
Uninstaller cleanuup tool.

That would involve 1) deleting that trace, 2) deleting Office (installer
bits), and reinstalling Office. And, even then, I'm not sure whether
anything related to other .MSI based apps might still be broken.

This makes the tool Tom Emmelot mentions quite attractive if, in fact, it
doesn't have any of these side effects, which I can't vouch for!

I do think that you want to get this cleaned up. It's ugly that you get
left with bits that prevent a future install, and there's nothing simple to
do about it. Microsoft PSS should be able to help with this, but unless you
have a retail copy of the OS, that may not be an option for you. If you do
have a retail copy of the OS, I'd ask for support on this, via either email
or chat--and I think you wouldn't get charged against any numeric limit for
incidents--this is a bug. You could even try calling 1-866-pcsafety (free
helpline for virus or security-patch related problems)--but I think this
might be a hard sell--they aren't allowed to provide support for the beta,
which is explicitly unsupported. You could string it out like this...I had
a spyware problem and was told to use Windows Defender to fix it, (which is
what they might well have recommended)--and I then wanted to remove Windows
Defender from my system, and am left in this state..... and see if that
makes it a "spyware-related" problem, rather than a "windows defender"
related problem--but as I say, that sounds like a hard sell.

--

 

[Daze]

Back to square one, sort of!

Well--you could try the uninstaller Tom Emmelot has suggested?

I don't think that I know a way out of the bind you are in without using the
Uninstaller cleanuup tool.

That would involve 1) deleting that trace, 2) deleting Office (installer
bits), and reinstalling Office. And, even then, I'm not sure whether
anything related to other .MSI based apps might still be broken.

This makes the tool Tom Emmelot mentions quite attractive if, in fact, it
doesn't have any of these side effects, which I can't vouch for!

I do think that you want to get this cleaned up. It's ugly that you get
left with bits that prevent a future install, and there's nothing simple to
do about it. Microsoft PSS should be able to help with this, but unless you
have a retail copy of the OS, that may not be an option for you. If you do
have a retail copy of the OS, I'd ask for support on this, via either email
or chat--and I think you wouldn't get charged against any numeric limit for
incidents--this is a bug. You could even try calling 1-866-pcsafety (free
helpline for virus or security-patch related problems)--but I think this
might be a hard sell--they aren't allowed to provide support for the beta,
which is explicitly unsupported. You could string it out like this...I had
a spyware problem and was told to use Windows Defender to fix it, (which is
what they might well have recommended)--and I then wanted to remove Windows
Defender from my system, and am left in this state..... and see if that
makes it a "spyware-related" problem, rather than a "windows defender"
related problem--but as I say, that sounds like a hard sell.

I believe Tom Emmelot was referring to the same Cleanup Utility that you
warned me against and that just caused me to need to use my System
Restore, was he not?

 

[Guest]

Hi Bill!
When I'd had trouble removing IE7 Beta-Preview, I used this tool...Now I
ain't able to update any kind of Office XP products.
And up to now, I haven't had any clue Why I cannot update Office.
Now at least I'm more knowledgeable for sure , on the other hand I would
like to avoid reinstalling. If there's one existing solution, please help me
solving this problem.
There has to be a more sophisticated procedure aside from startin all over
again...
Best regards:
Ivan, from Budapest

 

[Bill Sanderson MVP]

I believe Tom Emmelot was referring to the same Cleanup Utility that you
warned me against and that just caused me to need to use my System
Restore, was he not?

No--Tom has a link to a third-party tool that I don't know anything about,
which claims to do the same kind of thing.
His first post in this thread references it. I don't know whether it will
work in your particular case, and I don't know anything about it. I tend to
trust Tom's recommendations, though--and if it works the way he's stated, it
should be safe.

 

[Bill Sanderson MVP]

I believe that what I did was to use that same tool to delete the Office
installer bits, and then reinstall office from the original CD (and
update......)

I believe that I tried a repair install from within Office before doing
that, and it didn't work.

What I don't know is whether this has any other side-effects--i.e. whether
other apps besides Office will still see some remaining effects. For now,
that seems to work, though.

--

 

[Guest]

Hi Bill!
Nice 2 hear from U again..I don't even know where the original CD is, I 've
moved three times since I've installed Office on my notebook.
My God, all those nuisance...
So is there a way out ? Or I cannot avoid reinstalling?
There has to be a way, a trick of some kind.
What parts of the update - procedure are corrupted exactly ?
How should I repair first place? At least I give it a try
Br:
Ivan

 

[Bill Sanderson MVP]

The instruction that I'm aware of as a workaround is:

"Contact Microsoft PSS."

So--you can try this--I'm not at all sure how this will work, but this is a
problem with security updates, stemming from a bug, so the call should not
cost money, although I don't know whether it is a free phone call where you
are or not.

So--Start here:

http://support.microsoft.com/?LN=hu&x=4&y=12

I think I'd go with Office XP as the product. If it is an OEM install--i.e.
it came with the computer, they are going to tell you to call the vendor.
Ignore that, and call Microsoft.

I don't know how this will work out--I don't know what the options are-but
I'd love to hear what advice they are able to give you.

--

 

[Daze]

Hi Bill,

you may recommend this tool for Signatures uninstaller:
Download:
http://www.freeware-guide.com/dir/files/easy_uninstaller.zip
Install it.
It uses the msiexec command, to get rid of it!

Regards >*< TOM >*<

No go, Tom. I tried it, and Easy Uninstaller doesn't even include the WD
Signature update in its list.

 

[Pat Willener]

Hey, the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility seems to have done the trick!
First time I've had occasion to use it. Thanks for the suggestion, Pat!

Well, with all that followed - sorry for having suggested it. It seems
to be quite a new information, so I won't recommend it again until it's
fixed.

Next try: CCleaner also has the ability to remove obsolete uninstall
entries. You can download it from http://www.ccleaner.com/ - the Tools
option lets you remove these things.

Re CCleaner: if you have IE7 beta installed, wait until CCleaner 1.30 is
released (should be in a few days); the current version 1.29 is not
completely compatible with IE7.

P.S. be sure to keep your Restore Point...

 

[Daze]

Well, with all that followed - sorry for having suggested it. It seems
to be quite a new information, so I won't recommend it again until it's
fixed.

Not your fault, Pat. Like I said, I'd often heard it being recommended
before and just never had a reason to try using it for a problem of my
own. I'm just thankful I had a restore point that saved my ass. I didn't
relish the alternatives. :-/

Next try: CCleaner also has the ability to remove obsolete uninstall
entries. You can download it from http://www.ccleaner.com/ - the Tools
option lets you remove these things.

Re CCleaner: if you have IE7 beta installed, wait until CCleaner 1.30 is
released (should be in a few days); the current version 1.29 is not
completely compatible with IE7.

P.S. be sure to keep your Restore Point...

Yeah, I've got and use Ccleaner, but hadn't tried it for this. In its
Tools>Uninstall, I find the Windows Defender Signature listed. When I
try the Uninstall option, it tries, then throws up the following message:
"This patch package could not be opened. Verify that the patch package
exists and that you can access it, or contact the application vendor to
verify that this is a valid Windows Installer patch package."

Suspecting, then, that it might just be an entry for something that
doesn't actually exist, I tried the "Delete Entry" option and got this
message: "Cannot delete MSI installer."

My jv16Powertools doesn't list it at all. Easy Uninstaller doesn't list
it. SpybotS&D's Tools>Uninstall Info doesn't list it, either. But
Ccleaner and Add\Remove Programs both do. Interesting, and odd.

 

[Daze]

Not your fault, Pat. Like I said, I'd often heard it being recommended
before and just never had a reason to try using it for a problem of my
own. I'm just thankful I had a restore point that saved my ass. I didn't
relish the alternatives. :-/


Yeah, I've got and use Ccleaner, but hadn't tried it for this. In its
Tools>Uninstall, I find the Windows Defender Signature listed. When I
try the Uninstall option, it tries, then throws up the following message:
"This patch package could not be opened. Verify that the patch package
exists and that you can access it, or contact the application vendor to
verify that this is a valid Windows Installer patch package."

Suspecting, then, that it might just be an entry for something that
doesn't actually exist, I tried the "Delete Entry" option and got this
message: "Cannot delete MSI installer."

My jv16Powertools doesn't list it at all. Easy Uninstaller doesn't list
it. SpybotS&D's Tools>Uninstall Info doesn't list it, either. But
Ccleaner and Add\Remove Programs both do. Interesting, and odd.

And EasyCleaner's Add\Remove doesn't list it, either. So far, only
Ccleaner and MS's Add\Remove Programs do . . .

 

[Pat Willener]

And EasyCleaner's Add\Remove doesn't list it, either. So far, only
Ccleaner and MS's Add\Remove Programs do . . .

Have you tried Steve Dodson's suggestion at the end of this thread
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/915105)?

 

[Daze]

Daze wrote:

<snip>

I've got and use Ccleaner, but hadn't tried it for this. In its

Have you tried Steve Dodson's suggestion at the end of this thread
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/915105)?

Yep. It goes through the same routine as Ccleaner does. I get a message,
"Are you sure you want to uninstall this product?" I click yes, then get
a little Windows Installer window and it appears to be preparing to
uninstall. But then Windows Installer gives me the message (see above),
"This patch package could not be opened . . ."

 

[Tom Emmelot]

Hi Daze,

Try this:
Go to Start/run.
Copy and paste this whole line: ( with ")
"C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe" -RemoveDefinitions -All

Regards >*< TOM >*<

Daze schreef:

 

[Daze]

Hi Daze,

Try this:
Go to Start/run.
Copy and paste this whole line: ( with ")
"C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe" -RemoveDefinitions -All

Regards >*< TOM >*<

Doing so just gives me a message that the location could not be found.
Remember: I uninstalled Windows Defender, so there is no Windows
Defender folder in Program Files.

I've wondered if, by reinstalling Windows Defender (which I haven't
tried yet), I might then be able to remove the signature update . . .

 

[Tom Emmelot]

Sorry Daze,

forgot that!
run Ccleaner to clean the reg and the temp, try a new install and see
what happens.

Regards >*< TOM >*<

Daze schreef:

 

[Daze]

Sorry Daze,

forgot that!
run Ccleaner to clean the reg and the temp, try a new install and see
what happens.

Regards >*< TOM >*<

Daze schreef:

Well, at long last, I think I've licked the whole problem.

In preparation, I re-imaged my system drive, and separately backed up my
registry. Then I reinstalled Windows Defender and tried all the various
means of getting rid of those old signatures, to no avail. So I tried
updating the new installation of Windows Defender, and couldn't do that,
either. So I uninstalled the Windows Defender, and also deleted 2
folders for WD signatures in
Docs&Settings\AllUsers\ApplicationData\Microsoft and
Docs&Settings\Me\ApplicationData\Microsoft
(that I'd deleted before without eliminating my problem). All of which
set me back to square one again.

Then I went to regedit and ran a find on "defender" and found 2 keys
(plus subkeys) that appeared to be specifically and only for Windows
Defender signature information. I deleted these two keys, closed
regedit, and found that this had eliminated the offending Signature
Update entries in both Add\Remove Programs and Ccleaner's uninstall list.

I shut down the computer. Then rebooted.

Then I reinstalled Windows Defender (which now appears in all of my
various uninstall listings, sans and mention of signature updates). And
when I tried to update it this time, it worked, and now has the 5/25
signature file. And I still have no mention of signature updates in any
of my various applications' uninstall lists.

So, I'm currently running a full scan with WD using the latest update,
and everything seems AOK. (Knock on wood.)

 

[Tom Emmelot]

Hi Daze,

glad you fix it!!!!!

if we where on speaking terms (skype) i think we solf the probem a lot
quicker!
(is in my VC)

Regards >*< TOM >*<

Daze schreef:

 

[Daze]

Hi Daze,

glad you fix it!!!!!

if we where on speaking terms (skype) i think we solf the probem a lot
quicker!
(is in my VC)

Regards >*< TOM >*<

All's well that ends well.

 

[Bill Sanderson MVP]

Amazing!

Nice work--glad you persisted. I've never seen that listing for the
signatures so it was puzzling to me where it came from.

I hope this doesn't happen to many users, 'cause I'm not about to send most
folks into the registry to root around that way..

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