OT: How to uninstall Google toolbar when Windows failed to boot

[Craig]

Once in a while, my computer failed to boot. There several ways to fix the
problem.
I like to use ERD Commander to fix such a problem. The problem is that ERD
Commander does not work due to Runtime Error. I found that Runtime error
was due to the installed Google toolbar. When Google toolbar was removed,
ERD Commander works well.

My question is how to uninstall Google toolbar when c-drive becomes out of
commission. I can get into the disabled C-drive using other boot CD.
Then, I wonder how to uninstall the google toolbar. I like to learn this
process in case I meet next computer disaster. TIA. Craig

 

[Vanguard \(NPI\)]

Once in a while, my computer failed to boot. There several ways to fix
the problem.
I like to use ERD Commander to fix such a problem. The problem is that
ERD Commander does not work due to Runtime Error. I found that Runtime
error was due to the installed Google toolbar. When Google toolbar was
removed, ERD Commander works well.

My question is how to uninstall Google toolbar when c-drive becomes out of
commission. I can get into the disabled C-drive using other boot CD.
Then, I wonder how to uninstall the google toolbar. I like to learn this
process in case I meet next computer disaster. TIA. Craig

To figure out what to remove (by using the file system in booting a
different instance of Windows to look at the "bad" drive), use InstallWatch
to record what it changed, added, or deleted. It's freeware. You can see
which files it installed, what folders it created, and which registry values
it added or changed.

I think the www.epsilonsquared.com site is dead but you should be able to
download InstallWatch from other sites, like PCworld.com.

Since there is more than one version of the Google Toolbar (old one, new 3.0
beta, and a Firefox beta version), and since each one may differ in what
they install, someone's advice regarding their particular install may not
match yours.

 

[Guest]

The Google Toolbar will be listed in Add/Remove Programs.

 

[Vanguard \(NPI\)]

The Google Toolbar will be listed in Add/Remove Programs.

That relies on the willingness of the software vendor to completely remove
their product and their developers' expertise at writing a decent uninstall
script (and most developers are focused more on coding the program than
figuring out the log file for the uninstall). After an uninstall, most
often you still end up having to cleanup the registry along with some
remnant files and folders. Many uninstalls are good but, in my experience,
most are incomplete. In fact, it's somewhat of a surprise to find an
uninstall that is complete and leaves your system pristine of any reference
to the program. It really depends on how unobtrusive and non-polluting is
the install.

If you are interested in totally obliterating any presence or reference to a
program, do you really trust the software vendor to wipe themself completely
from your system? Do you believe all uninstalls, even if well intentioned,
are given as much attention as the coding development phase? In order of
priority, developers want to spend their time on coding the program, fixing
bugs, writing the install/uninstall program, and writing documentation.
That is, the only thing they do worse than the install program is the
documentation (and why many companies have a separate Documentation group).

I'd rather rely on a logging tool, like InstallWatch, to let me check if an
uninstall was complete or not, or use disk/partition images to restore my
drive back to the exact state it was in before the software install. Anyone
know of something better than InstallWatch for installation logging
(preferably free or cheap but still good)?