How to Delete Add/Remove Program Entries
Typically, the "Add/Remove Programs" feature in Windows will remove the requested entry during the removal process, but not always. When it fails to do so, then the user must resort to removing the entry manually. This will require the user going into the registry to accomplish this task. The registry is not a place for nonexperienced computer users, but users of any experience level will be able to make the necessary registry changes.
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Instructions
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Click the "Start" button on your task bar. Click "Control Panel," then select "Uninstall a program," which is located in the "Programs" section.
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Scroll through the listing until you find the entry you want to remove. Click it. Click the "Uninstall" option near the top of the screen. This option will not appear until after you have clicked the program you want to uninstall. Follow the screen prompts to uninstall the program. Again, if the uninstall process did not remove the entry, then the user will have to go into the registry. If this is the case, then continue.
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Backup the registry. At the end of this article are two resource links that will show a user how to backup their registry data. Once the registry is backed up, it is time to enter the Registry Editor.
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Click the "Start" button on the task bar. In the "Start Search" text box, type "regedit." XP users should click "Run" and type "regedit" in the text box. The Registry Editor will open.
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Navigate through the tree following the path "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall." The folder holding icons are actually called keys. In the "Uninstall" key are several other keys with odd names. To find which program is associated with a key, left click a folder. The right-side pane will display information about the program the key is associated with.
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Save the registry area you are going to make changes to. This will allow the user to recover the registry area if there are any mistakes made. This does not replace the saving of the registry the user performed earlier. Click the "Uninstall" key. Click "File" on the menu bar, and select the "Export..." option. The Export Registry File window will open. In the "Save in:" drop-down menu, select the "Desktop option. Type "Uninstall" in the "File name:" textbox. Click the "Save" button.
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Look at the "DisplayName" keys in the right-side pane. If the name is not the program you are looking for, then go to the next folder in the list.
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Right click the key that represents the program you want to remove and select the "Delete" option from the menu.
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Click the "Yes" button in the confirmation of deletion window. Exit the Registry Editor.
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Go back into "Add/Remove Programs" and verify the right program had been removed. If it is, then go to your desktop and delete the "Uninstall.reg" file you created. If it is not, then go to the last step.
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Double click the "Uninstall.reg" file you created on your desktop. This action will restore the registry area you were working on. Once the registry in imported back into the registry area, you can start the process over again, and find the correct program key to remove.
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Tips & Warnings
The registry is a dangerous place. Follow the above instructions carefully. Deleting the wrong object from the registry can cause programs not to start and Windows not to boot.
