Jump to content

Uninstall Reference Won't Go Away


Zfactor
 Share

Recommended Posts

I have an uninstall reference in my Add/Remove that will not go away even though I have uninstalled it.

Here is what happened. I found this little program on my computer (installed by dell, I hate dell) and I didn't know what it is but it could only have been bad (since it came from Dell). So I used CCleaner to uninstall it (thinking it would be more effective at removing it). Lo and behold it shows up in my Add/Remove but I can't do anything with it. For a while CCleaner found registry keys that were labeled as "Uninstaller Reference issue" which I assumed was this stupid thing since they kept showing up no matter how many times I told CCleaner to fix them. Now CCleaner doesn't even find that problem but the program remains in Add/Remove.

I also ran RegscrubXP, but I either did not find a problem, or it did not fix the problem...

Furthermore, I cannot see the program in the Add/Remove of CCleaner (I was just going to delete the entry manually).

I need help on how to get rid of it! It's not causing problems, but these stpuid errors accumulate over time and become quite bothersome.

Here is a screenshot of what I mean.

uninstaller_ref.gif

Also you might see that I have firefox on there twice... One for 1.0 and one for 1.0.1. I let firefox automatically update by clicking the update icon that appears (the one w/ the bell on it that shows up in the upper right corner that usually tells you when you have extension updates). Now there are 2 instances of FireFox in my Add/Remove... Shold I remove the 1.0 one? Or leave it alone?

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you tried to uninstall it from Add/Remove Programs? If it fails, you can download and install TweakUI to remove leftover uninstall entries.

As for the two Firefox entries, I have wondered about that myself. I have these on all systems where I upgraded from 1.0 to 1.0.1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've run RegScrubXP like 10 times over several days before I even posted, but it doesn't get rid of it...

Also I cannot remove the MyWay Search using Add/Remove because there is no button there to do so (i already uninstalled it but it wont disappear)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a rider to scuzzman's reply, removing old versions of Firefox does mess thing up but, a re-install of the current (latest) version gets things back to normal - and retain your old preferences.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regarding the unwanted Dell program. Do you have the means to REINSTALL it and then uninstall it again, using Add/Remove programs this time? Otherwise try looking in Windows Explorer and deleting any files referring to the program. Then go to Start/Run and search for files and folders in there. If the reference to the program is still there, go to Start/Run and type regedit. Click on File and select Export. Name the file and export it to your desktop. This is your backup for the registry in case you foul things up. Click onto HKEY_CURRENT_USER and scroll down to Software. Delete any references to the unwanted program. Repeat this in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Close the registry editor. This should have solved the problem. If not, try a reboot. Leave the copy of the registry on your desktop for a few days to ensure that you have not caused any problems, then it can be deleted. Should you experience any problems, right click on your new registry icon, and select "Merge". This will take the registry back to where it was before you started. I would not recommend running crap Cleaner or anything similar until you are sure that all is OK, as this program can make further changes to the registry. once you are sure that all is OK, by all means use CC again. I use it every day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go to Start/Search and type "My way search assistant" without the quotes, then do a search for all files and folders, enable hidden files, click on OK. Delete any reference to the application it finds, reboot and run CCleaner. It should remove it, but let us know if not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go to Start/Search and type "My way search assistant" without the quotes, then do a search for all files and folders, enable hidden files, click on OK. Delete any reference to the application it finds, reboot and run CCleaner. It should remove it, but let us know if not.

I just tried that myself out of curiousity and nothing came up when I clicked on search

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go to Start/Search and type "My way search assistant" without the quotes, then do a search for all files and folders, enable hidden files, click on OK. Delete any reference to the application it finds, reboot and run CCleaner. It should remove it, but let us know if not.

I just tried that myself out of curiousity and nothing came up when I clicked on search

That's because you don't have it installed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go to Start/Search and type "My way search assistant" without the quotes, then do a search for all files and folders, enable hidden files, click on OK. Delete any reference to the application it finds, reboot and run CCleaner. It should remove it, but let us know if not.

I just tried that myself out of curiousity and nothing came up when I clicked on search

That's because you don't have it installed.

Sounds like a perfectly good reason.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy