I just found that I have the same problem with add/remove's change/remove buttons disappearing. As much as I hate Norton, I don't how the original post turned into a Norton bashing session. I learned long ago that Trend Micro was the internet security solution. What I need to know now is how to fix the problem with the disappearance of my change/remove buttons in the add/remove program list. I have a sure fix for it and it's called Acronis True Image, but I would like to know what the basis of the problem is and fix it without using Acronis. I guess I'm just geeky like that. If anyone finds the solution to the real problem, please let me know. Thanks!
Add/Remove programs not working
- Thread starter KentGOP
- Start date
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I know what it is
I think I may know what the problem is, I'm just not quite entirely sure how to fix it. The problem is, is that programs create registry keys so you can delete the program, but if you run a registry key cleaner or your jackin' around in the regedit, you can delete them.You may notice how you can change/remove programs you installed after you cleaned up, this is because they created the registry key.Now that the Reg. key's are gone, you have to run the uninstaller that comes with it, or use some uninstall manager.
I think I may know what the problem is, I'm just not quite entirely sure how to fix it. The problem is, is that programs create registry keys so you can delete the program, but if you run a registry key cleaner or your jackin' around in the regedit, you can delete them.You may notice how you can change/remove programs you installed after you cleaned up, this is because they created the registry key.Now that the Reg. key's are gone, you have to run the uninstaller that comes with it, or use some uninstall manager.
hey guys , few days ago i had the exact same problem so i searched on the internet and i found this post. aperently many people are struggling from this problem. today i found out something and i wanna share it with you guys.. after i had this problem i reformated my laptop...so the problem was solved ....but today i went to some site that i used to use before ...it's used to hide your ip from some websites that you don't trust..the site is (www.anonymous.org)...sometimes when you're using this website some thing pops up and the page disapears and some small window shows up and start loading... a regular person would think it's just an adverstisment for stupid registry cleaner or whatever....but today after i went to the same site and that thing poped up ...i went to add and remove program and everything was gone.....after that i got to a conclusion and i hope it would be useful for you guys...this thing is casued by a bug coming from some suspecious websites ..this bug goes to the registry and delets all the info about uninstalling programs...so it infects the registry ....and just one more thing..if you install some other software after having this problem ..you would be surprised that when you go to add and remove , you could uninstall the program, because the bug only infects the uninstall info of all the previously downloaded programs...after that you should have no problem with unistalling the new ones...as far as you don't get that pop up again .
D
DelJo63
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Edited by Moderator: Removed quote. There`s no need to quote the post directly above your own, unless you`re only replying to a specific section, in which case you would only quote that section.
Edited by Moderator: Removed quote. There`s no need to quote the post directly above your own, unless you`re only replying to a specific section, in which case you would only quote that section.
Howdy folks - The fix for the missing "change or remove" button is to reinstall the application, which will restore the button, then uninstall it in the usual way. Cheers.
Tmagic650
Posts: 17,233 +234
Download and run this free utility:
http://www.download.com/Absolute-Uninstaller/3000-2096_4-10764197.html?tag=pub
http://www.download.com/Absolute-Uninstaller/3000-2096_4-10764197.html?tag=pub
You also can try to run uninstall manually.
To do so you have to locate correct uninstall string.
Open regedit, locate
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-1-5-18\Products\
or just
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\
Right-click this registry key and select Find...
Open Control Panel->Add/Remove programs, locate application to uninstall and type its name exactly in Find dialog in Registry Editor (for example: Adobe Reader 7.0). Then click Find Next.
Click Find Next until you will find something like this:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-#######\Products\######################\InstallProperties\
Now find UninstallString value under InstallProperties (usually it is something like this
MsiExec.exe /X{##########################}.
Run command line (Start->Run->cmd) and paste value of UninstallString there (right-click on command line window title, Edit->Paste).
It will launch uninstaller.
To do so you have to locate correct uninstall string.
Open regedit, locate
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-1-5-18\Products\
or just
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\
Right-click this registry key and select Find...
Open Control Panel->Add/Remove programs, locate application to uninstall and type its name exactly in Find dialog in Registry Editor (for example: Adobe Reader 7.0). Then click Find Next.
Click Find Next until you will find something like this:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-#######\Products\######################\InstallProperties\
Now find UninstallString value under InstallProperties (usually it is something like this
MsiExec.exe /X{##########################}.
Run command line (Start->Run->cmd) and paste value of UninstallString there (right-click on command line window title, Edit->Paste).
It will launch uninstaller.
LookinAround
Posts: 6,429 +186
Deja Vu all over again!
I had the exact same problem where all Change/Remove buttons had disappeared from the entries under Add/Remove Programs. HOWEVER, i was fortunate it happened on one of my "testbed" systems so i had an environment which allowed me to restore to a point prior to the problem and trace the source of the problem (with 100% certainty) in mid 2007. Once i found the problem source, this environment also helped me prove the problem was 100% repeatable when i followed the same sequence of events each time
**** Edit: Added a second thread for reference ***/
Yahoo won't delete
no remove button
Don't know if your problem is caused by the same Yahoo bug or something else causing similar result these days.. Though i would ask, do you recall removing "Yahoo Browser Services" around the time you first noticed the problem?>
I had the exact same problem where all Change/Remove buttons had disappeared from the entries under Add/Remove Programs. HOWEVER, i was fortunate it happened on one of my "testbed" systems so i had an environment which allowed me to restore to a point prior to the problem and trace the source of the problem (with 100% certainty) in mid 2007. Once i found the problem source, this environment also helped me prove the problem was 100% repeatable when i followed the same sequence of events each time
**** Edit: Added a second thread for reference ***/
Yahoo won't delete
no remove button
Don't know if your problem is caused by the same Yahoo bug or something else causing similar result these days.. Though i would ask, do you recall removing "Yahoo Browser Services" around the time you first noticed the problem?>
LookinAround
Posts: 6,429 +186
To add one point
Whether it's the same Yahoo bug i once had or another bug causing this problem the same way, no typical uninstaller product can do the uninstall because they rely on Uninstall info kept in the registry. In this particular case, all of that data has been deleted from the registry.
Whether it's the same Yahoo bug i once had or another bug causing this problem the same way, no typical uninstaller product can do the uninstall because they rely on Uninstall info kept in the registry. In this particular case, all of that data has been deleted from the registry.
The same thing happened to me - the uninstall information in the registry was wiped out when I uninstalled a Pocket PC program that was installed on my computer. Not only was the registry info wiped out, but the uninstall folder in the registry was deleted too. It caused the list in my add/remove programs to get all funky along with the "remove" button disappearing. And like dooleydude said, the only way you're gonna see that button again is my reinstalling all your programs or reformatting. Otherwise, you just gotta live with it. Luckily, this won't affect newly installed programs since new info would be written to the registry.
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