Registry

[Usafretcol]

I have removed a program but there is an entry in the registry that I
am unable to delete. Any assistance would be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[charlie]

I have removed a program but there is an entry in the registry that I
am unable to delete. Any assistance would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Semantics -- did you "remove" by deleting, or did you "uninstall" the
program via windows Control Panel Programs & Features?

You may be able to remove the entry by running regedit as an
administrator, or logging in as "the administrator".
Failing that, It's possible that reinstalling the program, then
uninstalling it will get things done.

What was the program? Some scatter stuff all over the registry.
MS Office is a prime example.

If the program was shareware or a "trial" version, some effort may have
been made to hide or "lock" registry entries, in order to prevent
evading the expiration restrictions.

 

[Dave \Crash\ Dummy]

I have removed a program but there is an entry in the registry that I
am unable to delete. Any assistance would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Details, please. What exactly is the entry you want to remove?

 

[Stan Brown]

I have removed a program but there is an entry in the registry that I
am unable to delete. Any assistance would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Apparently you've been spending a lot of time at the Massachusetts
Home for the Vague.

Which program?

How did you "remove" it?

Which entry in the registry?

What method did you use to delete it?

What error message did you receive, or what happened, when you tried
that method?

Some here may be psychic, for all I know, but the great majority are
not. If you want help with a problem, you need to describe the
problem clearly.

 

[Wolf K]

I have removed a program but there is an entry in the registry that I
am unable to delete. Any assistance would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Like the other respondents, I'd like to know more detail. If you can't
remove the registry entry, it's "locked". Rebooting may unlock it. OTOH,
it may be locked by another entry, in which case you _may_ be able to
delete it if you start Windows in Safe mode, no networking etc.

In the meantime some comments:
To remove a program completely, use a 3rd party utility such as Revo
Uninstall (free) or Your Uninstaller (free trial version), etc. These
utilities will delete junk that Windows Uninstall leaves behind.

To get rid of out-date registry entries, I have used CCleaner, which is
designed to delete junk files. It includes a registry cleaning tool
which will do a decent job.

HTH

 

[Ken1943]

I have removed a program but there is an entry in the registry that I
am unable to delete. Any assistance would be appreciated.
Thanks.

As the other replies, need more information. There are many programs that
don't remove 'everything'. Norton being one of the worst offenders. There
are also some sections of the registry that are hard or impossible to
delete. Unless the entry you are trying to remove is causing a problem,
just forget about it.


KenW

 

[Stan Brown]

To remove a program completely, use a 3rd party utility such as Revo
Uninstall (free) or Your Uninstaller (free trial version), etc. These
utilities will delete junk that Windows Uninstall leaves behind.

Just as note: As I understand things -- and someone correct me if
I'm wrong -- Windows uninstall doesn't decide what to remote and what
to leave behind. That's decided by the application program's
installer, which writes an uninstall script to be called from Control
Panel when the user requests an uninstall. If registry entries or
files are left behind, as I understand things that's the fault of the
writer of the application, not of Windows.

 

[Char Jackson]

To get rid of out-date registry entries, I have used CCleaner, which is
designed to delete junk files. It includes a registry cleaning tool
which will do a decent job.

Many of us in this newsgroup are of the opinion that *all* registry
cleaners are snake oil and should be avoided.

 

[Dave \Crash\ Dummy]

Like the other respondents, I'd like to know more detail. If you
can't remove the registry entry, it's "locked". Rebooting may unlock
it. OTOH, it may be locked by another entry, in which case you _may_
be able to delete it if you start Windows in Safe mode, no
networking etc.

In the meantime some comments: To remove a program completely, use a
3rd party utility such as Revo Uninstall (free) or Your Uninstaller
(free trial version), etc. These utilities will delete junk that
Windows Uninstall leaves behind.

To get rid of out-date registry entries, I have used CCleaner, which
is designed to delete junk files. It includes a registry cleaning
tool which will do a decent job.

I have used Revo Uninstaller, but it has one glaring fault. It doesn't
do 64 bit programs. I have replaced it with Advanced Uninstaller, also free.
http://www.advanceduninstaller.com/

 

[mechanic]

I have used Revo Uninstaller, but it has one glaring fault.

And the free version isn't so good at removing remnants of deleted
programs.

 

[Wolf K]

Just as note: As I understand things -- and someone correct me if
I'm wrong -- Windows uninstall doesn't decide what to remote and what
to leave behind. That's decided by the application program's
installer, which writes an uninstall script to be called from Control
Panel when the user requests an uninstall. If registry entries or
files are left behind, as I understand things that's the fault of the
writer of the application, not of Windows.

Well, if you want apportion blame, keep in mind that Windows uninstall
applet does just what you say: it removes what the programmer puts in
the list. So I would blame MS as much as the programmers.

Etc. (I snipped the rest of what I wrote. ;-))

 

[Wolf K]

Many of us in this newsgroup are of the opinion that *all* registry
cleaners are snake oil and should be avoided.

I've never ever had a problem with registry cleaners. OTOH, I have had
problems with left-over and out-dated keys. Seems program updaters
sometimes do a really bad job of replacing keys and/or deleting obsolete
ones.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message <KB%[email protected]>, Wolf K

I've never ever had a problem with registry cleaners. OTOH, I have had
problems with left-over and out-dated keys. Seems program updaters
sometimes do a really bad job of replacing keys and/or deleting
obsolete ones.

I'm glad to read the above. It's the first time I've read any personal,
rather than hearsay, report of problems caused by _not_ cleaning the
registry. (Though of course the hordes will say that registry cleaners
are not the way to clean the registry.)

It'd be interesting to read what problems you have had with such debris.

 

[Char Jackson]

I've never ever had a problem with registry cleaners. OTOH, I have had
problems with left-over and out-dated keys. Seems program updaters
sometimes do a really bad job of replacing keys and/or deleting obsolete
ones.

My experience has been exactly the opposite. I've never ever had a
problem relating to 'stuff' being left behind in the registry. OTOH,
I've had to fix many computers where the owner decided to 'clean' his
or her registry. If they're lucky, they only screwed up some file
associations or something equally trivial, but in many cases the
registry corruption goes far deeper and is extremely tedious to
repair, assuming I can repair it at all.

 

[Char Jackson]

Well, if you want apportion blame, keep in mind that Windows uninstall
applet does just what you say: it removes what the programmer puts in
the list.

With that lead-in, it's obvious that the blame, if there is blame,
lies with the programmer who created the uninstall function. I agree
with you, FWIW.

So I would blame MS as much as the programmers.

And then you do a 90-degree left turn and blame the makers of the OS
in equal part. You realize, I hope, that changing direction
mid-paragraph like that is a leading cause of whiplash.

 

[Ken Blake]

On 07/07/2012 12:14 PM, Char Jackson wrote:

I've never ever had a problem with registry cleaners.

Let me point out that neither I nor anyone else who warns against the
use of registry cleaners has ever said that they always cause
problems. If they always caused problems, they would disappear from
the market almost immediately. Many people have used a registry
cleaner and never had a problem with it.

Rather, the problem with a registry cleaner is that it carries with it
the substantial *risk* of having a problem. And since there is no
benefit to using a registry cleaner, running that risk is a very bad
bargain.

 

[Paul]

In message <KB%[email protected]>, Wolf K

I'm glad to read the above. It's the first time I've read any personal,
rather than hearsay, report of problems caused by _not_ cleaning the
registry. (Though of course the hordes will say that registry cleaners
are not the way to clean the registry.)

It'd be interesting to read what problems you have had with such debris.

Actually, there are cases that go like this:

1) Install HP printer driver.

One registry entry is malformed. It's not hurting anything.
If you leave it alone, nothing bad happens.

2) Use registry cleaner.

Cleaner improperly handles registry. Notices that particular
entry. Then, ruins it.

Now, there's noticeable damage.

So there are several possibilities, when it comes to the registry.

Personally, I avoid registry cleaners. What's my main reason ?
It adds an additional variable, to an already complex situation.
First, is my registry damaged ? Second, did the registry cleaner
damage my registry ? And so on. Vetting cleaners, at the same
time something is busted, doesn't sound like extra work I need.

I'd much rather damage the registry, and be able to blame HP or
whoever.

I managed to find a fix a problem once, in the registry, where
sound stopped working. A newly installed sound driver, modified
something it shouldn't have. Using ProcMon, I could see the other
code hitting that entry (reading it), then croaking. And that
provided the info I needed to fix it. By not "throwing a registry
cleaner" into that mess, my hope was to focus just on symptoms
and a direct fix. That particular case involved an HDAudio sound
driver, and a CMedia PCI sound card driver, both installed
on the same computer.

Paul

 

[Wolf K]

In message <KB%[email protected]>, Wolf K

I'm glad to read the above. It's the first time I've read any personal,
rather than hearsay, report of problems caused by _not_ cleaning the
registry. (Though of course the hordes will say that registry cleaners
are not the way to clean the registry.)

It'd be interesting to read what problems you have had with such debris.

There were some Firefox/Thunderbird updates that apparently accumulated
registry errors. I cleaned the registry by using Revo and completely
uninstalling FF/TBV and installing the updated version from a fresh
download. Revo cleans the registry of all the keys associated with the
program you're deleting.

The CCleaner registry cleaner cleans debris, but not AFAICT anything
related to current programs/drivers. I've not had the driver issue
related Paul. Just lucky, I guess. ;-)

HTH

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

+1

With that lead-in, it's obvious that the blame, if there is blame,
lies with the programmer who created the uninstall function. I agree
with you, FWIW.
+1

-1

Blame MS for properly executing a third party program or script?
Bizarre.

And then you do a 90-degree left turn and blame the makers of the OS
in equal part. You realize, I hope, that changing direction
mid-paragraph like that is a leading cause of whiplash.

+1

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message <[email protected]>, Wolf K

download. Revo cleans the registry of all the keys associated with the
program you're deleting.

[]
How (does it know which ones to remove)?
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

I believe the cake has got to be sliced up to help those who are needy and
you've got to keep someone there who's going to make the cake. Here we always
destroy the people who make the cake. - Michael Caine (MM), RT, 7-13 Nov 2009.