Removing bad installs from Add/Remove programs

Question

I've created a custom boot-strapper for my application using Wix and Burn, but in the time it took to learn I managed to install several early variants in such a way that they won't uninstall. I think I created the problem by running Engine.Apply before PlanComplete had been called.

Where is the information that builds the list in Add/Remove programs and what is the best way to manually remove orphaned rows?

Update - I should have said I'm on 64 bit Windows 7 Enterprise, Service Pack 1.

Solution 1

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninst‌​all- this is the location where the add remove programs gets populated. If you remove the entry from the registry it would take out the entry. You can delete the key from here as described below and also physically locate and delete the files/folders.

In Registry Editor, locate the registry keys mentioned above.

Each key listed under Uninstall in the left pane of Registry Editor represents a program that is displayed in the Currently installed programs list of the Add or Remove Programs tool.To determine which program that each key represents, click the key, and then view the following values in the details pane on the right:

DisplayName: The value data for the DisplayName key is the name that is listed in Add or Remove Programs.

-and-

UninstallString: The value data for the UninstallString key is the program that is used to uninstall the program.

After you identify the registry key that represents the program that you removed but which is still displayed in the Currently installed programs list of Add or Remove Programs, right-click the key in the left pane of the Registry Editor window, and then click Delete.

Microsoft Link

Solution 2

Also check HKLM\software\classes\installer\products if your uninstall process is failing even after deleting the keys from Isiah4110's answer. It will resolve this lingering problem:

"SOURCEMGMT: Source is invalid due to missing/inaccessible package"

Solution 3

If you can't find it in either of the folders in the answer, you can do a Ctrl+F (Edit - Find...) and search for the exact display name. I had this issue when making a bootstrapper and I was very frustrated after searching line by line through each mentioned folder, not realizing there was a search function. It ended up being under one of the folders in HKEY_USERS instead of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE for me.

Comments

[ponomy]

While that looks good, it doesn't contain my installs and it doesn't include all the other installs in my Add/Remove programs. Orca for instance, isn't in there, neither is WiX Toolset. I should have said I'm on Windows 7 Enterprise, Service Pack 1.

[Netfangled]

@TomDestry Did you also check under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\Cu‌​rrentVersion\Uninsta‌​ll?

[ponomy]

My Add/Remove programs is now pristine. Thanks to you both.

[Isaiah4110]

Just out of curiosity, why did you install the 32 bit version of all those applications instead of 64 bit? :}

[Kat]

Because some of the keys are unreadable UUIDs, you'll probably have to search for something. Either the name or publisher as it appears in the "add or remove a program" page will work well. Hopefully one of those will be at least somewhat unique.