Windows Server 2012: Add/Remove Programs?

Question

In Windows Server (currently using 2012), is there an interface to uninstall 3rd party applications that have been previously installed by an installer (i.e., files as well as registry settings must be removed during uninstall)?

Obviously in desktop versions of Windows there has always been an "Add/Remove Programs" or "Programs and Features" dialog. But my understanding is that since Windows 2008, that interface was removed from Server.

This is odd to me, since you can of course still install 3rd party apps.. surely there must still be a GUI for this somewhere?

Solution 1

I'm not sure how hard you've actually looked, but it's there. Control Panel | Uninstall a Program. It's been the same from 2008 through 2012 R2 (which is where the following screen captures are from.

This is a fresh 2012 R2 VM that I happen to be provisioning at the time that you asked this, so the list above is empty, but when you install third-party applications they will show up here.

Solution 2

On basically any recent version of windows, if there is a GUI, you can do windows+R and run appwiz.cpl. This will get you the GUI uninstall window.

If I recall, you can get to this using server manager too, on the core server installs.

Remember also that what this menu does is simply run the cached copy of the MSI, so generally if you run the MSI again you can use that to uninstall if you want. That's not a GUI way necessarily though.

Comments

[kralyk]

I wonder if you are hitting the WIN key and typing "uninstall" or "programs and features" and not realizing it is in the "settings" menu context and not the "apps" menu context.

[Brian Lacy]

Yes, I believe you're right. I also Googled for nearly an hour and didn't find a single bit of useful info on uninstalling applications out there, including on Stack Overflow, but that's probably because everyone else found it in the Control Panel. I'm quite sure I looked at the control panel multiple times, so I'm not sure how in the world I missed that. Thanks.

[TopHat]

Hit WinKey+X to get the Admin menu and easy access to the Control Panel. Otherwise you have to bring up the Charms bar (left edge of the screen or WinKey+C), select Settings, and then Control Panel.

[MDMarra]

Or just hit the windows key and type control panel

[Peter Hahndorf]

@MDMarra - or just 'control'