How to Remove invalid entries in Add/Remove Programs in Window XP
Sometimes when you uninstall a program in win xp, you may encounter that removed program still exists in the Add / Remove Program lis. If this happen, you have to manually uninstall the invalid program entry in the Add/Remove. To remove the invalid program in Add/Remove program just follow the steps below:-
- Start -> Run -> type regedit and enter
- Look for this key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Uninstall
- Look for the invalid entries branch, once you found it
- backup the branch to a file
- delete the branch
Under this HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Uninstall, there are a list of entries started with {GUIDs}, check the DisplayName in the entry if it’s the same as what you want to deleted. If yes, backup that entry and delete that {GUIDs} entry.
That invalid program should be removed by now.
Important Note: This tutorial teach you how to modify the ms windows registry. Modifying the registry can cause serious problems to your computer. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. If problem happen you need to know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. Use this tutorial at your own risk.
Source: Ramesh’s Website
If you think this article helps you to solve your problem and clear your headache, feel free to buy me a drink :)
October 7th, 2006 at 1:41 am
It’s better to use the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility. Google it. WAAAAY better than a reg hack.