For some reason my windows stopped keeping track of newly
installed programs! As a result, I am not able to
remove/uninstall many of unneeded programs from my
computer - they do not show up in the Add/Remove programs
window and they do not have an uninstaller file themselves
either.
Does anyone out there know 1) How to make windows start
keeping track of programs when they are being installed?
2) Is there any way I can retrieve uninstallation data for
the programs which already have been installed?

Re: Add/Remove program by Alan

Alan
Wed Jul 09 23:14:33 CDT 2003

Both 1) and 2) may be possible, though 2) may require some luck and
persistence.

All Installed Programs May Not Be Displayed in the Add/Remove Programs
Tool
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q240/3/48.asp

I have fixed several of these recently for others.
The problem will occur in these two situations:

1. The uninstall keyname for an application is greater than 63
characters.
Solution: Rename the keyname.
e.g. this is invalid
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234]

2. The DisplayName for the key is greater than 63 characters.
Solution: Shorten DisplayName
e.g. this is invalid
"DisplayName"="1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234"

If you need a second opinion, export the key to a text file and email
it to me.

*** Note that the invalid entry that can cause this is not necessarily
connected with the ones missing so you must check all entries.

....Alan

Alan Edwards MS MVP W95/98 Systems

In microsoft.public.windowsme.general, "Afshin Arya"
<aafshin@hotmail.com> wrote:

>For some reason my windows stopped keeping track of newly
>installed programs! As a result, I am not able to
>remove/uninstall many of unneeded programs from my
>computer - they do not show up in the Add/Remove programs
>window and they do not have an uninstaller file themselves
>either.
>Does anyone out there know 1) How to make windows start
>keeping track of programs when they are being installed?
>2) Is there any way I can retrieve uninstallation data for
>the programs which already have been installed?


Re: Add/Remove program by Afshin

Afshin
Sat Jul 12 01:13:46 CDT 2003


I fixed the problem the way you said Alan and it worked
both ways, ie, my windows started to add newly installed
programs to the "Add/Remove Software Tool" list, and the
name of the previously missing programs on the list just
showed up after I renamed a very long key and a value in
registry as you had mentioned to me.

Thanks Alan. You're my man!

Afshin


>-----Original Message-----
>Both 1) and 2) may be possible, though 2) may require
some luck and
>persistence.
>
>All Installed Programs May Not Be Displayed in the
Add/Remove Programs
>Tool
>http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q240/3/48
.asp
>
>I have fixed several of these recently for others.
>The problem will occur in these two situations:
>
>1. The uninstall keyname for an application is greater
than 63
>characters.
>Solution: Rename the keyname.
>e.g. this is invalid
>
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersi
on\Uninstall\1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456
789012345678901234]
>
>2. The DisplayName for the key is greater than 63
characters.
>Solution: Shorten DisplayName
>e.g. this is invalid
>"DisplayName"="1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123
456789012345678901234"
>
>If you need a second opinion, export the key to a text
file and email
>it to me.
>
>*** Note that the invalid entry that can cause this is
not necessarily
>connected with the ones missing so you must check all
entries.
>
>.....Alan
>
>Alan Edwards MS MVP W95/98 Systems
>
>In microsoft.public.windowsme.general, "Afshin Arya"
><aafshin@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>For some reason my windows stopped keeping track of
newly
>>installed programs! As a result, I am not able to
>>remove/uninstall many of unneeded programs from my
>>computer - they do not show up in the Add/Remove
programs
>>window and they do not have an uninstaller file
themselves
>>either.
>>Does anyone out there know 1) How to make windows start
>>keeping track of programs when they are being installed?
>>2) Is there any way I can retrieve uninstallation data
for
>>the programs which already have been installed?
>
>.
>