Error Message When Removing Program with Add/Remove Programs

ID: Q141697

The information in this article applies to:
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When you view the list of installed programs in the Add/Remove Programs tool, you may see one or more programs listed that have already been uninstalled from your computer.

Or, when you remove a program using the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel, you may receive the following error message:

An error occurred while trying to remove <Program Name>. Uninstallation has been canceled


CAUSE

This behavior can occur if you have manually deleted a program that is listed in the Install/Uninstall list in the Add/Remove Programs tool.


RESOLUTION

To remove a program from the Install/Uninstall list, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

Delete the appropriate key under the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

Method 2

Use the TweakUI PowerToy to remove the program from the list of installed software. To do so, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double- click TweakUI.


  2. Click the Add\Remove tab, click the program that you want to remove, and then click Remove.


  3. Click OK, and then close Control Panel.



MORE INFORMATION

The Microsoft Windows PowerToys are a suite of tools, including TweakUI, that is available for free download from the Microsoft Web site. Microsoft Desktop Systems (DTS) Technical Support does not support the installation or usage of PowerToys or any of their components.

Additional query words: 


Keywords          : kbenv kberrmsg win95 
Version           : WINDOWS:95
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: January 26, 1999