OS and Software > Microsoft Help > [WIN8] Can't uninstall a program

[WIN8] Can't uninstall a program

Delete it and forget about it? Launch the uninstaller directly from the program's directory?

Or you could dive into the registry and see if you can repair the bad entries that are likely causing the problem, if you're into that sort of thing I mean. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
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Think Outside the Fox.

reply to R2
Yeah just delete the Program entries in the C:\Program Files (x86) folder and do a search in the registry for any entries that point to it. Then if by chance it created a Start Menu entry delete that also.
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Shooter Ready--Stand By BEEP ********

reply to R2
Uninstaller programmer doesn't understand about quoting pathnames that contain spaces.

Still, it's only been that way for 19 years now, maybe he'll figure it out someday.

"maybe he'll figure it out someday..."

Not sure I understand. I guess no surprise to you. Who is quoting pathnames that contain spaces?

Why would Win 7 and Win XP be able to uninstall something that Win 8 cannot - due to pathnames and spaces??? Huh?

reply to Shootist
Shootist, thanks. I guess I know that - and I believe you understand that...

I am just typically frustrated with Win 8 and how things are "different" for reasons that are not always clear to me. I am having a difficult time with change, so every new glitch just irritates me more than the last one.

Dave's comments always seem to just stir the pot. Whatever....

I appreciate the sincere and helpful responses.

I don't care for change either. Especially the way Win 8 has changed the way the User uses a Real computer. So for me I will not be using Win 8. Never used Vista and never missed anything. I now use Win 7 on 2 of my PCs and have it set to look and feel just like Classic XP, NOT Cartoon XP, (I guess you could say it looks and feel like 98SE and Win 2000). It works for me and that is the whole point. Why should I have change the way I work with a computer.
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Shooter Ready--Stand By BEEP ********

reply to R2
Hmm, I can't answer why WIN7 (was it 64 bit WIN7?) was able to uninstall this, but I wonder if it isn't related to the path. The 64 bit version of WIN7 and WIN8 will place most 32 bit programs in the Program Files (x86) folder. What if your software is so {you fill in the adjective} that it expects the program files to be in the Program Files folder when the windows installer placed them in the x86 folder. Check your registry entries and match them up to reality. Just a wild guess. I can't tell much because your error message has cut off the last part of the path. Hopefully you haven't enlarged your screen fonts beyond 100% or the truncated file path will be the least of your problems. Dave was just saying, your application's problem is most likely related to sloppy coding and I see no reason to disbelieve him.

reply to R2
In case, if you have installed it recently, try System Restore...
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Keep it simple, it'll become complex by itself...

Great idea! That should wipe it off the map.

reply to R2
The string:

C:\Program Files\FOO bar

means run C:\Program with arguments Files\FOO and bar. Given the non-existence of C:\Program, this is generally not what is intended.

The string:

"C:\Program Files\FOO" bar

means run C:\Program Files\FOO with argument bar. This is generally what is intended

Large computer software systems do some things that their authors intended, and some things that their authors did not happen to intend one way or another. Authors tend to guarantee that the intentional parts continue to work from one version to the next, but don't guarantee (or even know) that the operation of the uninintentional parts will remain unchanged.

Sensible programmers write by the documentation, since that is what is guaranteed and intentional. Poor programmers discover something that "seems to work", and rely on it. We sneer at that as "programming by coincidence".

I hypothesize that this is one such case. By some accident, the incorrectly-quoated string managed to do the right thing before, and now it doesn't. You can't blame the OS authors for not supporting something now that they didn't support before. It is not possible to guarantee no changes in undocumented behaviour: otherwise you could not change anything ever.

reply to Kramer

reply to dave
I get the concept, I am just a little surprised Win 8 was not able to remove something in the usual and customary fashion (through the Control Panel Add/Remove pathway) that is really not that old and that I presume could be removed by earlier versions of windows.

I guess you are saying that the writers off the removal string are at fault and I should not blame Win 8.

If that is the case, then should I not be able to modify the removal string (eh, that string that points to the file in question) in the registry and fix the problem?? Would it be possible to simply add in the quotes in the string and thereby allowing Windows 8 to function the way I expect it to?

That is an example of what I was looking for. I don't know what is new about Win 8 and I don't know what tricks I should know to make it work the way I want it to. That is why I came here...

Thanks to all.

reply to R2
If the program was not fully installed then there is no way for it to show up in the Add/Remove (Programs & Features) section of Control Panel.

That has nothing to do with how the program was written. It simply was not installed, Fully. No install no Uninstall.
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Shooter Ready--Stand By BEEP ********

No, sorry to confuse. The program WAS installed - and does not work. It DOES appear in the Add/Remove section, but... when you try to uninstall it, that Dialog box appears.

The program is QuickBooks. They are NOT going to update their older versions - not even QB 2012! All Windows 8 users must get QuickBooks 2013! Got to love it.

So, it is installed, but from what I can gather from dave, the Uninstall string - which I believe maybe in the registry, although it could reside elsewhere - has been written incorrectly and the programmer left off the quotation marks.

One would not expect this from Intuit programmers, but...

reply to R2
Oh Ok. So this was an upgrade install of Win 8 over Win 7 where the program did work? I'm confused as if the program isn't able to work on Win 8 it should not even installed.

Got to Love Intuit, NOT.

Install Win 7 or XP into a Virtual Machine and run it from there.

NOTE:
Just another reason not to use Win 8.
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Shooter Ready--Stand By BEEP ********

Not an overlay install - it is a brand new computer. I tried to install QB - because my company runs on that - and it complained a little but let me install it anyway. I was praying it would work. But... it does not work, so I wanted to Uninstall it...

It looks like I have no choice but to go out and buy QB 2013...

I tried to locate the Uninstall String in the registry (HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Current Version/Uninstall...) but could not locate it!!

What version of Quickbooks is this?

I'll bet Microsoft threw a few warnings your way as you started the install.

»www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/···le=en-us

There isn't a lot to go on here but at least one out two people said 2009 Pro works. With every operating system upgrade a certain amount of pain is to be expected. Windows 8 has been the most painless upgrade for me yet. I haven't had to spend a dime to upgrade hardware or software. WIN7-64 was not cheap for me. As OZO said, if you recently installed it, a system restore will get rid of it. Quickbooks installs so much outside of itself, I wouldn't just leave it there. If for some reason you insist on not running system restore, you might want to try installing it all over again. Run the installer as an administrator and turn off UAC. Disable anti-virus software too.

reply to R2
QuickBooks 2012 Pro is working just fine on my Windows 8 work computer.