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Shootist
Premium Member
join:2003-02-10
Decatur, GA

1 recommendation

Shootist to R2

Premium Member

to R2

Re: [WIN8] Can't uninstall a program

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.

R2
R Not
MVM
join:2000-09-18
Long Beach, CA

1 recommendation

R2

MVM

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.
Shootist
Premium Member
join:2003-02-10
Decatur, GA

1 recommendation

Shootist

Premium Member

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.

Kramer
Mod
join:2000-08-03
Richmond, VA

Kramer to R2

Mod

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.
dave
Premium Member
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio

1 edit

dave to R2

Premium Member

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.
dave

dave to Kramer

Premium Member

to Kramer
said by Kramer:

Just a wild guess. I can't tell much because your error message has cut off the last part of the path.

Oh, that's a decent alternative explanation as well - it never occurred to me. I assumed we were seeing the entire path in the error message, but perhaps nor.

R2
R Not
MVM
join:2000-09-18
Long Beach, CA

1 recommendation

R2 to dave

MVM

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.