Can't Remove Programs

[BruisedQuasar]

I haven't run accross this goofy Windows problem for a few years. I installed Dragon Speaking Naturally. Everything was fine until I let Dragon download updates. Now, everytime to start up I get this crazy box, that stops all functioning, that says I need to insert the Dragon CD! The only way I can get rid of it is to Windows Task Manager "end" the program.

I went to Add\Remove programs only to find I cannot remove any but a tiny few programs. I know there is a setting somewhere that limits what a user can "see" and do. Anyone know what that utility is
called and where I can find it?
--Bruised

I thought it resided under "Set Program Access and Defauts". But I do not see what I think I need there.

Can anyone help?

[mattbiernat]

http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Util ... aller.html

you can try Revo Uninstaller or http://www.martau.com/index.php
Total Unistaller. The first one is free but it requires that the program you have installed has unsinaller. the second version is paid but it can forcefully uninstal any software even if there is no uninstaller. personally I would just go to programs and deleted the folder myself. then I would go to All users, Default user and "Owner" USer and deleted any folder associated with it. Then you have to also go to Prograams/Common Files/ and delete every folder with that aplication over there as well. Finally you have to delete registry entries yourself. Forcefully uninstalling sofware yourself has the adventage that if you screwed up you know what you did and you can possibly fix it. anyways... good luck.

[pipspeak]

Sounds like the first thing you should do is prevent that utility running on startup. You should be able to disable it through control panel\administrative tools\services, but it might be one of those annoying ones that won't die and keeps restarting itself.

[mattbiernat]

but it might be one of those annoying ones that won't die and keeps restarting itself.

you can delete it from the registry and then it should not run.

[Kyocera]

If you're using XP do a System Restore to a point before you loaded that program.

[BruisedQuasar]

Thank you for the replies but I had Dragon on two XP systems.
After the updates, both PCs began the insert CD nonsense. From one PC, I easily uninstalled Dragon, not problem. But I cannot delete hardly any programs from my Dell XPS XP SP2 system, including Dragon.

I cannot remember the setting that gives owners access to full privileges. I am surprised the XPS 400 did not arrive set that way already. I bought it just after Dell stopped loading them up with crapware.

Unless someone remembers the settings where you set Windows to where user can "see" and "do" normal administrative functions, I guess I will just reinstall Win XP SP2 Media Center. I'd like to get rid of Media Center anyway.

[mattbiernat]

log in as admin? unless you are using Vista, XP lets you delete pretty much whatever you want.

[GomJabbar]

I don't know if Dell uses anything like PC-Doctor 5 for Windows, but your Dell may have had some software installed at some point that messed up Add or Remove Programs such as PC-Doctor 5 for Windows did on some ThinkPads until they fixed their installer program. I don't know of any simple fix for this other than a reinstall of Windows or possibly using System Restore.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=32675

[Nick Y]

Sometimes I locate and go through the install log and use that to locate the out-of-program-folder items.

[BruisedQuasar]

I was wondering if I had developed a software caused malfunction in Add\Remove. I have never seen anything like this with XP.

When I highlight programs, only a couple show up with a remove button on the bottom right end.

I had no problems until Dragon Naturally Speaking sent out an Update package. What I get whenever I boot or return from Hibernate is a Windows installer box saying it is running, then I get a box saying installer cannot install updates, insert the CD. I did have this same thing before caused by a Dell installed program called Sonic. I uninstalled Sonic but now I see Sonic and its parts listed in my Add\Remove file and I cannot uninstall any of that.

What a head ache. I was afraid I would have to reinstall XP. Fortunately, I have another Dell XP system. I can use the recovery CD for it and skip the goofy media center garbage, Sonic, Realplayer, etc.

Oddly enough, I found no Dragon file! I removed what I found from "search" and the only entry I found for Dragon in the registry. I still have to end the Windows-Dragon crap when I boot with "End Program". Its no big deal, just an
irritation to have to end the process every time I boot.

The irritation is I have no patience for a bot or script to control my PC, instead of me, which is why I am upgrading my systems to Linux. There is a time investment mastering Linux but it and the GNU software movement is worth the time invested.

By the way, Microsoft is so upset about flat sales of Vista that January, 2008 it is dropping XP. No support, no licenses for PC makers to install XP in new machines. That's it for me. Soon, no more Windows anything!

[jdhurst]

<snip>
By the way, Microsoft is so upset about flat sales of Vista that January, 2008 it is dropping XP. No support, no licenses for PC makers to install XP in new machines. That's it for me. Soon, no more Windows anything!

With respect, do you have any proof of this? Jan, 2008 is 4 months away, and on no occasion ever has Microsoft announced the premature withdrawl of support with 4 months notice. Microsoft had already said SP3 for XP in 2008 (not by 12/31 this year) and support for XP well beyond that.

With respect to licenses, Microsoft will have to acceed to market demand or risk the demise of much of their business.

Vista as an OS starts and runs. But there remains lots of business software (Notes, Intuit, VPN to name but a few) that are not yet compliant or fully compliant. It will take at least another year for these things to be ironed out.

In CNET today: Windows XP accounts for 81 percent of all computer users, Vista account for 5 percent, Mac and McIntel 6 percent. So Vista will be a long time coming.
... JDH