Remove Orphaned Entries in Add or Remove Programs
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Sometimes, after you uninstall a program, its entry still remains in the Add or Remove Programs dialog box. When you click on Change/Remove in the dialog box, you get an error, telling you that the program no longer exists. This can be a major headache, if you install and test a lot of different programs.
You can remove these orphan entries:
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-From a command line or from the Run line, run regedit. This opens the Registry Editor.
-Select the folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and follow the folder path \SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall.
-Click on the + sign to expand the listing.
-Look for the name of the program with the orphaned entry.
-Delete the entire listing for the software with the orphaned entry, by highlighting it and pressing the Delete key.
-Close the Registry. The orphaned entry will be gone.