Weirdness...Lost Add/Remove prgs...

[TwoRails]

I just went to uninstall something by using Add/Remove programs, and where I once pages and pages of software showing, now lists only a few programs!

That one I've never seen... Any help? Ideas? Suggestions of recovery?

Thanks!

TwoRails

[morriswindgate]

Go the link below and DL/install the trial version of Add/Remove Plus it will list all the programs you have installed. If the list is the same as the control panel then you have a virus or registry corruption. Also run Tweakui to repair the control panel.

http://www.aurelitec.com/software/arplus/

[TwoRails]

Hi morriswindgate,

Have you used A/R Plus? Looks pretty good, but I'm not sure it would find missing stuff, or prior installations??

I think I may have fiqured out what happened.... a week or so ago, my wife turned this box off (it's the client machine for our little ICS network) by just hitting the power button. When I ran DiskDoctor, my 'C' drive did have some problems including lost clusters..... Maybe I found out what got lost

TwoRails

[GaryRouth]

Hi Rails, Hi Morris

What about checking to see if you have a saved Registry you could restore from? If you back it up to removeable media: that might do. Even if not: if you don't turn the machine off very often, you might have a restore date from before that key was damaged. Morris's recommend of using TweakUI to "repair" the control panel is a good one: it probably rebuilds that (I can't remember the exact path for the AddRemove key, but seems like it's somewhere in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version . . . somewhere)

Of course you'll want to scan for viruses too.

. . . Gary

[p.s. Morris - nice looking program, that Add Remove Plus]

[TwoRails]

Hi Gary and morriswindgate,

Gary, I was half way through your post and you already answered the question you sparked... My last backup (so embarrassingly) was 11 of '02.... So I don't really have anything current...

But my sparked question is, where is that info stored?? I mean if it's in a physical location, like AppLog data is, then I could restore some / most of it. If it is Registry only, then it has to be lost due to the date of my last backup....



TwoRails

[GaryRouth]

Hi Rails, Hi Morris

Even though you haven't done a manual backup in a while (yours are more recent than most of mine), the Win98 Registry backs itself up after successful boots. So if you usually leave your pc on all the time, you could boot to DOS and try scanreg/restore & see if the list has anything old enough. If not, I believe you can just cancel.

Morris's recommend of the 1-2 punch of A-R Plus and TweakUI seems like it should work regardless of the state of your backups. I liked TweakUI and used to have it on all my pcs at home (then I got some of those Registry books and heck, had to hack around to justify having bought them). TweakUI is so quick and easy to use, and works.

I'll be around a Win98 machine tomorrow when I get home (I'm at work now), so I'll look up that key. (pretty sure it's somewhere in Current Version. . . )

. . . Gary

[TwoRails]

I do shut down at the end of the day, and I believe, if I remember right, that the Registry backs up for only 7 days.

One thing that might be interesting, I just ran Belarc Advisor trying to figure something out for a different post, and it listed quite a number of installed software. So maybe it's not lost after all !?!

TwoRails

[morriswindgate]

Add/Remove plus is a great little piece of software. The best feature is that it is able to remove programs that have a corrupted uninstall program.

[TwoRails]

Thanks for the vote of conficence in the program, morriswindgate. Just a quickie question: does it have to run all the time, or can you just run it when needed (like installing / uninstalling)?

Thanks,

TwoRails

[GaryRouth]

Hi again

[Don't know about whether A/R+ needs to run all the time, but: ] -I did find the Registry key that the list in Control Panel's Add/Remove uses. It's HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Uninstall

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like a simple key to rebuild manually.

Have you had any clues yet as to why so much disappeared from there? [I don't imagine scanreg/fix would do any good, but it might be something to do]

. . . Gary

[TwoRails]

Good tip, GaryRouth! I checked it out, and, as you suspected, it's empty!

Any clues on how to open and extact data from an old Registry on CD-R or RW?

No, no clues as to how it happened, other than the improper shut down and the ensueing cluster fix..... Everything else is working, though!!!

TwoRails

[GaryRouth]

I'll have to check how it's done after-the-fact. It's fairly easy to export a particular key to a .reg file to have for emergencies = then to restore that key, you simply select that .reg file and then select "Merge".

Morris - would TweakUI be able to rebuild that key for Add/Remove? Or would TweakUI have to be installed prior to the key's disappearance?

Well, we'll keep at it!
. . . Gary

[mike breck]

Hi Guys,

TwoRails, you're not using different User Profiles? If you're using a different Profile, then that would explain why the programs that were previously listed are not now listed.

I also found this interesting link about why some programs don't show up in Add/Remove Programs in Win9x

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;240348

Now it's not quite clear if installing a program with a DisplayName or uninstall key name longer than 63 characters affects just that program or many programs.

I interpret it as affecting many programs.

As mwg has also said, a full Virus Scan is also in order.

HTH

[TwoRails]

Hi Everyone

Besides still having email problems (on MSN's end) I was down for a short while (upgraded my A7V333 / 1800+ to an A7N8X / 2700+ in between fixing cars, stuff 'round the house, etc..)

But, hopefully I back!

No, mike breck, didn't change anything. Same (only) user / profile. Virus Scan is OK. Everything is working: games, video editing, office stuff, etc... Nothing else seems to be wrong, except for the missing info in the Registry key.

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions... but I guess this is one I'll just have to write-off as damage due to improper shutdown...?!

TwoRails

PS: yes, I'm "liking" my new mobo & CPU!
Also, I'm not getting ANY email (like auto notification) from PC Mechanic! Part of my email problem...