Sometimes removing a program and reinstalling it isn't sufficient. The problems may persist; and in some cases, pieces of the old program get left behind, even if the uninstaller tells you that it got everything.
If you believe that remnants of an old program are hampering your attempts to get it to reinstall correctly, try this:
Use Add or Remove Programs to remove the program.
Even if the uninstaller tells you that it got everything, choose Start, Run, type regedit, and press Enter.
Inside the Registry Editor, search for the name of the program by choosing Edit, Find.
Make sure all three boxes -- Keys, Values, and Data -- are checked. You might not be able to find the precise program name, but you may be able to find something similar to it, or possibly the manufacturer's name.
Keep searching (use the F3 key or the Find Next button) until you find a major entry for the program.
Usually you can find a major entry for the program itself, as opposed to minor entries for certain kinds of documents or filename extensions.
If you find an entry that seems to include lots of settings for the program, right-click it and choose Export.
Use the Export Registry File dialog box to put the contents of this key on your desktop.
Give the exported Registry key a filename that you can remember and click Save.
In the Registry Editor, click this key and press Delete.
Doing so removes all the old information about the entry from your computer -- and may help knock loose whatever was preventing the reinstallation from working correctly.
Reinstall the program that's been giving you problems.
You'll probably insert a CD or double-click a downloaded file.
Chances are very good that going through the additional step of scouring the Registry to remove all the old, potentially bad settings makes the program work right.
If the reinstalled version of the program still doesn't work, double-click the Registry key on your desktop to put the Registry back the way you found it.
That doesn't fix the problem. But it does mean any changes you made to the Registry are undone.
Mmmm... Thanks allot for this info Christo! I had some problems in the past with programs gone faulty and 9/10 times resulted in a fresh Windows install!!! :)
Or alternatively, get something like Registry Mechanic or Ashampoo and run 'n registry clean-up - these programs remove all "lonely" reg entries for missing installations. Also, get hold on MyUninstaller to remove "dead" entries from your Add/Remove list ... my 2 cents worth ...
Or CCleaner is a good program as well
Downloadable in the Downloads section! ;)
Had a look at regcleaner! I can't seem to get it to work. It installs but when i click on it to staart the programme it sits as a resource but nothing happens!
Which regcleaner? Have a link?
The one that was provided in the download section.
![Christo [PCD]](/thumb.php?src=%7Be_AVATAR%7Dupload%2Fap_1_newavav4.jpg&aw=100&ah=100)
![RaZeaL [PCD]](/thumb.php?src=%7Be_AVATAR%7Dupload%2Frazeal_ava_1.1142492125.png&aw=100&ah=100)
![Siversmith[PCD]](/thumb.php?src=%7Be_AVATAR%7Dupload%2Fap_7_1216834505_186_ft2896_siver_ava.jpg&aw=100&ah=100)
