Uninstall or Change a Program

How to Uninstall or Change a Program in Vista​


information   Information
This will show you how to use Programs and Features to uninstall programs or to change the program's configuration by adding or removing certain options. This was called Add and Remove Programs in XP.
Note   Note
If the program that you want to uninstall is not listed, then it may not have been written for this version of Windows. To uninstall the program, check the information that came with the program and see if it has a uninstall EXE program for it in it's C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86) folder.



Here's How:
1. Open the Start Menu.​
​
2. Click on the Control Panel button.​
​
3. In Classic view, click on the Programs and Features icon. (See screenshot below)​
Control_Panel.jpg​
​

4. Highlight a listed program to see the available option on the toolbar for it. (See screenshot below)​
NOTE: The options will be either Uninstall, Change, Repair, or a combination of these. A program may not have all the options available for it.​
A) If mouse is set to single click, then hover the pointer over the listed program.​
​
B) If mouse is set to double click, then left click once on the listed program.​
​
​
Program_Features.jpg​
​


5. Click the option you want to do on the toolbar, or right click on the listed program to select the option. (See screenshot above)​
NOTE: See an explanation of each option, if available for the program, in steps 6 to 8 below.​
​
6. To Uninstall a Program​
NOTE: Uninstall will run the selected program's uninstall program to uninstall the selected program. If you check the In the future, do not show me this dialog box option in the confirmation prompt, it will disable the confirmation prompt and will not be seen again until restored. See: How to Restore the Uninstall Confirmation Prompt in Vista Programs and Features​
A) Click on Uninstall or Uninstall/Change.​
​
B) Click on Yes. (See sceenshot below)​
​
​
Uninstall.jpg​
​


7. To Change a Program ​
NOTE: The Change option is used for software that can be installed in modules and/or have different setups, such as a productivity suite where you can install applications independently. Should you decide to add or remove components at a later time, the Change install comes in handy.​
A) Click on Change.​
​
B) Make any changes in the installation setup program.​
​

8. To Repair a Program​
NOTE: Repair is usually used when you want corrupted files and settings replaced with original ones from the selected program's installation program. Sometimes the entire program is just reinstalled with all files overwritten and settings returned to default for the selected program.​
A) Click on Repair.​
​

9. If prompted, click on Continue in the UAC prompt.​
​
10. Close Programs and Features when done.​
NOTE: Some programs will require a restart afterwards.​
​
That's it,
Shawn




Related Tutorials

 

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Hi there. I am unable to uninstall the Epson printer software from my computer which has Windows Vista Home Premium. I was instructed by the Epson technical support team to try and uninstall it in the "SAFE MODE" which I tried to no avail. I wish to uninstall the software in order to download the new drivers that are on the Epson website. Hence can someone please help me? Thanks

AshleyR
 

My Computer

System One

Hi AshleyR,

Welcome to Vista Forums. :party:

Usually when you install the new version of a driver it will automatically replace the old version for you. Is the software you want to uninstall listed in Programs & Features?

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Hi Shawn, thanks for your swift response. I am very familiar with uninstalling software and did exactly as you have explained. This is the full context of my problem. I purchased a new Epson DX4400 All-in-one Printer and followed the step by step guide in installing the software with the CD provided. However, I was unable to print anything. I finally contacted technical support at Epson who carried out a few tests. They wanted me to copy a document which came out fine, in fact the copied document looked better than the original. This confirmed that the machine was in working order, but could not print anything as yet.

Then they said that this model of printer was manufactured before Vista was introduced and wanted me to uninstall the software and download the new drivers from their website. This is when the problem began as I was unable to uninstall the software.

I contacted them once again and then they wanted me to uninistall the software by going into the SAFE MODE of the computer. I tried this method as well but no joy. This is when I contacted yourselves.

However, after all this ding dong battle with the software, I managed to finally uninstall the software [as if a miracle was performed] and now I will go to their website and download the updated drivers for this AIO printer. Hopefully it will work alright [fingers crossed].

I will drop you a line if I am successful. Meantime, thanks for your prompt response. So if anyone buys a Epson DX4400 AIO printer beware!!!

Regards

AshleyR
 

My Computer

System One

AshleyR,

Glad to hear that you got the software uninstalled. Was it in Device Manager that you uninstalled it from?

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
I would like some help in removing all of this junk that came with my computer. If I remove just the icons will that help? I would like to remove any programs as well, I am refering to Easy Internet, Try AOL, MSM, High-Speed Services, Vonage etc. Also please give me your take on Rhapsody and ReelPlayer. Thank You. William
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    H P Pavilion s3120n
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+ 2.20GHz
    Motherboard
    M2Nc51-AR
    Memory
    Ram 2.0 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE Graphis
    Sound Card
    Realtex
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic VX2035WM
    Screen Resolution
    1680X1050 pixels
    Hard Drives
    320GB 7200RPM Serial ATA
    PSU
    AC Bel Model#PC6012
    Cooling
    fan
    Mouse
    PS2
    Keyboard
    PS2
    Internet Speed
    10 down 1 up
    Other Info
    Computer has had the motherboard, power pak and tv tuner replaced. Using HP Deskjet F440 Printer, and IE9.
Hi William,

If you click on any of the listed program icons in Programs and Features to uninstall it, it will uninstall the program from the whole computer, not just the icon. If this is what you meant? :confused:

I'm afraid that I never used Rhapsody or Reelplayer, so I can't offer much of an opinion on them. You might post a question about them in the Software forum to see what others say about it.

Hope this helps,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
I want to Uninstall All The Programs That Came With windows vista Like Internet Explorer, Windows mail .. and some others From where i can find them ???
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Xps M1530
    CPU
    Intel Mobile Core Duo T7250 @ 2,00Ghz
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc 0xR509
    Memory
    DDR 2 Dual Chanel 2 Gb
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS 128 mb
    Hard Drives
    ST9160821AS 149 gb
    Internet Speed
    24/1 mb but actual speed is lower
antonyua said:
I want to Uninstall All The Programs That Came With windows vista Like Internet Explorer, Windows mail .. and some others From where i can find them ???
Click to expand...

Hello Antonyua,

I'm sorry, but these programs cannot be uninstalled from Vista since they are part of Vista. Attempting to do so could render Vista really messed up. :(

You can install and use other 3rd party programs as the default program instead, and just not use the ones included with Vista.

You can also turn off some of the Windows Features as well.

Hope this helps some,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Good Morning from Greece Shawn,
Ok i understood ;)
But I have one Problem I have My firefox As defaul But Whem I opening my emails in Msn live Messenger Its opens with Internet explorer And It is so SLOW :P
Can i fix that?

I have tried Following The Guard about Turning Off Windows Features But It not Display None Of the Widows Feature.
Can it Be possible ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Xps M1530
    CPU
    Intel Mobile Core Duo T7250 @ 2,00Ghz
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc 0xR509
    Memory
    DDR 2 Dual Chanel 2 Gb
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS 128 mb
    Hard Drives
    ST9160821AS 149 gb
    Internet Speed
    24/1 mb but actual speed is lower
Good morning Antonyua,

For the questions related to the slow internet issues, you should post that in the Network & Internet forum for the best results.

You might see if doing a System Restore using a restore point dated before these problems may help.

Hope this helps,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Hello David,

It's pretty much the same way as descibed in this tutorial, except that you boot into Safe Mode first.

Hope this helps,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Not in my case. In safe mod I get a message stating that I need to be in normal mode to install/unistall. How do I activate the Installshield or whatever to allow program install/uninstall?

David
 

My Computer

System One

Double check to make sure that you are logged into a administrator account while in Safe Mode, and that the Windows Installer service is set to manual and not stopped.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
I set the Windows Installer service to 'Manual' and I get an error 1084 when I try to uninstall a program. I tried this registry edit in command prompt:

REG ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Minimal\MSIServer" /VE /T REG_SZ /F /D "Service"
net start msiserver

But I get this:

ERROR: Invalid syntax.
Type "REG ADD /?" for usage

Any recommendations?

BTW, my command prompt default is:

C:\Users\David>

David
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

Be sure to enter the first command below separately, and press enter.
REG ADD HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Minimal\MSIServer /VE /T REG_SZ /F /D "Service"


Then this one, and press enter.
net start msiserver


If it gives you a permission error, the run it in a elevated command prompt instead.

Hope this helps,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
The quotation markes on the HKLM clause was messing me up. This is what worked:

REG ADD HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Minimal\MSIServer /VE /T REG_SZ /F /D "Service"

Thanks for the help.

David
 

My Computer

System One

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