Removing Add/Remove Programs Entries?

Hello all, I recently went into my regestry and following some instructions on the internet, tried to remove some useless entries from Add or Remove Programs. Well, I've had a couple of problems, because for some of the entries I did not delete the folder, just the display name. After I realized that the entries were still there, I went back into my registry to find the folders and delete them, but no cigar. None of the folders are named after the program and none of the folders have a display name or something that might indicate that the program strings are there. Any help? Thanks

 

Anyone ever encounter this kind of problem before? Thanks.

 

Is this where you went?

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

The Add/Remove Programs list is built from the keys listed beneath the Uninstall folder.

Locate the key for the program that has been uninstalled, right click the key and click Delete.

Be very careful. Once the key has been deleted it's impossible to use Add/Remove Programs to uninstall if you make an incorrect selection

 

Thanks for the reply, rude. Yes, I went to that part of the registry, but instead of deleting the folder as a whole, I just used "search" , put in the name of the application, and it showed up, so I just ended up deleting the "displayname" string of the folder. I tried to go back to delete the folders, but still, some of the programs I deleted from the registry show up on Add or Remove Programs. Any suggestions? Thanks

 

It's been awhile since my reply. Any ideas? Thanks

 

Do you have a Restore Point from before you did the Registry deletions?

 

No, I don't. So I guess its pretty much screwed then?

 

You could try re-installing the programs and then try removing them the proper way,from either Add/Remove or the uninstaller that usually comes with the programs.I would save editing the registry for those occasions when Add/Remove doesn't work.

If the above doesn't work for you then you could try a Repair Installation:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/tips/doug92.mspx

 

Thanks, rude. However, if I perform a repair installion of Windows XP, will I lose any data on my computer? Will it repair the registry strings, and not anything else? Thanks

 

Sorry about that,check this article out , it explains things much better:
http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/windows/instructions/repairinstall.htm