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After you upgrade to Windows Vista from an earlier version of Windows, you cannot uninstall a program. This problem occurs whether you use the Programs and Features control panel item or the program installer.

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This problem may occur when the program or the program installer is incompatible with Windows Vista.

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To resolve this problem, use the following methods in the order in which they are presented.

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Method 1: Use the Programs and Features Control Panel item to uninstall the program

If you have not already tried to use the Programs and Features Control Panel item to uninstall the program, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, type appwiz.cpl in the Start Search box, and then click appwiz.cpl in the Programs list. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.
2.	Right-click the program, and then click Uninstall. Note You may click the option Uninstall and Change or Uninstall/Change on the pop-up menu when you right-click other programs.
3.	Follow the instructions to uninstall the program.

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Method 2: Uninstall the program by using the program’s original installer file

If the program does not appear in Programs and Features, you may be able to uninstall it by using the program installer. To do this, use one of the following methods.

Start the installer by using the Start menu

To start the installer by using the Start menu, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, click All Programs, and then locate the program’s folder.
2.	Click the installer program in this folder. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Allow.
3.	Follow the instructions to uninstall the program.

Start the installer from the program’s installation folder

To start the installer from the program’s installation folder, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, and then type the name of the program in the Start Search box.
2.	Right-click the program in the Programs list, and then click Open file location.
3.	Locate the installer, and then double-click it. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Allow.
4.	Follow the instructions to uninstall the program.

Start the installer from the program’s installation media

If the installer is not in the Start menu or in the installation folder, you may find it on the program’s installation media. For example, the media may be a CD or a DVD.

If you receive an error message when you run the installer, or if the installer does not uninstall the program, use one of the following methods.

Use the Program Compatibility Assistant to reinstall the program’s installer

If the installer does not work correctly, the Program Compatibility Assistant may start automatically. To use the Program Compatibility Assistant, follow these steps:

1.	Click Reinstall using recommended settings. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Allow.
2.	Follow the instructions to uninstall the program.

Configure the original installer to use compatibility mode

To configure the original installer to use compatibility mode, follow these steps:

1.	Right-click the program’s installer, and then click Properties.
2.	Click the Compatibility tab.
3.	Click to select the Run this program in compatibility mode check box.
4.	In the list, click Windows XP (Service Pack 2), and then click OK.
5.	Double-click the installer. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Allow.
6.	Follow the instructions to uninstall the program.

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Method 3: Use the program’s .msi package to uninstall the program

To use the program’s .msi package to uninstall the program, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, type %windir% Installer in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER. The Installer folder opens.
2.	On the View menu, click Details.
3.	Right-click the Name column, and then click More.
4.	Click to select the Subject check box, type 340 in the Width of selected column (in pixels) box, and then click OK. Note It may take several minutes for the subjects to appear next to all the .msi files.
5.	Double-click the program’s .msi file.
6.	Follow the instructions to uninstall the program.

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Method 4: Use the program’s .msi package with installer logging enabled

To create a log of the program’s uninstallation process, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, type cmd in the Start Search box, right-click cmd.exe in the Programs list, and then click Run as administrator If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.
2.	At the command prompt, type msiexec /x <packagename> /lv* %userprofile% desktop msi.log, where <packagename> is the path and file name of the .msi file for the program that you are trying to uninstall, and then press ENTER. For more information about the elevated command prompt in Windows Vista, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/00d04415-2b2f-422c-b70e-b18ff918c2811033.mspx (http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/00d04415-2b2f-422c-b70e-b18ff918c2811033.mspx)
3.	Follow the instructions to uninstall the program.
4.	Open the .msi.log file on your desktop. You can use this log file to research problems that occur during the program’s uninstallation process. Note If the uninstallation process encounters an error, make a copy of the log file before you finish or cancel the uninstallation process. You can then review the log file at the point where the error occurred.

For more information about how to enable logging, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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Method 5: Visit the program vendor’s Web site

Visit the program vendor’s Web site. The vendor may provide an uninstaller, an updated .msi package, or manual removal instructions.

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