PrintThis document pertains to HP Notebook PCs with Windows Vista.
Uninstalling programs that you no longer use is a helpful way to free up space on your hard disk. The uninstall a program feature is the easiest way to remove programs. HP recommends using this method to uninstall unwanted programs whenever possible.
Sometimes a program that you want to uninstall is not listed in the Uninstall a Program window. If the program is not listed, use the Turn Windows Features On or Off feature to try to access the program that you want to uninstall.
If all else fails and you still cannot find the program that you want to uninstall, that particular program may not have the Uninstall a Program feature; or, the program may have been previously uninstalled, but not fully removed. Use the registry editor to uninstall the program.
Removing software with the Uninstall a Program feature
To remove programs and software components in Windows Vista from your hard disk drive, follow the steps below.
- Click Start , Control Panel , and then Programs .
- Click Uninstall a program under Programs and Features .The Uninstall or change a program window opens.
- Select the program that you want to remove.
- Click Uninstall at the top of the program list.The Windows Installer displays and indicates that it is preparing to remove the program.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to continue uninstalling the program.
The program that you selected is now uninstalled from your computer.
Accessing a program with the Turn Windows Features On or Off feature
Sometimes a program is not listed in the Uninstall a Program window. Some programs might be hidden.
Try to access the program that you want to uninstall by following the steps below.
- Click Start , Control Panel , Programs , and then click Turn Windows features on or off under Programs and Features .
- Be sure that the checkbox next to any program(s) or feature(s) that you want to uninstall is selected. You should now be able to use the Uninstall a Program feature to uninstall the chosen program.
You have now confirmed that the Windows features for the program that you want to uninstall are not turned off.
Uninstalling a program in the Registry Editor
Only use the Registry Editor to uninstall a program if you cannot find the program that you want to uninstall listed when attempting to use the Uninstall a Program feature.
To use the Registry Editor to uninstall a program, follow the steps below.
- Click Start , type regedit into the search field, and then select regedit from the list. Grant permission to continue, if prompted.The Registry Editor window opens.
CAUTION:The following procedure involves editing the Windows registry. Incorrectly editing the registry could cause Windows not to start. Create a backup of the registry before carefully following the steps. - After backing up the registry, click the arrow next to the following key names in the left pane of the Registry Editor:
- HKEY LOCAL MACHINE
- SOFTWARE
- MICROSOFT
- WINDOWS
- CURRENT VERSION
- UNINSTALL
- Select the key name in Uninstall that matches the software name that you want to uninstall.
- With the software name selected, double-click UninstallString value icon in the right pane.
- The UninstallString text should be selected in the window that opens. If not, select the entire text in the Value data field.
- Right-click the highlighted text and select Copy .
- Click Cancel and close the Registry Editor window.
- Click Start , click in the search field, right-click, and then select Paste .
- The UninstallString value data that you previously copied is now in the search field.
- Click OK to uninstall the software.
You have now uninstalled the software program using the Windows Registry editor.
