Removing Programs W/O Install Disks

SCCutler

SCCutler

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Spike Cutler
I am trying to remove a group of programs (Lotus SmartSuite) from a Toshiba laptop on which it was factory installed.

From the Control Panel, I select "Add/Remove Programs," and click on "Remove." After a moment or two of disk action, it asks me for the original install disks and, because I cannot supply it, it won't remove the program!

Suggestions?

I presume I can (1) delete all the files from the directory for Lotus SmartSuite, and (2) edit registry entries to remove the program entry. Problem is, I do not know how to do the latter, and I am concerned about hosing it up!

Thanks in advance for any advice, suggestions, ideas or pure fixes.
 
Sorry you're having trouble Spike. It's a mess when you purchase a computer retail with all the extra cr@p they install you don't want. It was an advantage at Dell; you could just get OS and what you wanted on the business computers. Hope you get it worked out. It's a place where the laptop sellers aren't listening to the consumer.

Best,

Dave
 
Dave Siciliano said:
Sorry you're having trouble Spike. It's a mess when you purchase a computer retail with all the extra cr@p they install you don't want. It was an advantage at Dell; you could just get OS and what you wanted on the business computers. Hope you get it worked out. It's a place where the laptop sellers aren't listening to the consumer.

Best,

Dave
Click to expand...
Well, when we recently bought an HP from Office Depot, they actually offered a service to clean out the crapware -- for $80. Let's see, we'll charge you $80 to take out the stuff you didn't want us to put in in the first place ... Sounds like a Modern American Business Plan to me!

Fortunately, there wasn't that much and I didn't need the install disks to uninstall.
 
Just delete the folders, then run a registry cleanup tool to delete the remaining entries.

Sometimes if an application is installed from a network share or is "pushed" through an automated process, some of the executables required to uninstall or modify an application installation may not get copied over. This is one reason why it may ask for a CD.
 
Ken Ibold said:
Well, when we recently bought an HP from Office Depot, they actually offered a service to clean out the crapware -- for $80. Let's see, we'll charge you $80 to take out the stuff you didn't want us to put in in the first place ... Sounds like a Modern American Business Plan to me!

Fortunately, there wasn't that much and I didn't need the install disks to uninstall.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that Office Depot isn't the one that decides what HP installs on the laptop. It is just a service that Office Depot is offering because they think it sucks just as much.

Why don't they force HP to change? Might be able to--but probably couldn't. Why don't they remove the crap for free? Because they're lucky if they're making $80 worth of margin on it in the first place.
 
Well, good news- I found the Lotus SmartSuite disk, popped it in, and the program group was gone in seconds.

Weird deal.

Thanks, all.
 
next time just put the HD in the microwave on High for 30 seconds. Just enough to cook off the surface junk!
 
Ken Ibold said:
Well, when we recently bought an HP from Office Depot, they actually offered a service to clean out the crapware -- for $80. Let's see, we'll charge you $80 to take out the stuff you didn't want us to put in in the first place ... Sounds like a Modern American Business Plan to me!

Fortunately, there wasn't that much and I didn't need the install disks to uninstall.
Click to expand...

Un bee weaveable! What next? Anti spam; Tevo for anit-commercials; we need an anti junk mail service from the PO! :rofl:

Thank goodness Dad never had to deal with all this; bless his heart.

Best,

Dave
 
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