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Sometimes removing a program and reinstalling it isn't sufficient; the program continues to cause problems in the same way it did before you went through this mind-numbing process. In some cases, pieces of the old program get left behind, even if the uninstaller tells you that it got everything. If you believe that remnants of an old program are hampering your attempts to get it to reinstall correctly, try this: Use Add or Remove Programs, as described earlier in this technique, to remove the program. Even if the uninstaller tells you that it got everything, choose Start, Run, type regedit, and press Enter. Inside the Registry Editor, search for the name of the program by choosing Edit, Find.
Make sure all three boxes -- Keys, Values, and Data -- are checked. You might not be able to find the precise program name, but you may be able to find something similar to it, or possibly the manufacturer's name.
Keep searching (use the F3 key or the Find Next button) until you find a major entry for the program.
Usually you can find a major entry for the program itself, as opposed to minor entries for certain kinds of documents or filename extensions.
If you find an entry that seems to include lots of settings for the program, right-click it and choose Export.
The Export Registry File dialog box appears.
Use the Export Registry File dialog box to put the contents of this key on your desktop.
Give the exported Registry key a filename that you can remember and click Save.
In the Registry Editor, click this key and press Delete.
That removes all the old information about the entry from your computer -- and may help knock loose whatever was preventing the reinstallation from working correctly.
Reinstall the program that's been giving you problems.
You'll probably insert a CD or double-click a downloaded file. Chances are very good that going through the additional step of scouring the Registry to remove all the old, potentially bad settings makes the program work right.
If the reinstalled version of the program still doesn't work, double-click the Registry key on your desktop to put the Registry back the way you found it.
That doesn't fix the problem. But it does mean any changes you made to the Registry are undone.
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