The built-in Add/Remove Applications feature of Windows 98, NT, 2000, and XP are something of a paradox. It should be one of the more powerful pieces of software in the system since it gives you control of most software that is on your computer. This Windows utility, however, does not let you edit these entries and even in the case of Windows 2000 - at times the utility fails to run altogether. For this reason, I created a program called Install / Uninstall (IU) that allows the user to look at the uninstallable applications, edit the entries, see the non-installable entries, and install an application. This will not solve all of the application removal issues in Windows, but should give you a better idea of what is setup on your computer, hidden or not.
Source Code
IU was written with Delphi 5 and, like all utilities I make available, includes the entire source code for the application. IU requires no other components to run, so you can recompile it on your own with out looking for other parts on the Internet. IU makes heavy use of the Tregistry component in Delphi, and can give a developer a good luuk at what it takes to use this powerful component in conjunction with the Windows registry.
What it does
The purpose of IU is to replace the Add/Remove Programs utility inside of all versions of Windows. This utility uses the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall registry key to keep track of all the applications that are installed on the computer and which of them can be removed and the command that it uses to remove them.
In IU, the user is presented with three levels, the first level is called Uninstallable Items and displays all of the applications on the computer that can be removed. To remove the application, expand this level and then double-click on the the application name. This will start the uninstall process. The second level, called Non Uninstallable, shows the application (?) references in the registry that does not contain information about uninstallation, and thus cannot be uninstalled. The third level is reserved for references that do not apply to these rules.
Inside of IU, the user can use context (right-click) on any item and choose to uninstall the application or edit the application reference.
Installation of new application
To install an application, click on the button labeled "Install Application..." and choose the setup program that you wish to launch. When done with the installation, the user can come back to IU and continue working on applications.
IU has been on the back-burner for me for sometime. It started as a novel idea that I saw in another form inside of TweakUI. I wanted to extend that a bit and IU was born. I hope this application proves useful. If you take the application, extended it or have some insight into the construction, I would love to hear your thoughts questions or otherwise.
To Download and try Install / Uninstall click here.
