9 replies to this topic

[Insomniac]

We have just formatted this pc, and because the XP disk isn't the standard type (branded with Optima, and is only to be distributed with new Optima pc's) it put a few out of date programs on that I have been uninstalling and putting the latest versions on.

I did flash easily enough, I have uninstalled java and Adobe reader as well (will put those on soon)

The problem I am having is that shockwave player 10.1.0.011 shows up in add remove programs, and yet I cannot get it to uninstall. It says this is because the uninstaller can't be accessed, and is on a cd. If I insert the XP cd (the only CD used during format) it still can't do it.

I can't find an uninstaller for this particular version on the net, and I can't find it's uninstaller. I have put shockwave 11 on, so now there are two versions of shockwave in add-remove folder. However, my c/windows/system32/adobe folder only contains three folders: Director, Shockwave 11 and Update.


Basically I am at a loss as to how to remove it (if it is even fully installed, maybe it is only the entry in add/remove that is still there?), and need to know whether it is safe to leave there, or if there is another way to remove it.

[MikeW]

Have you tried this Windows installer clean up Utility. I have found it useful for some stubborn programs

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

[Insomniac]

Hmm, I may give that a go later. However while reading through the page it says it only removes the old installation files. I think the old shockwave version was installed off the disk, so I'm not sure how well it will work for this particular problem.

[exile360]

Hello Insomniac, you could give the ShockWave uninstaller a try, it's official from adobe: http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/shock...uninstaller.exe

[Insomniac]

I tried the uninstaller, but it only did shockwave 11. Is there any way I can check if shockwave 10 is actually installed, and that add/remove programs isn't just showing for some other reason (glitched?)

[exile360]

Sure thing. 2 things to check, first, open IE and go to the Tools menu and click Manage Addons and look under Addons that have been used by Internet Explorer and if you see more than one entry for Shockwave, also navigat to C:\Windows\System32\Macromed (if it exists) and if 10 has any remnants that's where they'll be. Be aware that both locations also store the info about Flash Player, but reading what's there will tell you the difference (Flash Player is currently version 10 by the way).

[Insomniac]

Ok, in the tools menu, under addons there is "Shockwave active X control" and "Shockwave flash object"
Under 'objects currently loaded' it only has "shockwave flash object"

In the Macromed folder it has two folders, 'Download' and 'Flash'

In my system32/adobe folder it has 'Shockwave 11' 'Director' and 'Update'

So what do you think?

[exile360]

Those are all the same ones I've got, and I've never had Shockwave 10 (I reformatted recently) so it looks like you got it cleared out. Also, another way to check (although, as I said, it looks clean) would be to use a tool like Secunia that checks the files on your system and lets you know if there are any outdated files or components for software. As far as the Add/Remove entry, you could just have Windows delete it (it should offer this option when it fails to find the uninstaller). By the way, a side note, I found info in a support article on Adobe's website stating that the uninstaller does in fact remove version 10 as well as 11, of course who knows if it's accurate, they might just think it does and each system is different.

[Insomniac]

Ok, thanks for your help. I won't bother removing the entry from add/remove programs, just in case I need it in future.

[exile360]

You're welcome. If you ever have such a problem again, you can reinstall the offending program (this will make sure all the files are there, including the uninstaller) and then uninstall it. Sometimes this happens when a program is removed incorrectly or an installation gets corrupted, but generally it's not a big deal. Good luck and safe surfing.