Complete and safe removal of OEM ware

[etree]

I need a little help in the weird and wonderful world of OEM consumer-land:

 

I've got a Dell running XP Home here with various bits of what I prefer to call phone-home-ware that I positively want removed -- completely. In particular, it's got something called "Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5" on it and the software panel won't let me uninstall it because of a msi file that's supposedly missing.

 

When I hit 'uninstall', I get a message

A network error occurred while trying to read the file c:\Installer\PSPA5.msi

and the uninstall fails unceremoniously. As far as I can see, there's neither a c:\Installer folder nor a

c:\installer\PSPA5.msi on the system. And so it simply won't let me uninstall the thing. What next? Try it again Sam, this time in safe mode?

 

 

 

How do I get rid of this stuff?

[rridgely]

try downloading it from somewhere and then installing over the top of it. Then try to uninstall it.

[Andavari]

Dell is good about giving a Resource CD will all the software on it, more than likely the installer is on it somewhere. Reinstall it then attempt an uninstall immediately afterwords and it may be removable.

 

Edit: BTW most .msi installers have a comment in them when right clicking them which plainly states what the installer is e.g.; Jasc.....

[archis]

Thx very much for the advice - will locate the CD, try this and let you know.

[archis]

A short summary of my adventures in OEM Adware Baitware Loss-Leader-Land:

 

a) From Nov 2004 onwards, Dell stopped shipping...

 

 

 

Windows XP Reinstallation CD

 

Dell Resource CD

 

Dell Modem Driver CD

 

Dell Tools CD

 

 

with their desktops and laptops. Instead, you get a spiffy, CD-sized, rectangular, sky-blue postcard on which you can read the following (I'm obviously not making this up):

 

Your new computer does not require an operating system CD or driver CDs.

 

 

Wow. Just wow. Hold it right there. We are witnessing the triumph of marketing over gravity, no less. Grant yourself a moment of reflection and allow this pearl of wisdom to sink in.

 

 

And now, let us continue and find out what this brave new world of Windows PCs without need for OS backups, system tools or drivers actually looks like:

 

Instead, if you ever need to reinstall your software, use one of the following methods:

 

 

 

The System Restore function within XP

 

 

 

Dell PC Restore "returns your computer to its original operating state".

 

 

 

Oh, you were wondering where you are going to get your drivers, system tools and the OS backup you know you will most definitely need rather sooner than later? Hey sure, no problem. We were just kidding with that piece of cardboard. Here's the deal:

 

1) OS backup: Do it yourself (what did you think). Dell now generously provides you with a handy, one-off tool to create your very own personal OS backup CD. Saves Dell about two cents on the CD, costs you around ten cents for it. And better make sure you get it right the first time round cause you only get one chance to make your backup.

 

2) Drivers: search Dell's fantastic website for them. Spend some serious time there. What did you think.

 

 

 

Q. Oh, and that PC Restore thing -- just what is that exactly?

 

It's a system wiper you can, conventiently, invoke any time, at boot time. And by the way, Dell outsourced that neat little job to Symantec -- the company that's been happy to use rootkit-like cloaking mechanisms to hide certain files used by its SystemWorks product from its users, for years.

[archis]

And now back to my effort to clean out Dell's phone-home-ware -- or at least those parts that are not deliberately, rootkit-like, withheld from the user's view.

 

Dell passes all inquiries concerning the OEM products it infects your system with pre-installs on your system to the software manufacturer. In the case of the now-defunct Jasc, that would be Corel Corp. of Ottawa, Canada. I eventually managed to get hold of someone at customer services who instructed me to download and run an all-purpose uninstaller utility for the company's products.

 

Only that it still wouldn't remove the files and registry settings of the Windows Installer (msi) for "Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5" which continued to show up in the add/remove software panel.

 

Corel Support then instructed me to download another "uninstaller-uninstaller" -- Microsoft's Windows Installer Cleanup Utiliy. That seems to have done the trick, and I seem to have gotten rid of all Jasc / Corel Loss-Leaders TrialWare.

 

Fingers crossed.