Author Topic: Uninstall shortcut request  (Read 3253 times)

rowbearto

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Uninstall shortcut request
« on: October 04, 2017, 01:07:09 PM »
For unknown reasons when I use control panel to uninstall programs, it takes a very long time for it to list all the programs.

It would be helpful if SE would create an uninstall shortcut so that when I upgrade versions and want to uninstall the previous version, it would be faster for me and I wouldn't have to wait so long for the control panel.

jporkkahtc

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Re: Uninstall shortcut request
« Reply #1 on: October 05, 2017, 03:15:21 PM »
From a cmd window

se_22000006_win64.msi /uninstall


or

se_22000006_win64.msi /?
for a list of options

rowbearto

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Re: Uninstall shortcut request
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2017, 01:09:32 PM »
Thanks for this tip. But I don't see the .msi file sticking around in the installation directory after the install is done. I think that to uninstall version X, I need to have the original .msi version around to uninstall X, and can't use the .msi from version X+1?

Is there a command for uninstall that can use the files that are still hanging around in the installation directory? I would think control panel is doing this somehow for when it uninstalls programs?

jporkkahtc

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Re: Uninstall shortcut request
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2017, 02:10:12 PM »
That about exhausts my Windows Installer expertise.
Check your Downloads folder for the old installer :-)

mwb1100

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Re: Uninstall shortcut request
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2017, 07:51:21 PM »
Windows caches MSI files so it can use them for uninstall or repair. However, it doesn't cache them in a way that's easy to use as an end user. Windows obfuscates the MSI file name behind a GUID and/or a (apparently) random hexstring:

  - https://superuser.com/questions/473569/where-does-windows-store-msi-files-for-uninstallation

In the past I have used a free utility from Nirsoft that provided a UI to the registered uninstallers that loaded quickly:

  - http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/uninstall_view.html

I haven't used it in a long while, but a quick check looks like it's still pretty fast as long as you configure it for "Fast with least details".  My understanding is that it doesn't try to do any of it's own registry or file clean up - it just invokes the MSI uninstaller for the application just like control panel (that's a good thing in my opinion).

rowbearto

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Re: Uninstall shortcut request
« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2017, 07:54:04 PM »
Thanks mwb1100! This is real good to know, will try it sometime.

Of course if we had an uninstall shortcut as part of the install, that would be the easiest.