PRB: Unable to Remove Previous MSDN Installation (175692)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) April 97
  • Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) October 97
  • Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) January 98
  • Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) April 98
  • Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) July 98
This article was previously published under Q175692

SYMPTOMS

This article applies only to versions of the MSDN Library between January 97 and July 98. These versions used the InfoViewer technology, while newer versions use HTML Help. When you uninstall versions of Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Library from January 97 through July 98, the following error occurs:
An error occurred while trying to remove Microsoft Developer Network. Uninstallation has been canceled.

CAUSE

This might be caused by a missing or corrupted MSDN Setup.exe. This file can be found in <DevStudio Path>\MSDN\Setup\Setup.exe.

RESOLUTION

To install the new version of MSDN, you must follow these steps:
  1. Reinstall the older version of MSDN. This fixes/replaces Setup.exe.
  2. On the Start Menu, point to Settings and click Control Panel.
  3. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
  4. In the Add/Remove Programs dialog box, select the older version of MSDN.
  5. Click the Add/Remove button.
  6. Click Remove All.
Now that the existing version of MSDN has successfully been removed, you can install a new version of MSDN.

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to reinstall Windows to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk.

If you are unable to reinstall the existing version of the MSDN, you can manually delete a large part of MSDN on the hard drive and in the registry. It is important to reinstall and immediately uninstall, because the MSDN's uninstall will clean out all the files and registry entries for each version. This will prevent other MSDN problems in the future.

How To Remove Most of the MSDN Manually Before Reinstall

  1. On the taskbar, select Start and click Run.
  2. Type Regedit and press return.
  3. The Windows registry editor should appear.
  4. Expand the branches until you reach: 
          [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Infoviewer\5.0]
  5. Delete the version 5.0 subkey under the Infoviewer branch.
  6. From the Registry menu, click Exit to close RegEdit.
  7. Use the Windows Explorer to find "<DevStudio Path>\MSDN".
  8. In the MSDN directory delete the Setup and Bin directories.
  9. Reinstall and uninstall the old version of MSDN to clean out all other registry entries and files.
At this point, you should be able to install a newer version of MSDN successfully.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/2/2003
Keywords:kbide kbInfoViewer kbprb KB175692
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.