Visio2000: How to Completely Remove Visio 2000 from Microsoft Windows (282234)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visio 2000 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Visio 2000 Professional Edition
  • Microsoft Visio 2000 Technical Edition
  • Microsoft Visio 2000 Enterprise Edition
This article was previously published under Q282234
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry


For additional information about how to back up Microsoft Windows 98 registry files, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

183887 Description of the Windows Registry Checker Tool (Scanreg.exe)

For additional information about how to back up Microsoft Windows 95 registry files, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

132332 How to Back Up the Registry

SUMMARY

This article describes how to completely remove Microsoft Visio 2000 from your computer. If the other articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base did not resolve your installation problem, you may want to completely remove Visio 2000 and then reinstall it.

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To completely remove Visio 2000, follow these steps:
  1. If you are running Microsoft Windows NT, or Microsoft Windows 2000, you must log in as the local administrator, or with a profile that has full Administrative rights, to completely remove Visio 2000.

    If you are running Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), continue to step 2.
  2. Quit all programs, including virus-protection programs.
  3. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
  4. In the list of programs, click Microsoft Visio 2000, and then click Change (in Windows 2000), or click Add/Remove (in Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 9x).

    The Visio Installation Manager (VIM) starts. After VIM is initialized, click Next.
  5. Click Uninstall Visio, and then click Next.

    A list of all components to be removed is displayed. Click Next.
  6. In Windows Explorer, delete the following folders and their subfolders.

    NOTE: If you delete the Visio folder, the Program Files\Visio\Solutions folder is also deleted, which may contain personal templates, stencils, and custom solutions. Make sure to remove all personal files from this folder before you delete it.

    C:\Program Files\Visio
    C:\Program Files\Common Files\Visio Shared
    C:\Program Files\Common Files\Lhspf
    C:\Program Files\Common Files\WexTech Shared

  7. On the Start menu , click Run. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
  8. Select each of the following keys (folders) in Registry Editor, and then click Delete on the Edit menu. When you are prompted to delete the key, click Yes.

    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Visio
    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\WexTech Systems
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Visio
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\Visio
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\MSDE

    NOTE: Some of these keys may have been removed when you uninstalled Visio, or may not be part of your particular Visio edition.
  9. Click My Computer at the top of the left pane, and then press F3.

    The Find dialog box appears.
  10. Type vim.exe, and then click Find Next.
  11. If any results are returned, press DELETE. When you are prompted to delete the key, click Yes. Press F3.

    Repeat this step until you receive the message: Finished searching through the registry.
  12. Restart your computer.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:2/24/2004
Keywords:kbhowto KB282234
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.