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Today I started to install Internet Explorer 9, but then before the auto-install can complete I forced it to quit. Now I am in an install neverland - it won't let me install because it says it is already there, and it won't let me uninstall from the Uninstall Programs menu because it doesn't doesn't show up in the list.

Can anyone give me a backend way of deleting what has been installed so that I can re-run the install process?

(Incidentally, I can launch IE9 but for some reason it doesn't download things correctly)

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  • This is surprisingly hard. Googling is effectively useless since pretty much all the pages just say to use the Programs dialog, and it does not appear in the Uninstall key even when successfully installed. I’ll have to dig deeper to find where it is listed (probably under Installer).
    – Synetech
    Mar 16, 2011 at 18:30

4 Answers 4

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If the uninstaller doesn't appear where Synetech inc. indicated, it is possible force a manual uninstallation of Windows Internet Explorer 9. To do so:

  1. Locate the installer you used to install Internet Explorer 9 or download a new copy from Microsoft. (This procedure might not work if you use a different version than the one installed.)
  2. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt.
  3. Drag and drop the installer in the black box that appears and the path to it will automatically be entered to the console. (You can also cd to the location and enter the executable if you're familiar with the Windows console shell.)
  4. Add a space and the following to the command line: /X:c:\ie9\
  5. Now, type c:\ie9\ie9-win7.msu /uninstall and press Enter.

Windows Installer should now attempt to uninstall Internet Explorer. Once you are done, you can safely delete the c:\ie9 directory.

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If none of the other answers in this thread worked for you, you could try to restore the system to a pre-IE9 restore-point, if it is not too late.

Otherwise, here is a solution of last resort :

Create a system restore point and then run twice this command from a command prompt which was run as administrator:

FORFILES /P %WINDIR%\servicing\Packages /M Microsoft-Windows-InternetExplorer-*9.*.mum /c "cmd /c echo Uninstalling package @fname && start /w pkgmgr /up:@fname /norestart"

Please note that monkeying with a product as fundamental to Windows as IE is always a big risk, which if botched might require the reinstallation of Windows.

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You did click on the View installed updates link on the left of the Programs and Features window right? Windows Internet Explorer 9 would be listed on that page.

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I've found the "Windows Installer Clean Up" utility effective at removing programs that resisted other efforts. Microsoft no longer makes this available, but a search will find sources from which to download the file (MSICUU2.exe).

This is apparently not recommended for removing MS Office 2007 programs, but I didn't see any cautions about using it to remove IE9. Be careful, though, it's capable of easily removing programs you want to keep. YMMV

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