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I'm trying to install a Cisco VPN software (for my work) on my home computer. I'm running Windows 8 Pro 64-bit, and I'm told that this software works fine on Windows 8 Pro. However, during installation, my computer blue-screened. Now when I try to re-install, it says:

You must first uninstall the Cisco VPN software in Control Panel -> Remove Programs

The problem is, the software wasn't ever installed completely so it doesn't show up in my Control Panel list of programs. There also isn't an Add/Remove option from the installer itself.

I went ahead and removed the folder & files that were created out at C:\Program Files\ for the software, but that didn't "fully remove it" apparently.

Has anyone encountered something like this before? I'd really prefer not to reformat my hard drive because I have tons of stuff that I don't feel like re-installing.

How can I fully remove this software so that I can attempt to reinstall?

Solution:

I ended up restoring my computer back to a previous point in time (there was actually a restore point called "Before Cisco VPN Software was installed" so I chose that. After that, I was able to reinstall - and had no problems this time.

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    Most likely you will have to remove its entries from the registry. I dont have the Cisco VPN software, so I cant tell you what to delete.
    – Keltari
    Jan 31, 2013 at 19:25
  • Is there any way to even find out what entries were added?
    – lhan
    Jan 31, 2013 at 19:31
  • you can install it on another machine and look for the differences. This is not an easy task if you dont know what to look for. Have you tried contacting Cisco support?
    – Keltari
    Jan 31, 2013 at 19:36
  • Nope, I haven't. I'll probably try and installing it on another machine. Then if it does work, I'll look for the differences.
    – lhan
    Jan 31, 2013 at 19:38
  • You can use Process Monitor by Sysinternals to capture the file (including registry) IO calls made when you try to run setup. Somewhere in there you'll find what registry key it's checking. You can get it here: technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645
    – Mark Allen
    Feb 1, 2013 at 3:51

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Agreed that it sounds like a hosed registry. Tools such as CCleaner or Revo Uninstaller should be able to clean it up nice for you.

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  • Thank you! I'll give this a try tonight and let you know!
    – lhan
    Jan 31, 2013 at 19:50
  • @lhan16 Did you give it a try? How did it go?
    – Kruug
    Feb 1, 2013 at 4:38
  • Yep, creating a restore point allowed me to reinstall. Thanks!
    – lhan
    Feb 5, 2013 at 0:19

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