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I made a new administrator account on Windows 8.1. I took all the files and icons on my desktop, and put them onto a usb stick. Then I deleted the old administrator account so that now I just have one account, with my own name. After deleting the old account I took all the icons, folders, and files off the usb stick; I put them on my new desktop. After doing so I decided to delete a couple of programs I didn't want anymore. When I looked at the Add/Delete programs list I found that I for some programs it appears I have 2 installations. The programs are: ACER POWER MANAGEMENT, ACERCLOUD DOCS, CLEAR.FL MEDIA, and MICROSOFT VISUAL C++ 2005--2008--2010--2012.

Is it safe for me to delete one of each program? If so, does it matter which entry I choose? I would also like to know why this happened? Do I actually have 2 of each program installed, or just 2 entries for the same program?

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    Re-write your post, using real words and sentences so I can at least digest what you're trying to say.
    – Wutnaut
    Sep 9, 2014 at 20:39
  • I would not advise uninstalling one, because both entries are likely for the same program installation; deleting either will likely remove the program, and leave you with an entry for a program that doesn't exist. Do they show the same installation dates?
    – Robin Hood
    Sep 9, 2014 at 20:46
  • Since I have now way of duplicating the issue I cannot provide an answer to this, however I found some relevant, but OUTDATED (for XP and 7) postings that may be helpful. ( support.microsoft.com/kb/310750 )( stackoverflow.com/questions/18109387/… ). I would not advise fiddling with the registry unless you're fairly tech savy, and have a system backup.
    – Robin Hood
    Sep 9, 2014 at 21:09
  • Did you try turning it off and on again? That's the first thing you should do before asking a Superuser. And for the future, try to put some thought and energy in your question. If you start typing proper sentences, you will likely discover the answers to many of your own questions. Some writer once said that order in words is order in thought. I like to agree with that.
    – Samir
    Sep 10, 2014 at 21:15
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    Does this answer your question? Windows 10 Programs and Features Shows Duplicate Apps Aug 3, 2021 at 15:14

1 Answer 1

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Do you have any idea what you are doing? Stop randomly pressing keys and clicking buttons. That goes for your bad typing skills as well as your computer abuse. Why did you have to create a new admin account and remove the first admin account to begin with? That's what I would like to know. If you find it hard to explain, start posting screenshots. You do know how to take screenshots, do you? If not, I strongly recommend you learn that first, before you start messing with your computer accounts for no apparent reason. There are great ways you can do this in Windows 8.

What you said above can be described in a few simple steps. I will use this list for reference to help me get my head around this "problem", and to help you and others understand what you did to arrive at the problem you're describing.

  1. admin1 logged on windows 8
  2. admin1 created admin2
  3. admin1 copied personal files from local disk to an external usb flash drive
  4. admin1 logged out
  5. admin2 logged on
  6. admin2 removed admin1
  7. admin2 copied personal files from usb flash drive to the desktop
  8. admin2 uninstalled some windows programs
  9. admin2 discovered double-listing of some windows programs

It would be necessary to have an administrator account to create another. Which in my mind doesn't make sense. Why would you create a new one, when you already have one? It's an open question. If you are experiencing problems with the system installation, there are usually other ways to deal with it. You should post the issues here as they occur (happen), not five days later after you alone attempted several ways to tackle it, and you post about it when you arrive at a point of no return. You might as well re-install the whole system at that point. The damage is already done.

The list of programs with "double vision" might look something like this:

  • acer power management
  • acer power management
  • acerloud docs
  • acerloud docs
  • clear.fl media
  • clear.fl media
  • microsoft visual c++ 2005
  • microsoft visual c++ 2005
  • microsoft visual c++ 2008
  • microsoft visual c++ 2008
  • microsoft visual c++ 2010
  • microsoft visual c++ 2010
  • microsoft visual c++ 2012
  • microsoft visual c++ 2012

That's AcerCloud Docs! Not "acerloudocs". And the other one is Acer Clear.fi Media! Many manufacturers, including Acer, bundle some additional software with the computer. Most of them are trialware, and bloatware. They can be safely removed. But if you are a noob (newbie), please don't remove the "Acer" stuff. Some of the programs they add are needed to perform a factory restore (with ease).

I made a new administrator account on Windows 8.1.

What was wrong with the first one?

Then I deleted the old administrator account so that now I just have one account, with my own name.

Is a name change all you wanted to do???

After doing so I decided to delete a couple of programs I didn't want anymore.

Exactly what programs did you "delete"? You do mean un-install, right?... just so we're clear on what you actually did.

When I looked at the Add/Delete programs list I found that I for some programs it appears I have 2 installations.

At what point did this happen? You said you (assuming) un-installed some programs. Did it appear like this before you removed those programs?

Is it safe for me to delete one of each program? If so, does it matter which entry I choose?

By "safe" you mean?... I'm pretty sure the house won't burn down if you do. Well, what happens if you try to un-install the first entry of Acer Power Management? Sometimes, Windows will tell you that the program has already been removed and prompt you to remove it from the list, and clicking Yes on that removes it, with no need for un-install as it has already been un-installed at some point previously.

I would also like to know why this happened?

Are you sure about that?... Think about it for a bit longer. Try to think through what you did and when this problem occurred (happened). The answer lies within you.

Do I actually have 2 of each program installed, or just 2 entries for the same program?

Well, again, try to use your own brainpower. Think! Do you remember installing the same programs more than once? Programs like Acer Power Management you probably didn't even install, they came pre-installed. (But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be listed at all.)

What does normally happen when you try to install the same program, with the same version number, or greater? Windows replaces the current one! So no, you probably don't have double-up of each program, just double entries (double listing). This happened because you created a new user account. Each program you install in Windows can be installed either for all users, or just for the current user.

Depending on how these programs were installed, they will either appear once, twice, or thrice, or for as many user accounts they were installed for. If you truly removed the old admin account, there might be some old stuff left behind that needs to be cleared before these entries will disappear. You need to do some housecleaning! Try running C Cleaner and see if it helps.

Fix Duplicate Entries In The Add/Delete Programs List?

Well, at this point, you might as well do a factory restore and start fresh! With your personal files safely stored on a USB flash drive, locate Acer Recovery Management and run it. Consult your user's manual for instructions on how to use it.

And remember! Don't ever remove a perfectly working admin account just to change the user name. (Because you failed to provide your real name at install time, or whatever the reason.) And for all your curiosity needs, go play in a sandbox or a virtual environment!

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    Sorry, -1 because it's overly snarky when it doesn't need to be. focus on the facts first, and leave personal judgements of a person's computer skills out of it.
    – Robotnik
    Sep 11, 2014 at 1:28
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    Ouch! That hurts! :) But you are probably right. I should have left those snarky remarks out of it. I'm not looking forward to a re-write though. I wanted to help him, but he didn't give me much to work on, and on top of all, he's not responding in the comments to provide more information. And I can't help but feel that this question would fit better on Microsoft (Answers) Community than on Superuser.com. I hope that you will use better judgment when you post your answer.
    – Samir
    Sep 11, 2014 at 10:13

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