Can’t remove HP printer software

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I am unable to remove the HP printer software using add and remove. It will go so far then stop and nothing happens. I have been trying to remove this for a week now and I’m not getting anywhere. I hope someone will be able to help. Thanks.

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Good afternoon squire, welcome to the Lounge as a new poster.

It’s probably because the S/W is partially removed and the uninstaller may not be able to find the uninstall file. You may have to reinstall the S/W, then I would use an app such as Revo Uninstallerto perform the uninstall. A 3rd party uninstaller tends to leave far less leftover junk behind during the uninstall. An app such as CCleaner may help find the leftover stuff as well.

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Thanks Ted for your reply, unfortunately HP in its wisdom wants to uninstall the software before allowing a new install.

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Thanks Ted for your reply, unfortunately HP in its wisdom wants to uninstall the software before allowing a new install.

squire,
Hello….HP is a real pain when it comes to their printers and software… This is what i have done in a case such as yours
1. Using the HP printer install.. screen search for remove all associated with this program ,or something similar sometimes it’s not always obvious.

2. If you have found this and it didn’t work …. you have to do the removal manually

3. Run the free program “Everything” or another good one is “Agent Ransack” also free. Once downloaded and installed “Search” for all things HP ….But be careful as HP has it’s “hooks” in many other things

4. Do a complete OS backup just to be safe …post back if you don’t know how…

5. Delete the folders that relate to HP (printer)

6. Re-install HP software …Make sure you pay attention to each screen … as they give you choices that are not so obvious.:cheers: Regards Fred

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Thanks Fred, give me the instructions for the back up if you would.

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Thanks Fred, give me the instructions for the back up if you would.

squire,
Hello… OK … First thing i would do is get the free program Macrium Reflect (Free) ..Macrium Free Download and install it . You can also use “Windows Backup” that is already installed on your system… It’s just not as versatile as Macrium Reflect and you would be better served using it over the Windows option .. (my preference ) many reasons

1. Read through the Macrium “Help” (comes with the program ) or click on “?”

2. Image your OS and save the image someplace safe… External or Internal HD or if you have neither save it to a folder of your choice.

3. If you have not done a Image before this might be overwhelming to you, but we will get you through this (small learning curve well worth the time spent) As Ted Has stated do a search on Macrium (this forum) as there is much information … Post back with any questions The Image will allow you to recover in case you delete something that you shouldn’t have …Takes about 10 minutes or so to recover… :cheers: Regards Fred

PS: As we do not know the “level” that you are at … we have to start at the beginning … no disrespect intended.

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Read the various posts on Imaging in the Security and Backup Forum for instructions on Imaging (This is the “Gold Standard” of whole disk backups IMHO)

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There is even a Step By Step Instructions for Macrium Reflect posted quite some time ago. These instructions were written under the old Lounge and the images did not follow in line, but should be easy to figure out.

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Thanks again both of you. I have backed up my drive with Macrium and will now proceed to uninstall the SW. I take no offense nor feel disrespected. I continue to learn and find it gratifying having teachers such as you both. I appreciate the time you are spending with me and the knowledge I am gaining. THANK YOU! I’ll report back with my progress.

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Thanks again both of you. I have backed up my drive with Macrium and will now proceed to uninstall the SW.

squire,
Hello… One more thing…Make sure that you make the “Boot-able Macrium Recovery Disk” (the LINUX Version) and actually try it out (without actually doing the recovery) This is your best “tool” in case of disaster ( other than actually having Ted there with you:lol: ) Regards Fred

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squire,
Hello… One more thing…Make sure that you make the “Boot-able Macrium Recovery Disk” (the LINUX Version) and actually try it out (without actually doing the recovery) This is your best “tool” in case of disaster ( other than actually having Ted there with you:lol: ) Regards Fred

Fred the instructions suggested to use the other, not the Linux. Will Linux version work on WIN XP Pro?

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Fred the instructions suggested to use the other, not the Linux. Will Linux version work on WIN XP Pro?

squire,
Sorry …didn’t know you had XP Pro.. as i don’t yet have XP Pro installed (in process) i can not comment other than to say… try them both and see if any of them work .. You will know when you try and boot them up …If it’s not loading “Macrium” all you will get is a black screen with a blinking cursor.:cheers: Regards Fred

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Thanks Fred………….another situation, I’m getting a lot of errors trying to delete with Agent Ransack:
Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or disc.
At this rate I don’t think enough will be deleted to install the SW. What you think?:mellow:

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Thanks Fred………….another situation, I’m getting a lot of errors trying to delete with Agent Ransack:
Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or disc.
At this rate I don’t think enough will be deleted to install the SW. What you think?:mellow:

squire,

When you run “Agent Ransack” and you “see” a folder (HP) when you “Right Click” on it what does the context menu show? can you “Take ownership”? and then delete? Also if you can see where the folder is …ex: Program Data> HP BLAH-BLAH.exe … you can go to it and try deleting from there. You may have to “Take Ownership” … One other thing has occurred to me..did you try running the HP uninstaller as a “Administrator”? :cheers: Regards Fred

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Good luck squire. I did finally switch from HP and went elsewhere (Canon). HP always was one of the worst, IMHO, in not supporting their products for new OS’es. CCleaner (see my post #2) may be a big help in finding HP stuff after you delete the stuff Everything finds.

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squire, did you check the registry using CCleaner. You might find a lot of HP stuff through this method. Also check in CCleaner, Tools, Startup tab and ensure there is nothing in your startup folder related to HP. If so delete it. It’s possible you can’t delete something because a component is still running in real time. Many apps feel they need to run at startup and it just ain’t so.

Fred, thanks for the endorsement although I am unable to travel to southeast Michigan at present.

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This is the screwiest software I’ve ever delt with. I cleared all that I could find, installed with the CD that came with the printer. It stalled after I plugged in the USB cables. Said Phooey, hit ctrl/alt/delete and sat back. Decided to print a test page and lo and behold it printed it. How I don’t know, but I ain’t touching anything. Thanks a lot Fred and Ted. Learned some new tricks today.;)

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Glad things are working for you. Sometimes there is no explanation for how things work.

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