Add/Remove Programs Went Nuts

For some reason, my Add/remove programs went bonkers.

It was working fine 2 days ago, and all I did then was use it to remove my video card drivers to install new ones.

Now, if I go into Add/remove programs, 80% of the programs that used to be there, are no longer listed there (such as IE6 and all of the XP Hotfixes) and those that are there, when selected, no longer have a Change/Remove button for uninstallation/repair.

I've tried a couple of the fixes listed in MS's KB, save for the rundll32 thing and the reinstalling Windows on top of itself.

I can't do the rundll32 one because the application it references for some reason isn't one that I have. And my XP CD is somewhere under my pile of laundry that I don't want to search through (college dorm).

I am curious as to what would have caused this (virus free), since i've not done anything major to my system in the past 2 days besides the video driver update (ATi's reference drivers -> Omegadrive's tweaked/hacked ATi drivers).

 

Yup, i've tried almost all of the solutions listed there including re-registering that whole list of dlls and cpls.

The only two I haven't tried was those I listed originally for the reasons I listed.

Interestingly enough, contacted Microsoft, they're stumped. I know this because they've told me to remove my modem (I'm not kidding) as the possible solution.

 

Here is your answer. See this thread where I helped someone else with this:

http://windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=87619#post87619

Read the above but use the below to fix it (XP or2K).

Start-Run

rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%\Inf\ie.inf

Mike

 

Alrighty, did that. It reinstalled something, i'm guessing IE6?

Unfortunately, it didn't fix it

Cool idea though, I was trying to figure out how to reinstall IE6 anyway

I think my problem is different in that... rather than the applet being messed up... the registry key Windows\Current Version\Uninstall seems to have been emptied by something. Not sure what.

I think my version of the problem may be unfixable.

 

Have you tried restoring your system to a point in time before this began happening? It might solve your problem.

Jim

 

Nope, because I can't.

I don't know why. I have System Restore on set to like 800megs and yet there's no system restore point earlier than the morning (the log in system restore point?) I noticed the problem.

I guess I have huge system restore points or something.