control panel install/remove

Recently I had a few problems with a TR and although I have got my system up and running..( all programs also ) I seemed to have lost all references to programs installed....ie: Control Panel Install/Remove Programs
Does anyone know if the information used in Win98se for the installed programs is in a file or within the registry ? If the installed programs list is stored in the registry, I may figure out a way of extracting the info from an older registry, but if the info is in a file....? what might the file name be? and believe me, I would be more than grateful for any knowledgable answers! The last time I did any programming was with C and C++ in DOS, a little in windows for workgroups and it's ".ini" files. The registry I realize is a database but I am not very familiar with it. If anyone has ANY answers or suggestions I would greatly appreciate them. Oh yeah, I also got rid of the TR first. My system is actually running better but I have no access to the "uninstall" program features in "control panel" ....Thanks in advanced. RobertKL

 

I'm not sure I'm understanding the problem or not. Are you saying that you don't have add>remove programs in the control panel or are you saying that it's there but when it opens it's empty. If the latter, have a look at this.
All Installed Programs May Not Be Displayed in the Add/Remove Programs Tool

 

control panel missing entries

I may have found what occured and don't think putting all the entries back in the registry is possible except by reinstalling or.... "programming the registry" itself.

This is why........Normally a presetup computer has both of these entries:1-the programs that are allowable to remove and 2-some programs (or functions) that are normally, NOT allowed to be removed.

Then then someone installs a new program...usually they contain (as part of the funtion of the program being installed itself) an "uninstall string" that is written into the registry by the installer under the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\microsoft\current version\uninstaller\ "section
Also With ( Reg_DWORD ) and then (Value).

(Reg_DWORD) indicates an ( "uninstall string ") and (Value) IS the "string" that is used by the registry to send whatever the "string" for uninstalling a program
may be. This information can only be read by an registry type EDITOR or READER that uses the same format as a Registry type file.

Regedit.exe or Regeditw.exe does not seem to be able read any file other than "internally" so they cannot open system.da_ and user.da_ because
most editors are directed to the file extention for the type of files they were written for. Some like "notepad" are capable of opening a file that you tell it to,whether or not it is their file type. You can open a binary hexadecimal or database file with it but you cannot read much.
Most regisrtry editors will not allow you to open any file but the "SYSTEM FILES" in use.
If they could read a diffently named file like...... "regedit user.da_" that would work...... but most registry editors do not have the capability to allow you to add a "parremeter" so you cant use any registry editors out there.

The Control panel opens the add/remove option. The add/remove entry option opens a list of some files that are either preinstalled or where added to the registry one way or the other. Either way the only real answer to correct this is to take one of two ways out.............1)-Reinstall (if you have all the sofware) OR......... 2)-retrieve the information that was previously there from a old "saved" registry which I have kept stored away as a RENAMED file,(therefore "Realy Hidden" from the operating system) they are just marked "arvive" ..BUT These files contain the same entries that I need.The entries that were there before they dissapeared.

If I could find an "version of any registry editor" that would allow me to open the renamed file and retrieve the info listed in the old file..under the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\microsoft\current Version\uninstaller\ "section
...my problem would be easily solved. Would you know of a file "reader" or editor that uses the same format as the information as a registry file? I thought that the registry files both "USER.DAT" AND "SYSTEM.DAT" might be programmed in hexidecimal or maybe in binary ...and I may be right but these files are "databases" also ..and database file readers are programed slightly different. I guess what I trying to say is I need to find a editor or even a reader that uses the same "format" so that I can read the information that is still in the old user.da_ and system_ files.
I hope I didn't lose you............. I'm just an old programmer and think in terms that may different in my "points of view" then others. Anyway Thank You for they URL it was helpful. But not he answer unfortunetly.

Example:
"FASTGAME" program is installed by user at home

"FASTGAME" 's installer writes to....
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\microsoft\current_version\uninstaller\ "section
Entry is added.

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\microsoft\current_version\uninstaller\fastgame

DWORD entry is FASTGAME

VALUE is a string value like:
c:\programfiles\FASTGAME\-unwise fastgame.exe

This Value is the command given when you click on REMOVE FASTGAME in the listings under the "Control Panel" 's section of install/remove programs.
This is what I need to retrieve and /or replace.

Well gotta split...... If anyone esle understand what I am saying please respond.. and Thank You in advance..
RobertKL

 

Regedit can be used in real mode to export the Key from the registry file.

regedit /L:c:\windows\system.da /E:c:\Unkey.reg Hkey_local_machine\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\uninstall

For more command line switches:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/131352/EN-US/