[jamworld]

These boards have saved me on a number of occassions. I'm so glad to be a member of this community and a student of these boards. Maybe someone out there can help me with this:

I haven't seen this exact problem with uinstalling EMC7.5 (although I have had a version of almost every other problem listed - from invalid patch packages to 'unable to validate' and even one runtime error that I made happen myself I think and never recurred.) I have spent a couple of days and am currently at this dead end:

I am using the original retail CDs for EMC7.5 and EMC8 and I can't uninstall EMC7.5. (Or reinstall it or Repair it, either)

Here is what I did:

I had EMC8 and EMC7.5 installed side-by-side on my machine (Dell 8300 - winXP) When I

first started experiencing trouble removing them, (both the CDs uninstalls had problems I can't even remember now - everything on this board, usually it couldn't validate the unstallation and did I have access or something like that. And Windows ADD/REMOVE said there was no valid installation package, to make sure I have access and know where the file is. Yes I do to both. Etc.)

But after reading around up here, I successfully removed EMC8 by using WINDOWS CLEANUP UTILITY to take the installer out of the list. I then reinstalled EMC8 and then re-uninstalled it and it went away beautifully. Program's gone.

EMC7.5... not so much.

After a bunch of validation erros and "installation package does not exist" and "The patch is not a valid installation package" (which led to a series of trying every browser I own and every method I could find to download the patch again and make sure it wasn't corrupted, but it wouldn't reinstall) So I used the Windows Cleanup Utility like I did with EMC8 and then tried to reinstall.

Here's where I'm stuck:

It gets right up to the very end of the installation and asks me to "insert disc: -- " but the rest of the box is blank except for the yellow-triangle-exclamtion and 2 buttons: OK and CANCEL. I assumed it wanted the
"content disc." But when I insert that, the computer sees the disc but nothing happens with the installation, after a second it asks "Please insert disc: -- " Blank. Nothing. So I take it out and reinsert the Program disc. Same thing. It asks me to insert "disc: " and Nothing. Back and forth, my only choice is to cancel and it rolls back. (I've tried all the permutations - clicking "OK" before the computer even sees the disc, Letting the computer see the disc but not clicking anything. Whatever I can think of... using a different drive, using 2 drives, anything and everything.

I have a couple of good registry cleaners and I had thrown them each into the mix a couple of times to no good effect (except for removing EMC8).

[At one point, I tried ROXIZAP but it kept asking if I wanted to Brute Force remove EMC 4 or 5. So I kept clicked NO for a day and finally yesterday, I clicked YES, saw all these ROXIO files shoot by, the system crashed and wouldn't restart until I booted up in SAFE MODE and restored everything. Including EMC7.5. (Have I stupidly gotten the wrong ROXIZAP? I followed every link I found here and that was the only version I came across.)]

I have toyed with the idea of just going through the system and deleting all the ROXIO files (even the less obvious ones like hidden in LocalSettings/App Data) but when I get to the registry, an informal search turns up close to 2000 refs to Roxio (including some still remaining refs to EMC8 so maybe my registry cleaner isn't that good.) Still it would be better then having these programs which I can no longer access or remove and which my computer tries looking for every now and then.


Anybody have any ideas?
Jeff

[tbrewst]

Jeff,I think the best thing to do would be to try and get all of it off your machine and restart from there.Roxizap only comes in one version.It was originally for V4 and 5 but it will work with the others.Do just like you've done already.Use the Windows Control Panel Add/Remove and try and uninstall whatever Roxio is there.If,and when that is successful then run Roxizap.Once that is done then run the Windows Install Cleanup Utility.Also try updating the Windows Installer.You can get it here:http://support.micro...com/?id=893803.

[REDWAGON]

I agree with Terry. If I were in the same shape you are in the first thing I would do is use whatever programs at my disposal (i.e Add/Remove Programs, registry cleaners. The registry, Roxizap, etc.) and wipe out every trace of your Roxio programs. Then after that install EMC 8 first and make sure it operates properly. If so, then I would install 7.5 (that's assuming you actually want both programs on the same computer). If you are using the retail versions of 7.5 and 8, I would suggest that after you rid the computer of all Roxio programming, go to their website and download the updates for each and keep them handy for updating each after a new install. Also I suggest that before doing any new installs, make sure all of your hardware has the latest firmware, drivers etc. In other word, when it gets to a certain point I suggest one is way better off doing a new "clean" install.

Question: were either of the programs ever running right ? if so, why would you want to uninstal them ? If they were not, what was the cause of your original problem/s ?

Frank...