Uninstalling problem

[curvybird]

My PC is refusing to uninstall one programme in particular,although does all others no problem. It lets me go through the process,then the 'uninstalling now' box shows,but goes off immediately.
It is Google desktop,and I REALLY want it gone,as every time I log on a message saying something about entry point could not be found,then mentions this programme. I'm at my wits end with it. HEELLLLPPP !!!! please x

[Old_Geezer]

Just wondering is a restore from an earlier date would help you ?

[curvybird]

Well I'm having problems with System restore too,it won't do that either. It goes through the motions then says it couldn't do it. I've tried every which way. My Norton says there's no problem. Thankyou for answering OG x

[tamborine]

create a new folder (daft name) and insert the program; delete the folder.

[Davethedog]

Whats the name of your programme? Look on the internet and see if others have had this problem.

Once you have sorted it get rid of Norton and install AVG. A lot of your problem is the way that Norton runs your machine.

I bet yiu have slow start up and memory problems as well.

[Old_Geezer]

An AV app like Norton's is only going to check if there is a 'virus' present. If there is a corrupt file or something similar, it won't be looking for that.

It could be that the programme is uninstalled, but has left references to itself in the registry

I'm not a great fan of registry cleaner applications, but needs must and all that. You could try one to see it if gets rid of the problem.

Can you see the application's files still on the drive in one of the 'folders' ?

[curvybird]

Thankyou both. I do have the problems you describe Dave,so it's Norton you think ? Is the one you suggested free ?
Will try that Tamborine,thankyou, tho it may be hit and miss,I don't know how to do it !

[curvybird]

It's still there under ' all programs ' OG, but what's nittering me the most is that every time I log on, a message comes up,2 or 3 times,saying ' entry point not found ' then something about google desktop. Thats why I want to get rid of that program. Any idea what the msg means ?

[Old_Geezer]

Ok, I'm having to make informed guesses now as I'm at the limit of what I have picked up over the years, but ...

When you install an application it may load a number of files specifically for its own use into a directory. But it may also load commonly used files in to a common directory for both it and other applications to use. (It saves space not to have multiple identical files on your disk with different applications each using its own version.)

When your application needs to use this common file it will send it a message saying, "do this thing for me and let me know how it went". If the common file knows how to do whatever has been requested, it does it and sends the result back to the application. All is ok.

But if for some reason the common file doesn't know how to do what has been requested of it, it sends back a message saying, "I don't even know where to start on that, go away".

When you get the "no entry point" type message it is basically saying that a file was asked to do something, but it didn't know how to start doing it.

This could be due to corruption of the common file. Or a rogue application you've installed recently may have overwritten a later version of the common file with an older version, one that can't do as many things as the new version can.

I'm just wondering if you would have more success re-installing the Google desktop rather than trying to get rid of it. If it has been corrupted somehow I guess that might be a reason it's failing to uninstall.