Uninstalling DriverScan 2012

The easiest way to uninstall our software is with the Uninstall or Add/Remove applet in the Windows control panel. A few users have reported problems with using this automatic method, so while we investigate this issue we wanted to document alternative methods to ensure your computer can be completely returned to its original state with not even an extra registry key left in place; we know how frustrating it can be when software leaves undesired traces of itself!

Administrator Uninstall

If you received a message on Windows 7 (or Vista) related to permissions, the problem seems to be that the uninstaller isn't being run as Administrator. In that case, do the following:

1. Go to the "Start Menu", click "All Programs", click "Accessories", right click "Command Prompt", and now select "Run as Administrator" from the context menu. Approve the UAC prompt when it is displayed.
2. At the command prompt you will now run the uninstaller manually by typing in the following:
   On Windows 7 x64 you would type:
   "c:\Program Files (x86)\DriverGuide\DriverScan\driverscan_setup.exe" -uninstall
   YOU MUST TYPE IT EXACTLY! WITH QUOTES AS THEY ARE!
   
   On Windows 7 32-bit you would type:
   "c:\Program Files\DriverGuide\DriverScan\driverscan_setup.exe" -uninstall
   YOU MUST TYPE IT EXACTLY! WITH QUOTES AS THEY ARE!
   
3. Confirm the prompt asking you to uninstall, and it will do the rest.

That will remove everything we installed, including registry keys.

Manual Uninstall

If the Administrator Uninstall didn't work for you, or you just like to do things by hand, here's how to undo the installation:

On Windows 7/Vista/etc.:

1. Delete the directory C:\Program Files\DriverGuide or C:\Program Files (x86)\DriverGuide (if you're running an x64 OS).
2. Hit the Windows key and start typing "Task Scheduler", select it to run. Delete the one or two entries that refer to DriverScan.
3. Delete the directory C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\DriverGuide
4. Run regedit.exe. On a 32-bit version of Windows navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall hive. On an x64 system navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall hive instead. Select the "{53c1ae69-3810-49a0-80a7-43735a4a8093}" key and delete it.

On Windows XP/2000/etc.:

1. Delete the directory C:\Program Files\DriverGuide
2. Go into Control Panel, select "Performance and Maintenance", then "Scheduled Tasks". Delete the one or two entries which refer to DriverScan.
3. Delete the directory C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\DriverGuide
4. Run regedit.exe, navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall hive. Select the "{53c1ae69-3810-49a0-80a7-43735a4a8093}" key and delete it.

If you have any trouble let us know. If you're not comfortable deleting system folders or editing the registry then I'd recommend against doing the above steps. There are some freeware programs that help you remove items from the installed program list.

If you have any further concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us!