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      - Miscellaneous
        Uninstall applications in Safe Mode

Section(s): TroubleShooting , Applications , Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous
Published on Feb 19, 2009.
Last Modified on Oct 31, 2008.
Last Modified by Mitch Tulloch.
Rated 4.4 out of 5 based on 14 votes.

How can you uninstall Windows Installer-based applications in Safe Mode if you need to?

When a Windows computer won't boot properly, you may be able to get it to boot in Safe Mode. What if your boot problems are caused by an application you installed and you need to uninstall the app in Safe Mode? Unfortunately Windows Installer usually won't work in Safe Mode, but here's a workaround:

1. Start your computer and press F8 before the splash screen or boot menu to enter Safe Mode.

2. Open a command prompt window.

3. Type the following commands, pressing ENTER after each command:

4. REG ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Minimal\MSIServer" /VE /T REG_SZ /F /D "Service"

5. net start msiserver

6. Double-click on the .msi file for the application and uninstall the application from your system.

About Mitch Tulloch

Mitch Tulloch is a widely recognized expert on Windows administration, networking, and security. He has been repeatedly awarded Most Valuable Professional (MVP) status by Microsoft for his outstanding contributions in supporting users who deploy and use Microsoft platforms, products and solutions. Mitch has published over two hundred articles on different IT websites and magazines, and he has written or contributed to almost two dozen books and is lead author for the Windows 7 Resource Kit from Microsoft Press. For more information, see www.mtit.com .