WinFindr: Registry Entries Delete Feature

user1

I think WinFindr is a great tool for finding registry entries.

But when I search the registry for leftover entries after uninstalling a program, I unfortunately can't delete them using WinFindr.
Maybe this feature could be added to WinFindr v1.9?

In the meantime: Can anyone recommend a good registry tool that lets you search for and delete entries?

jv16

This feature is included in WinFindr 1.9 which was released today.

user1

Thank you very much.

ddhaff@gmail.com

I used version 1.9 to find some unwanted files. It found them, so I used it to delete them, which it apparently did. The only problem is, when I did the same search again, they were still found.

jv16

Are you running WinFindr as administrator? I.e. run it with Right Click > Run As Administrator? If not, Windows might not allow it to delete files.

But this is indeed rather confusing, the program should show an error message if deletion fails. I have added this to the ToDo list.

ddhaff@gmail.com

Yes, I opened it as administrator.
I tried this again yesterday with the same results, no deletion.

jv16

Can you share what is the registry key that you are trying to delete? Some registry data is protected against removal, perhaps that could be the cause of this.

ddhaff@gmail.com

totalav

jv16

Antivirus related data is often protected against removal.

ddhaff@gmail.com

This thing is pushing me to renew, and I never subscribed in the first place.

jv16

The proper way to remove any kind of antivirus program is to use its own uninstaller or removal tool provided by its developer. That is the only way to fully remove it. For example, in this case, the official instructions how to do so are here: https://help.totalav.com/en/tech/av/setup/-/av-setup-how-to-uninstall-av

ddhaff@gmail.com

I got the same reply from TotalAV, but that method doesn't find it.

ddhaff@gmail.com

WinFindr finds 16 entries, but "Delete ALL" doesn't delete any.

jv16

It sounds like these entries are protected against removal. All WinFindr does is asks Windows to remove them, but if it refuses, there is nothing we can do, I'm afraid.

ddhaff@gmail.com

I was finally able to delete this program. Here's how I was able to do it in case someone else has this or similar problems.
WinFindr found 3 folders and 13 files. One of the folders showed in VERY small print, the path to the .exe file. I was able to just barely read it, but with this information, I was able to go to it File Explorer, and delete it. In fact, I was able to delete the whole folder, plus 2 other folders and some files. There are still files shown in WinFindr, but they seem to be harmless.