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There may be several reasons for removing certain programs from the add/remove programs list in Windows XP/Vista. One reason may be that you have no intention of removing some programs and they are cluttering the list – or you may want to remove that net monitoring program so your kids can’t remove it. In this guide you will learn how to remove these programs.


Please Note: This guide involves working with the Windows Registry. If this is your first time editing the registry, please read this guide to get you started. Learn how to backup and restore your registry here.

Removing Entries from the Add/Remove Programs List

1. Press the windows key and R
2. Type in regedit

02 Remove Entries from the Add/Remove Programs List

3. Now you will see the registry editor.

03 Remove Entries from the Add/Remove Programs List

4. Go to the following entry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

04 Remove Entries from the Add/Remove Programs List

5. In the left pane are the programs (some represented by numbers and letters, and some by their name) and in the right pane you can see the display name.

05 Remove Entries from the Add/Remove Programs List

6. Find the key that corresponds to the program you want to hide. Select the key in the left pane and click File > Export

06 Remove Entries from the Add/Remove Programs List

7. Choose a name for the file and save it. (This will allow you to restore the key when you want to uninstall the program.)

07 Remove Entries from the Add/Remove Programs List

8. Now the key is backed up, you can delete the key by right clicking on it and choosing Delete



 Remove Entries from the Add/Remove Programs List

About Rich

Rich is the owner and creator of Windows Guides; he spends his time breaking things on his PC so he can write how-to guides to fix the problems he creates.

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Comments

  • Myday

    Good advice — I could use this for my kids who are probably better at computer than me

  • Myday

    Good advice — I could use this for my kids who are probably better at computer than me

  • Myday

    Good advice — I could use this for my kids who are probably better at computer than me

  • Myday

    Good advice — I could use this for my kids who are probably better at computer than me


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