14 Jul
Normally when you open Add or Remove Programs shortcut from Control Panel, you will see a list of installed software which you can change or remove. The change option is usually used to repair the software. It actually meant reinstall the program with exactly the same components that were installed first time. As for remove option, it uninstalls the software from your system.
There are times that you need to remove or uninstall a software or driver from your computer but the Change/Remove button in Add or Remove Programs is missing!

Here is a method to make Windows show the Remove, Change (or the Change/Remove button together) buttons in the listing.
This solution requires registry modification. So becareful not to change anything else.
1. Go to Start > Run
2. Type regedit and click OK
3. Navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{Program Name}
Note that as the {program name} may be a CLSID, you may need to search for the product name (e.g. “Intel Audio Studio”, using what you saw in Add/Remove) to locate the correct entry.
4. If you see NoRemove with the data 0×00000001 (1), that means the remove button will be unavailable. If you also see NoModify with the data 0×00000001 (1), that means the change button will be unavailable.

5. Simply double click on the NoRemove or NoModify name and change the value data to 0 (number zero). If Add or Remove Programs is open, close it and reopen again. The Change/Remove button should now appear.

If the above registry hack didn’t work, you should try running this registry fix created by Kelly Theriot to restore change or remove button.
One of the most common software or driver that the Change or Remove button is missing is Intel Audio Studio. I am sure there are more…
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23 Responses for "Change or Remove Button Missing at Control Panel Add or Remove Programs"
good
Thanks Raymond. But I use \’Revo Uninstaller\’ to uninstall any software. It\’s great & does a deep scan of folders & registry before & after running the default uninstaller program. It also lists softwares that generally are not visible in appwiz.cpl. Revo Uninstaller deserves a mention in your blog.
i dont have this prob but Thankx raymond for the the info
thanks ray… pretty slick
btw, for the comments, when you call the comment back to the page, try using
stripslashes(‘comment_here’);
it’ll get rid of the slashes in front of the ’s and “s
Me too am a Revo Uninstaller fan.
wonderful , thanks a lot.
how about the uninstaller that the software provided? does it make things much more easy…
bad call here ray.
you have gone for the long winded geeky solution, instead of straight out recommending the wonderful freeware that is infinitely preferable, such as mentioned the great (freeware) revo uninstaller, others are also available you should have listed.
try to keep the geek within
Don’t know why I’ve never wanted to use an uninstaller tool. Don’t you think it’s geekier to make the Change or Remove button appear directly from registry without using any tools?
Thanks Raymond.
Yes a well written tool can be most useful BUT don’t we have a responsibility to try and understand the basics of our machines also? Nowadays, kids are allowed to use calculators in school at a young age. Fine you say – but what the hell are they going to do when the bloomin calculator packs up ?
geek or no geek, nevermind…i like this info. with this info, no need to use uninstall tool…less tool i used in my pc, i like it
this is nice. thanks ray.
good
thak you
I prefer lesser softwares in my computer too. So this may be a better solution, though I have never faced this problem before.
But I used CCleaner for some purposes like deleting and clearing file, which is good, and also includes built in uninstaller so CCleaner is great.
tried this for IE7 but doesn’t work – the remove button appears but when i clicked it the system says error occurred – no access. darn.
jai perdu mon panneau de configuration
thank you … computer shut down after the roda monroe virus hi it and can’t remove programs but now I can …
It’s very useful to us… Anyway thank…
Thank you. I too want my control panel to work like it is supposed to. Needing another program to do what control panel is supposed to and doesn’t seems to be unnecessarily complicated.
Correction: Does seem to be unnecessarily complicated.
I am missing the key Uninstall… any way to restore it?
how can i remove the software unti virus if “change” writen at the buttons?
Muito obrigado funcionou aqui !
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