How To: Uninstalling Microsoft Office 2010 Beta, when the normal uninstaller says it failed. (Also works for all versions of Office 2007)

This week Microsoft released the final version of Office 2010 for those who have accounts with TechNet or MSDN (LINK: http://www.neowin.net/news/office-2010-now-available-on-msdntechnet?showcomments=true (http://www NULL.neowin NULL.net/news/office-2010-now-available-on-msdntechnet?showcomments=true)), so I figured I should move up from my beta version of 2010 (which has run without issues since I installed it) to the final version.

microsoft

I am one who always believes in doing “Fresh” installs whenever possible, which means that you need to uninstall your current version prior to installing the new edition of the software. However I came across this error when uninstalling the beta version

It seems the error is caused by a missing xml file that should have loaded into the Grove portion of the install but didn’t. When I installed my copy of Office 2010 Beta, I did a custom install and did not select Grove to install, so I will post the 2 possible solutions for this situation (With Grove and Without Grove)

To Check and see if you have Grove installed –> Go to ?:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 14 or ?:\Program Files (X86)\Microsoft Office\Office 14 (the “?” in the address will be the location of where you installed your copy of office. If you installed it with default settings then the “?” will be your “c:\” drive. In addition, you will have (x86) in the address if you installed the 32 bit version of office in a 64 bit Windows Version)

(**Close all Office Files / Folders / Programs prior to attempting any uninstall)

Solution with Grove -

**You will need a copy of your installation source / CD for this solution
1 – Locate the Grove Folder on your Installation Source / CD

2 – Copy the setup.xml from the groove folder of the installation source, and paste it in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OFFICE14\Office Setup Controller\Groove.en-us\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\OFFICE14\Office Setup Controller\Groove.en-us\ (Depending on the version you have installed)

3 – Try and uninstall (AGAIN)

Solution without Grove Installed or without the Office Installation Source

Go to the following Microsoft Support Page (LINK) http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971179/ (http://support NULL.microsoft NULL.com/kb/971179/)

Using the Microsoft Fix It function found about 2/3 of the way down the page, click on Fix It and then select run.

Microsoft Fix It will go in and remove the files

The entire process removed Office 2010 Beta in just a couple of moments.

**The process can be used to remove any version of Office 2007 Suite or Office 2010 Suite

Software: Microsoft Office 2010 Beta is here for everyone

**UPDATED 11/18/2009 – 2PM**

During today’s PDC (Professional Developers Conference) Microsoft made official the public beta for Office 2010. The site that you can now download Office 2010 from is http://www.microsoft.com/office/2010/en/default.aspx (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/office/2010/en/default NULL.aspx) .

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A few months ago, Microsoft released “Technical Preview” for Microsoft Office 2010 to a select group (Disclosure: I have been using the Technical Preview since its release). Now its time for Office 2010 to get one step closer to joining the Microsoft offerings.

So Microsoft has now released the Office Professional Plus 2010 for those with TechNet/MSDN accounts. The download can be found @ http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx (http://technet NULL.microsoft NULL.com/en-us/default NULL.aspx)

Additionally, for everyone else there is now an office beta page on Microsoft.com. If you attempt to download from the office beta page you will get a message that says “The Office 2010 Beta will be available soon. Please come back later and try again”, however it is expected (based on chatter from the tech community) that at some point during the PDC conference in Los Angeles that Microsoft will announce and make the download office 2010 beta office.

In the mean time, the office beta page has demo’s and information on what’s new for Office 2010 including the add on to Microsoft office called Office Web Apps:

“Microsoft Office Web Apps are free online companions to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that give you the freedom to view, create, and edit documents from a supported Internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari).”

You can find the office beta page @ http://officebeta.microsoft.com/en-us/?CTT=97 (http://officebeta NULL.microsoft NULL.com/en-us/?CTT=97)

Software: Microsoft Office 2010 – Beta coming November 2009

Microsoft has sent out notices informing Microsoft Connect (http://connect NULL.microsoft NULL.com/) members (Full Disclosure: I am a member of of MS Connect) that the Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview (which is basically a very early version of the software) will be ending and that as of November the Office 2010 public beta will be available.

So far the Technical Preview has been very smooth and stable. Office 2010 does take a little getting used to as some of the features have moved locations with the use of the Office Ribbon.

Here is the email that Microsoft has sent out.

****************************************************************

Subject: Microsoft Office 2010 Beta Coming Soon – Technical Preview Program to Close
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:24:52 -0700

Hello Alex,
Thank you for continuing to utilize, evaluate and provide feedback on the Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview.
We wanted to notify you the Office 2010 Beta will be available for you to download next month (November 2009).
The Beta release of Office 2010 marks the end of the Technical Preview program you currently belong to. We will release the Beta on public download sites, where you can download and install a newer build of Office 2010 client software. At that time, you will also get your first look at the exciting new features we have added to server products such as SharePoint.
What this means to you as a Technical Preview Program participant is that the Office 2010 Connect site that you have been using will essentially be shut down and you will be directed to the Beta site (location to be announced) for Beta downloads, product information, links to forums, and more. We will provide you with links to the new Beta site on the current Office 2010 Connect site, but product downloads, articles, product information, and newsgroups currently found there will no longer be available on Connect.
In the weeks between now and the release of Beta, you can still access all of the Technical Preview materials on the Office 2010 Connect site.
A reminder, you can access connect at http://connect.microsoft.com/office.
You can also access product news and updates at http://www.microsoft.com/office/2010/.
Thank you for your participation!
The Microsoft Office 2010 Team

Software Alert: In 2 days, (on Aug 20th) Microsoft will end the Release Candidate download of Windows 7

With the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows 7, and the date of the public release getting so close, Microsoft will stop the download of the release candidate from the Microsoft website. If you want to test out Windows 7 for free, you have 2 more days to download the RC.

Those who download and install the RC will have until March 1, 2010 to use Windows 7 for Free. It wont be until March 2010 when the RC will begin its bi-hourly shutdowns that warn you of the end of the license “test” period. The license for Windows 7 RC finally expires on June 1 of 2010.

If your lucky enough to have TechNet or MSDN or were part of the Windows 7 private beta then you will get your copy of Windows 7 as part of those packages. For all others, you will either need to download Windows 7 RC in the next 2 days or wait until the office public release of Windows 7 and pay for your copy.

To download Windows 7 RC from Microsoft you can go http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205.aspx (http://technet NULL.microsoft NULL.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205 NULL.aspx) and choose if you want 32 bit or 64 bit editions of the software.

Software: Microsoft Office 2010 – The preview

I have received an email for the Technical Preview of Microsoft Office 2010. I will be downloading and taking it for a spin starting today, In the next couple of days I’ll put information and let everyone know what they can expect out of Microsoft Office 2010.

Welcome! We are pleased to invite you into the Technical Preview program to be among the first people in the world to experience Microsoft® Office 2010.

The following link will bring you to Microsoft Connect, where you will find downloads available for early, pre-release versions of Microsoft Office 2010 products. You will also find product information and have the chance to participate in newsgroups to engage with our product teams and other program participants. Please note that there is no technical support offered for this program.

To get started, please click on the link below. This is a one-time-use only url associated with this e-mail address, so it cannot be shared with others to join the program. This will bring you to the Connect site where you will need to sign in with your Windows Live ID account. If you do not have a Windows Live ID, you can create one from the Connect site.

Your ticket to the Technical Preview:

Accept the Invitation

or copy the following URL and paste it into your Web browser’s address bar: http://connect.microsoft.com/office

Thank you for your participation!
The Microsoft Office team

Software: Windows 7 – Is your pc shutting down every 2 hours

Its July 1 – If your running Windows 7 and your machine turns is turning itself off every 2 hours, then you haven’t moved from the Beta version to the Release Candidate of Windows 7. Today is the 1st day of the bi-hourly shutdown of Windows 7 beta’s to remind you that its time to move on. You know have 31 more days to either go back to your normal operating system (XP / Vista or something like that) or to move to the Windows 7 release candidate. Starting Aug 1, you will have limited boot access to your beta install and be treated like if the beta was a pirated copy of Windows.

If you need to download the RC of Windows 7 you can download it from the Microsoft TechNet site ( http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205.aspx (http://technet NULL.microsoft NULL.com/en-us/evalcenter/dd353205 NULL.aspx) ).

The RC of Windows 7 will be good until the end of Feb. 2010 at which point on March 1, 2010 the RC will also start shutting down every 2 hours. Considering that still 8 months away, you will have plenty of time to give Windows 7 a test.

Software: Microsoft Security Essentials (Beta)

Microsoft has just released the Beta version of MS Security Essentials. It is a limited time download and it can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/ (http://www NULL.microsoft NULL.com/security_essentials/) which is the MSE website.

They have a download for XP, Vista/7 (32bit) and Vista/7 (64bit). This is MS offering to provide a basic level of security for Windows users who choose not to pay for AV products or do not know about other offerings. MSE is a free offering and a final product is scheduled to be released around the end of Sep or in Oct 09, which is just about the same time as Windows 7’s release.

    MSE is a intended to assist with protection against viruses and spyware, including Trojans, worms and other malicious software.
     In the short testing I have done it seems to do a good job. Some of the benefits seems to be that it is quiet (you don’t get needless alerts that would annoy advanced users and scare those with limit PC knowledge), and it also has a small footprint (doesn’t seem to use a lot of a computers resources).
     However, with that being said, a user is the 1st line of defense against Viruses and Spyware. Don’t click on links that you are unsure of, don’t download from unknown sources, don’t fall for social engineering scams (Friend from Nigeria with millions, or your local bank just checking your information details via email, or “Check out the cool new video…” emails (There are many more but that’s just an example). No antivirus free or paid can help when a user doesn’t follow common logic.

Software: Microsoft Security Essentials (June23rd)

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) will have its 1st beta offering on June 23rd. The software which was originally named morrow, will have a limited offering on June 23rd to the 1st 75,000 users who sign up in the US, Israel, and Brazil. This is MS 1st true consumer offering of Anti-Virus software (They have a product called forefront for business). The consensus is the final product will be available by the release of Windows 7 (Oct 22). MSE will be a free software offering once released.

Microsoft: Windows Mobile Backup – Beta

Microsoft has new taken its My phone application to the open beta stage which means anyone can try it. With My phone you can

Back up and restore your phone’s information to a password-protected web site

Access and update your contacts and appointments through your web account

Share photos on your phone with family and friends

As someone who has both broken and lost a phone, getting all your data back is a nice thing to have.

You can sign up for the My Phone beta at http://myphone.microsoft.com/mkweb/Start.po?mkt=en_US&ocid=eml_enus_WMTA_T_EM (http://myphone NULL.microsoft NULL.com/mkweb/Start NULL.po?mkt=en_US&ocid=eml_enus_WMTA_T_EM)

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