How to uninstall hidden installs in Windows XP

In windows xp there are some programs such as Internet Explorer, MSN messenger, Windows media player, etc… that we can’t uninstall using control panel, add or remove programs option. These are called as ‘hidden installs’. But there are some other ways to uninstall these programs. This doc is about to describe that options.

1st Method

Go to folder
C:\windows\inf
Look for the file
sysoc.inf
Open that file using notepad. Several lines have “,hide,”
Take out the “hide” leave the “,,”
(Simply use the find option and use keyword “,hide,” and replace with “,,” )
Go to control panel, add or remove programs and see what’s in there…

2nd Method

This is the easy way. That’s why I kept it for last
Go to control panel, add or remove programs. There are some buttons on the left side of the window. Click on the bottom button, add / remove windows components. Clear the check boxes and click next. See what happened to the programs after restart..