Cannot get rid of WINDOWS MAIL

gang I picked up a refurb that has Windows Pro x64 which was auto-installed through some streamlined installer.
It leaves a WOW6432 mess that I cannot resolve - has [among other things] a lone Windows Mail install, which is plainly visible in Programs, but no uninstaller, no reference in the windows Control Panel . Windows Mail [.exe] executes at startup but has no startup entry that I can access. I cannot change its permissions [with my simpleton's understanding of Permissions]. I cannot change the filename [denied].
I tried to get at it by instaling Windows Live Essentials, only checkmarking "Mail". that went ok. then I uninstalled it. that went ok. did not affect the original install whatsoever. I'm still stuck with it.

makes me wonder what other hidden jewels are on this sys.

how do I nuke this short of slaveing it to another system and deleting all the files and references then cleaning out the registry.
is there any need at this point in Windows 7 life, for the WOW6432 entries at all?

yes it looks like that.

is there no way to find out HOW its loading itself at startup???
I see the linkage in Task Manager, but cannot change permissions, cannot delete anything - its like its under control of some other entity [TrustedInstaller]

but I can sure delete keys...

And just for the record, Windows Mail only came with Windows Vista, no such E-Mail Client was included with Windows 7 but some OEM computers did include the free Windows Live Mail which is part of Windows Essentials.
Windows Essentials - Download Windows Live Essentials

You can try some of the free MS Sysinternals utilities.
Sysinternals Suite

Process Explorer, Autoruns, Process Monitor ...

Here is a snip of a Process Properties I selected in Process Explorer.
It has Autostart Location and Parent info that may help you ?

it is indeed "windows mail", not Live.

i had to deal with it brutally. took ownership of it by the 'shortcut' and deleted all the files. patched my main user account so it does not try to load it.
I noticed that it is buried in the Default user account settings.
this is like trying to remove malware.

i had some trouble with the builtin Administrator account. I noticed when I resolved and was re-setting it 'first run' - it tried to load Windows Mail and threw an error right off.

the comment about Vista makes me wonder if the reseller crew just modified a slipstreamed old vista install they had??? surely not. this line of desktops [DC7900] originally came with Vista.
otherwise, the install was well-done - saved me a bunch of time

Your mention of "originally came with Vista" suggests to me the Win7 install was an Upgrade over Vista.

correcto.
not an upgrade Product Key /

dunno... Lets call it a feature! a very highly valuable bonus from our friends in Redmond

ICit2lol said:

Berton said:

Your mention of "originally came with Vista" suggests to me the Win7 install was an Upgrade over Vista.

Hate to contradict Berton but the OEM's I have bought for my machines (five) all have that reg entry - that is a pic of this machine I am on right now. I had installed an OEM 7 onto an SSD on this machine and upgraded it to 8.1 and it is still there.
What it does I don't know as I have never had the problem of the OP.