I've come across this problem a number of times in the past, and here's what I've done to get rid of the programs:
1: Check the program list to see if there is an entry there. Even if it doesn't work, this is important to check on because we'll want to get rid of that also during this brute force removal process.
2: Go to the installation directory and delete the folder containing the program. If the folder won't delete entirely, delete what you can and reboot into SafeMode to delete the rest of the files in the folder and the folder itself.
3: Go back to the programs list and attempt to uninstall the program from there, again. Typically, you'll be met with an error message that says it looks like the program was already uninstalled and you'll be asked if you want to remove that item from the Installed Programs list. (Of course, click Yes for that dialog box.)
4: Once the program folder and Installed Programs list are done, we want to get rid of any leftovers in the System Registry. This part can be exceptionally tricky and
should only be attempted manually by a computer expert. If you don't know what you're doing in the registry, you can turn your computer into a paperweight, so don't delete anything in there unless you're 100% sure you know what you're deleting and know that it's safe to delete your target. For a generic, automated cleaning of the registry you can use a program like
CCleaner to search the registry for unnecessary bits and let CCleaner remove them. Be sure to run CCleaner 2-3 times because some registry entries that should be cleaned out can be missed.
Typically, that's all there is to it. The program is gone, the install list is clean, and the registry isn't bogged down by useless entries.
