Programs disappear from the Config panel Add/Remove window

[XRay78]

From time to time, some (few) external programs (which are not part of Window) disappear from the list of the programs and functionalities in the Add/Remove window in the Configuration panel. They were visible in this window immediately after their installation, but disappeared sometime later. I didn't find any adequate help in the various forums and support sites I visited. KB266668 for instance concerns (if I understand well) a general failure in the Add/Remove window and not a specific missing program in the list. I haven't tried Fix-It.

I am therefore unable to uninstall these pieces of software, as I currently need to move one of these programs from one hard disk to another.

The concerned PC has an i7 4771 CPU, 16 MBytes memory and runs Windows 7 Professional 64 bits, Norton Internet Security and also PC Tune-up (which has been acquired recently by AVG).

I would be interested in understanding the origin of this strange behaviour and finding a way to restore the missing lines in the Add/Remove window.

Thank you for your ideas and help,
XRay78

 

[indianacarnie]

How many times have you used PC Tuneup and for how long? Do you have any restore points to before you used this? AVG owned or not these type of programs cause way more problems than they resolve. Personally I recommend scrapping it, others may have other advice. Try running a system file check, it may help you if you have no restore points before this started.

We have many excellent tutorials here at the forums, here's a link to one that shows you how to do that if you haven't before :

SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker

 

[Megahertz07]

Add/Remove window in the Configuration panel is a register reader.
Register cleaners as CCleaner and PC Tune-up can delete those register settings.
You can try to go to the folder where the program is installed (under Program Files or Program Files (x86)) and look for a Uninstall.exe or alike. They will uninstall the program.

 

[Layback Bear]

Exactly what does (external programs) mean??

Where are these (external programs) installed?
Are these (external programs) portable?
Are these (external programs) installed on external devices?

 

[XRay78]

More investigations...

Thank you, indianacarnie, Megahertz07 and Layback Bear for your answers and reactions.
- To answer the question from Layback Bear, by external programs I mean programs bought from various non Microsoft vendors. Concretely my current problem concerns two softwares, an Embarcadero CBuilder langage and a wages program I'm using in an associative environment.
- To answer the question from indianacarnie, I have been using Tune-Up utilities for years so that I'm unable to restore a correct backup, since I don't know when I lost the occurrence of these programs in the Add/Remove window.

In the meantime, I found a July 2012 thread in the SevenForum concerning apparently my problem :
"Programs Missing From Control Panel Programs List" as well as a Microsoft doc, KB247515
"Program Is Not Listed in Add/Remove Programs After Installation".

Unfortunately, the graphic card of my main PC, the one I'm using for the e-mails is dead and I need to resolve this problem I, the next few days.

I will then continue to investigate the Add/remove program story and I will come back on the subject.
Than you again,

XRay78