[chrissymarie]

Hi I would like too know why when I uninstall a program Windows will leave a service behind with no executable? common sense tells me this is not right. With that said how then do I fix the issue? 

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The reason for this state is probably because of a problem in the msi package that does not remove the service correctly.

What exact service are you speaking of ? The exact name of the service.

For instance:
This is a service below:
Service: Mozilla Maintenance Service (MozillaMaintenance) - Mozilla Foundation - C:\Program Files\Mozilla Maintenance Service\maintenanceservice.exe

The name of this service is (MozillaMaintenance)

[zep516]

The reason for this state is probably because of a problem in the msi package that does not remove the service correctly.

What exact service are you speaking of ? The exact name of the service.

For instance:
This is a service below:
Service: Mozilla Maintenance Service (MozillaMaintenance) - Mozilla Foundation - C:\Program Files\Mozilla Maintenance Service\maintenanceservice.exe

The name of this service is (MozillaMaintenance)

[chrissymarie]

There is no problem on my PC. I was reading about other people having this issue and if I ever run across this issue I would like to know how to fix it. I will research msi.

[zep516]

MSI is an installer package file format used by Windows. Its name comes from the program's original title, Microsoft Installer, which has since changed to Windows Installer. MSI files are used for installation, storage, and removal of programs.

If it becomes necessary to delete a service that has been left behind,

Open a Command Prompt and enter

sc delete <service-name>

This procedure should be carried out by someone with experience, deleting a wrong service can make Windows un-bootable.

[chrissymarie]

Yes in my research I have found what you say is true. But the question still remains is this normal to have to take these steps to uninstall a service? Or is there a problem with the OS or Microsoft Installer?

[zep516]

No. Generally it's not normal and the problem is usually the Microsoft Installer usually on a particular program. That being said if the problem continues to occur on different programs then it's possible it could relate to a operating system issue.

[chrissymarie]

OK Thank You. So this leads me to ask what is the fix? If it is not isolated to one particular service. Microsoft patch/update or something a user can repair with software like?

[zep516]

If windows is having issue uninstalling programs in general it will usually through out an error like this:

MSI Error 1722: 'There is a problem with the Windows Installer Package' during installation/uninstallation

Each error and there are many may have a different approach to fixing, so a Google search of the error can be helpful and possibly could lead to a Microsoft patch available for that particular error.

I'm a malware remover an generally don't get into these issues much, I see them occasionally. Sometimes I'll have the user run System file checker on the windows machine experiencing this problem, especially if windows is not sending out an error.

[chrissymarie]

ZEP516 Thank you for your time. I now have an idea how to deal with this issue if it ever arises

[zep516]

Your welcome.

I am not an expert in this area, I'm posting what I have seen and experienced.

Thanks
Joe