No Uninstall for Baldur's Gate 2: SOA

TheAmazingOopah · #1 (**permalink**) 05-13-2007, 06:13 AM

Since I wanted to install EasyTutu and the NPC Project for Baldur's Gate, I installed Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn + expansion (Throne of Bhaal) once again. I somehow had forgotten something about the install (I think it wasn't a full install), so I tried to uninstall SOA and TOB, and to then reinstall it. Now I don't know excactly what I did then, but now the situation is thusly:
When I go to Start and to Programs ---> Black Isle, I see BGII - Throne of Bhaal listed. When I advance from there I basicly have two options: installing Gamespy Arcade (which I have already done) and uninstalling TOB. When I click on 'Uninstall', the Installation Wizard gets opened, and I get asked if I want to uninstall TOB. I press 'OK', and I get the new message that TOB has been removed, and that I have to press 'OK' (only option) if want to remove all of the selected components. Now this seems all like a standard Uninstallation procedure to me. However, when I click 'OK' to remove the 'selected components', I get a Severe message that says the Setup was unable to launch the Baldur's Gate II - Shadows of Amn uninstallation, and that I should try to remove this using the 'Add/Remove Programs' section of the Control Panel. Also it says that TOB has been uninstalled, though the TOB icon and the Uninstall option still remains in one of the Start Columns.

When I insert the Shadows of Amn CD1, I get the official starting menu with the dual-woman shield, where I have the options to Play and to Configure, though no Uninstall option. When I select Play, it says that since this is my first time around, I have to configure the options, though no Configure menu appears. When I select Configure, nothing happens.

When I insert Shadows of Amn CD 2, CD 3, or CD 4, no menu appears, only the folder with the CD information, like the area numbers and movies. So it almost seems to me like only CD 1 got installed or something.

When I insert the Throne of Baal CD, I get the official starting menu with an installation option. However, if I press 'Install', I once again get to the described Uninstallation procedure, where SOA fails to uninstall. So clicking on Install with the CD Menu, has the same effect as clicking the Uninstall option in the Start Menu.

Now does anyone know what the problem is and how it can be solved? I would like to remove the SOA program with the adviced 'Add/Remove Program' in the Control panel, but I frankly can't find that option. That probably is very incompetent, but I'm sorry, sometimes I can be really ignorant when it comes to computers....

I have Windows XP by the way. Any suggestions?

mr_sir · #2 (**permalink**) 05-13-2007, 08:14 AM

Click Start and then Control Panel. On the left hand side, click "switch to classic view" if you cannot see the option for Add/Remove Programs. You should now be able to find it. Just double click on it, it may take a while to fully load up as it gathers information, then just scroll down til you find Baldur's Gate 2. Now click Change/Remove and it should remove it.

If there is no BG2 in the Add/Remove Programs screen then it appears that it is uninstalled so it could be some registry entry or something that is making your PC think it is still installed. I don't know much about the registry though so I can't help you with that.

TheAmazingOopah · #3 (**permalink**) 05-13-2007, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_sir

Click Start and then Control Panel. On the left hand side, click "switch to classic view" if you cannot see the option for Add/Remove Programs. You should now be able to find it. Just double click on it, it may take a while to fully load up as it gathers information, then just scroll down til you find Baldur's Gate 2. Now click Change/Remove and it should remove it.

If there is no BG2 in the Add/Remove Programs screen then it appears that it is uninstalled so it could be some registry entry or something that is making your PC think it is still installed. I don't know much about the registry though so I can't help you with that.

Since all the options on my computer are Dutch, 'Control Panel' has a totally different name, but after doing a thorough search (well, just trying all the possibilities actually

), I found the Add/Remove Programs list. There in the list was no Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, just Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Baal, and when selecting that one I simply get the already mentioned uninstaliation wizard, with the same outcome (fails to get rid of SOA). By the way, I remembered that I already had found this list, but had forgotten about it since it brought me no result... Silly me

But anyhow, SOA is not on the list, as you considered, so it must be the registry thing. Can anyone help me out with this?

Thanks for the reply, Mr. Sir

fable · #4 (**permalink**) 05-13-2007, 09:55 AM

Assume that all the use of words in English that I write, here, are in Dutch. That will save time.

1) Do a backup of your registry, under another fillename. This is vital.

2) Click the Run button. Type REGEDIT.

3) Under Edit, click Find, and type in Baldur. Then click for "Find Next." (The idiots who decided you needed a separate control for finding the next instance of a phrase should be demoted to janitor.) Do the same throughout your registry. At each instance, delete the key.

4) Repeat with BG.

5) If you have no other Black Isle Studios or Interplay titles on your computer, try searching on those, too, and remove.

6) Reboot.

7) Try reinstalling. If you've messed up anything else, you can always reload the registry file you saved before starting this.

Kipi · #5 (**permalink**) 05-13-2007, 12:31 PM

Also, if you don't want to mess with the registery, you could try to force the installation to run from the cd. Just open the cd using My Computer, the double click the install.exe (or setup.exe). After installing, the registery is updated so that it should be correct.

TheAmazingOopah · #6 (**permalink**) 06-12-2007, 04:36 AM

I had the problem solved with the advice you guys gave me. I didn't understand exactly what Fable meant - not Fable's fault, his explaination was clear, it's just that I am a computer noob... - so I asked my brother, who knows a bit more about computers. After being very busy for some weeks, he got the time to give it a look, and I showed him this thread. I think he did exactly what Fable suggested, and it worked out fine. Both Shadow's of Amn as Throne of Baal are properly installed now, and play like normal.
So thanks for the help everyone