I have over 6,000,000 points processing BOINC Project Tasks. Whenever I try to update an older BOINC application, I get during the new install an error message that it cannot remove the older version.

I have done sofar as to a.uninstall the older version of Boinc and remove all refferences to BOINC in the regestry (and rebooting). I get the same error message, "cannot remove the older version." Every now and again I get a windows message saying it wasn't use to download this file, and I'm given the only option to delete the file.

A year later i bought a laptop and Iinstall BOINC new without any problems. tried to install the same version that I tried to insall on the machine a year ago, I get the same error.

The laptop is not as powerfull as my desktop. I wish to use the desktop.

WHAT CAN I DO TO GET THIS TO WORK!!!?

---

See this FAQ. Best try the 'reinstall same version' first.

The message you get is due to a corrupt Microsoft installer file. A re-installation of the same BOINC version as you had before will fix this.

---

Sorry, but no; I've tried that.

Do any of the other steps in the FAQ help you out?

---

Hi, I had the same error. It seems I installed some version prior to .58, then upgraded it to .58 and the installer failed to update the 'source' location. Result was the installer for .60 attempted to uninstall .58, but was looking at the Downloaded Programs\{key for prior build}\boinc.msi file.

Attempting to reinstall - would still probably fail as it was .58 that failed to update the location - so even putting .58 back in would fail - would have to go back to the earlier build whose number I forgot...

My solution was to
1) regedt32 my entire registry for 'BOINC' and delete every left-column entry found having BOINC in the right side, including some tricky ones where BOINC was in the path of a key used by other prods (only deleted the right data-row with the BOINC in its path) so make sure not to delete the main key for those - they referenced 'Windows 7' and something else in the same left-column host key.
All GUID left-column keys that referenced any BOINC part were deleted.
(Hey BOINC, why does it install 'locale' entries for all the foreign language paths - should only install for detected language - there were one for each locale BOINC sub-folder in the Program Files\BOINC dir - unnecessary reg keys I'd think??)

2) Backed up my DATA dir which is on a different drive (just in case, did not need it).

3) I then deleted the Program Files(x86)\BOINC folder content (to the recycle bin just in case).

4) And installed build boinc_6.10.60_windows_x86_64 (updated to the 64-bit version) with no problems, making sure to pick the same Data directory. It somehow found all my current stuff and is running again with all projects intact (thought I'd have trouble after deleting path locations in the registry).

If you're worried (and just in case anyway) - might want to make a System Restore checkpoint prior to messing around.

---