I had installed BOINC on a win2016 server. Not long after the server started to BSOD.
So I uninstalled boinc from add remove programs in Control panel. Everything seemed to be fine. Boinc was removed from the list of installed programs in Control panel.

But when I restarted the server boinc loaded at startup. The folder with files are intact.
How can I remove it? Or at least stop it from starting automaticly on boot.

Do I have to reinstall it and try to uninstall it again? Or could that give me a double installation I can't get rid of?

Use the uninstall option from the installer. However, I think on Windows that still leaves the data folders there. - A feature so that if you have running taks when you re-install they can continue.

I don't get an option to uninstall when I run the installer.
First is agree the License agreement.
Next is folders to install to. Program Directory and data Directory.

So apparently the installer doesn't know its installed. So how can boinc start at boot?
Also when I run Shell:startup and Shell:common startup
The boinc Client isn't there, so I don't understand how it starts at boot.
Can't find anywhere in the Client settings to stop it from auto start at boot either.

Start regedit.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Space Sciences Laboratory, U.C. Berkeley\BOINC Setup
Make note of what's in INSTALLDIR

Then use File Explorer to go to that directory. Is it populated?
If it isn't then this is the directory you uninstalled BOINC from. But it may be that you copied it elsewhere (for safe keeping).

To check what's auto starting:
- See if there's anything about BOINC in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run (should have boincmgr.exe /a /s)
- See if there's anything about BOINC in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run (should have boinctray.exe)
- See if there's anything in C:\Users\Your Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (should not have anything)

Like Dave said, the uninstaller doesn't clean up after itself, it will leave remnants of BOINC on your system. But it will remove the BOINC program files, so BOINC should not be able to start up, unless it's installed twice. I wonder if it's possible to install a 32bit and 64bit version, because these install to different directories.

So also check:
- C:\Program Files\BOINC\
- C:\Program Files (x86)\BOINC\

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Can't find anywhere in the Client settings to stop it from auto start at boot either.

BOINC Manager (the GUI), View, Advanced view, Options, Other options..., Uncheck Run Manager at login?, Uncheck Run the client?, Save.

But that doesn't get rid of the installation.

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- See if there's anything about BOINC in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run (should have boincmgr.exe /a /s)
See if there's anything about BOINC in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run (should have boinctray.exe)

Those two are there

- See if there's anything in C:\Users\Your Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (should not have anything)

This one is empty

- C:\Program Files\BOINC\

Folder is intact with all files including the .exe files Boinc.exe , boinccmd.exe , boincmgr.exe , boincscr.exe , boincsvcctrl.exe and boinctray.exe

So apparently the only thing the uninstall did was to remove boinc from the add/remove programs list.

Atleast thanks to your help I hopefully have stopped it from starting automaticly from the options --> other options.

But will that stop it for all users. I see it starts for every user logging on to the server.

Can you work out whether it was installed 'as a service' or in user mode? You might be able to find an old stdoutdae.txt in the data directory (although you'd have to find that first). If that still has a BOINC startup section (might not if the server is rarely rebooted, but probably has because of the BSODs), it will be followed line a line saying

'Running as a Daemon' (=service mode)
'Running under account Username' (=user mode)

On a server, I'd expect to see Service mode. Go to the service control panel, see if BOINC is listed. If it is stop it, and then set startup mode to disabled.

If it's User mode, Jord's technique will work.

At least thanks to your help I hopefully have stopped it from starting automaticly from the options --> other options.

But will that stop it for all users. I see it starts for every user logging on to the server.

Unfortunately, yes. For that trick to work, each user would have to uncheck 'Run at startup' in their own account's running environment.

[---] Running under account administrator.

So its user mode. It has only been installed once.

Boinc is not listed under services.

Now this is even stranger. Checked on one of the other users. The boinc manager is not in his start menu.
I'm gonna start the boincmgr.exe when his computer isn't in use and uncheck startup in options.

And do the same for the other users. But I'd really like to get this completely removed.

Edit: Have done it now. When I start boincmgr from the other user accounts. I get "error 0: the operation completed successfully" I press ok and the boinc manager starts.

But why do so difficult?

You wanted BOINC uninstalled, didn't you?
In that case:
- Stop boinctray.exe in Task Manager->Processes
- Go to C:\Program Files and delete the BOINC directory.
- Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and delete the boincmgr entry
- Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and delete the boinctray entry
- Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ and delete the Space Sciences Laboratory, U.C. Berkeley entry
- Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ and delete the Space Sciences Laboratory, U.C. Berkeley entry

That's it, no more BOINC on that server. At least, none that's installed.
If there's still a copy around, you'll have to search for it. But the above steps will stop BOINC from running at start up.

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So I'm sure if I remove those entries and the folder that I won't be getting error messages at startup can't find boincmgr.exe or simular?
Since something is very strange with this installation I'm afraid there might be other entries in the registry or something.

But I'll try deleting the things you suggest and if it still tries to start I guess I'll just have to search the registry for boinc.

Thanks for Your help.

Edit: I first tried to rename the boinc folder to boinc_ just in case. But it won't let me, says: the action can't be completed because the folder or a file in it is open in another program. I get the same msg if I try to delete.

That's because boinctray.exe still runs. Stop it in Task Manager, then try again.
boinctray.exe is the idle detection program.

It shouldn't run. I killed it for all users in task manager --> users --> boinc
Can't see it run under any of the users.
I'll try again after I restart the server. I have to wait til after business hours.

Even after a reboot it wouldn't let me rename or delete the folder.
I was however allowed to rename all the .exe files. So it was some other file in the folder being in use.

The 2 "Current_user" registry entries, I Guess those have to be deleted for every user account right?

Usually, if you pause the client before turning off the PC, the client won't start at boot (it will, but it won't run anything).
There's also an option to set the client to 'delay start' when Windows starts.
Third option,is you can program it to start in task scheduler (eg: you start work at 9AM, it'll boot the program at 9:30AM every day).