I'm having trouble uninstalling BOINC from a Windows XP Pro Client. When the Windows Installer comes up it freezes the entire machine. The only way out of this state appears to be a powercycle. I've also tried bringing up the BOINC client, but it freezes too. Is there another way to uninstall it?

I'm having trouble uninstalling BOINC from a Windows XP Pro Client. When the Windows Installer comes up it freezes the entire machine. The only way out of this state appears to be a powercycle. I've also tried bringing up the BOINC client, but it freezes too. Is there another way to uninstall it?

Are you sure that no part of BOINC is running during the uninstall attempt? Check with Task Manager.
Check to make sure that no file in the BOINC folder is "write-only".

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"The arc of history is long, but it bends toward Justice"

Another thought raises the possibility of the offending files being marked as "archived". While that shouldn't stop the uninstaller, I've found that some anti-virus programs have serious issues in this area. Ultimately, it might take a manual removal of the offending files and directories (which XP doesn't appreciate in the slightest), but you do what you have to do ...

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If I've lived this long, I gotta be that old

I looked at the archive file attribute (Windoz XP) but the flag seems to be set. I can't remember if that means that the file needs to be archived or if it has been archived.

On thing I have tried is to rename the directory where BOINC was installed under "Program Files". When I first exit BOINC manager, I can't rename right away because it seems that something is still using a resource in the directory. If I wait a while, then the resource appears to get unloaded and I can rename it.

I had thought that by renaming the directory I would prevent BOINC from running, but it started right up and uses the renamed directory (I renamed the directory to BOINC.OLD, but have since renamed it back to the BOINC directory).

What that tells me is that I can't uninstall right after I shut the BOINC manager down. I think I have to wait for the manager to fail to connect to a BOINC Client.

Does that make sense?

I looked at the archive file attribute (Windoz XP) but the flag seems to be set. I can't remember if that means that the file needs to be archived or if it has been archived.

On thing I have tried is to rename the directory where BOINC was installed under "Program Files". When I first exit BOINC manager, I can't rename right away because it seems that something is still using a resource in the directory. If I wait a while, then the resource appears to get unloaded and I can rename it.

I had thought that by renaming the directory I would prevent BOINC from running, but it started right up and uses the renamed directory (I renamed the directory to BOINC.OLD, but have since renamed it back to the BOINC directory).

What that tells me is that I can't uninstall right after I shut the BOINC manager down. I think I have to wait for the manager to fail to connect to a BOINC Client.

Does that make sense?

It makes some sense but here is a more accurate explanation. The BOINC framwork will generally have 3 (or more) programs running on your computer, the manager, the daemon, and the science application(s). When you exit the manager that sends an exit request to the daemon and the daemon sends an exit request to the science applications. Until all of these programs recieve and act on the exit request they may still be holding files open so you will be unable to rename them.

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