Installed programs - wrong install dates

Paul wrote:

Terry Pinnell wrote:

Pleased for you and wish I could say the same.

Here's an example of a couple of my 150 or so that are all wrongly shown
with installation dates of 21/1/2018.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/r84pqf57wj...vo-04.jpg?dl=0

None of the 150 have registry entries for 'InstalledDate'. I echo Revo
Uninstaller Support's conclusion:
"It would seem that a program or update has deleted the InstallDate
values which prevents Apps and features and Revo Uninstaller from
obtaining the necessary information."

I'm 99% sure that the cause was the 1709 update (on 21/1/2018 here) or
part of it, possibly KB4056892.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

The things I notice in your entries:

1) No entries are blank.
2) You have no REG_EXPAND_SZ entry types.

Here's one from my Win10.

https://s9.postimg.org/j0ukul52n/reg2.gif

Just about anything with access to the registry could damage it,
and the pattern of damage, it's hard to lay blame based on
the appearance of it. I would almost say a Registry Cleaner,
but what are the odds ? Because you have no blank entries,
your registry looks "so neat and tidy". So to speak.

Paul

That date of 21/1/2018 is hard to put down to coincidence!

And in contrast to my previous examples, here's CamStudio.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/my6n9hu2x3...vo-05.jpg?dl=0

Although shown in Apps & Features (and Revo Uninstaller) as installed
on 21/1/2018, it does have a correct registry entry. About 150 of my 220
have LOST that data and 50 have retained it.

BTW, I'm puzzled why your screenshot shows a different key to mine?
In my equivalent key, every one of the scores/hundreds of entries just
have the single line
Default) REG_SZ (value not set)

My key was the one I reached from Revo Uninstaller by right-clicking an
entry and choosing 'Open Registry key'.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

"Terry Pinnell" wrote

| Although shown in Apps & Features (and Revo Uninstaller) as installed
| on 21/1/2018, it does have a correct registry entry. About 150 of my 220
| have LOST that data and 50 have retained it.
|

It might be interesting to run ProcMon and see what Revo
is accessing for that data.

| BTW, I'm puzzled why your screenshot shows a different key to mine?
| In my equivalent key, every one of the scores/hundreds of entries just
| have the single line
| Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
|
| My key was the one I reached from Revo Uninstaller by right-clicking an
| entry and choosing 'Open Registry key'.
|

His key is data stored specifically by Windows Installer,
which is only one way to install software. Your key
in the Uninstall key, which is the traditional place to
enumerate software, because almost all installed
software registers an uninstaller. The content of
the 2 keys, if something is installed via Windows
Installer, is probably the same.

On the other hand, if your Uninstall values are
undamaged, and it turns out the Installer values
*are* damaged, then it may be the result of a
buggy Windows Installer update from the last Win10
update. It's a bit scary to think that basic system
updates might screw up something so specific.

In that case probably the only fix would be to write
something like a script that copies all values from
....Uninstall\ to ....Installer\.

But again, that would also raise the question of
why Revo is not getting the data from the Uninstall
key, and where it *is* getting the data from.

As I mentioned above, there's never really been
an official listing because there's never been an
official install method. Installers don't have to use
the Uninstall key. If they do they don't have to
add anything but an uninstall command line. They
can also add an entry onder RegisteredApplications,
but most don't. They can add their own subkeys
under Softwa

HKLM and/or HKCU \Software\Acme\Acme Editor

But what they put there, if anything, is undefined.
It's just a traditional place to store private data.
Some programs store program data there. Some
store it in the Application Data catacombs.

And the Installer key, as noted, will only list
programs installed via Windows Installer. Windows
Installer was created, in large part, with IT people
in mind. They're often very interested in lists of
installed software, version, and install dates
across their "fleet". But since Windows Installer
is such a mess to use, it's mainly used only by
companies who cater to corporate customers.
In fact, a lot of Microsoft installs don't even
use WI. Most patches, for instance, use a
self-executing CAB file with an INF file inside.
And looking through the list I have under Uninstall,
I also see VC++ 2008 Express. You can tell the
Windows Installer installs because they use GUIDs
as key names rather than human-readable company
or program names. I have dozens of such GUID keys
in my Registry, but with the exception of Libre
Office they're almost all from the install of motherboard
drivers for chipset, graphics, etc.

Terry Pinnell wrote:
Paul wrote:

Terry Pinnell wrote:

Pleased for you and wish I could say the same.

Here's an example of a couple of my 150 or so that are all wrongly shown
with installation dates of 21/1/2018.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/r84pqf57wj...vo-04.jpg?dl=0

None of the 150 have registry entries for 'InstalledDate'. I echo Revo
Uninstaller Support's conclusion:
"It would seem that a program or update has deleted the InstallDate
values which prevents Apps and features and Revo Uninstaller from
obtaining the necessary information."

I'm 99% sure that the cause was the 1709 update (on 21/1/2018 here) or
part of it, possibly KB4056892.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK
The things I notice in your entries:

1) No entries are blank.
2) You have no REG_EXPAND_SZ entry types.

Here's one from my Win10.

https://s9.postimg.org/j0ukul52n/reg2.gif

Just about anything with access to the registry could damage it,
and the pattern of damage, it's hard to lay blame based on
the appearance of it. I would almost say a Registry Cleaner,
but what are the odds ? Because you have no blank entries,
your registry looks "so neat and tidy". So to speak.

Paul

That date of 21/1/2018 is hard to put down to coincidence!

And in contrast to my previous examples, here's CamStudio.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/my6n9hu2x3...vo-05.jpg?dl=0

Although shown in Apps & Features (and Revo Uninstaller) as installed
on 21/1/2018, it does have a correct registry entry. About 150 of my 220
have LOST that data and 50 have retained it.

BTW, I'm puzzled why your screenshot shows a different key to mine?
In my equivalent key, every one of the scores/hundreds of entries just
have the single line
Default) REG_SZ (value not set)

My key was the one I reached from Revo Uninstaller by right-clicking an
entry and choosing 'Open Registry key'.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

That one is Inno Setup and not a .msi file. That could
be one difference. Maybe it's only the .msi ones affected.

Paul