How to silently uninstall ActiveSync 3.1, ActiveSync 3.5, and ActiveSync 3.6 (299550)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft ActiveSync 3.1
  • Microsoft ActiveSync 3.5
  • Microsoft ActiveSync 3.6
This article was previously published under Q299550

SUMMARY

This article describes how you can silently (without user input) uninstall ActiveSync 3.1, ActiveSync 3.5, and ActiveSync 3.6. This article does not apply to ActiveSync 4.0 because ActiveSync 4.0 uses Windows Installer.

MORE INFORMATION

Because ActiveSync installation and uninstallation uses technology from InstallShield Software Corporation, the normal InstallShield parameters can be used. The typical uninstall command looks as follows:

"C:\WINDOWS\ISUNINST.EXE"
-f"C:\Program Files\Microsoft ActiveSync\DeIsL1.isu"
-c"C:\Program Files\Microsoft ActiveSync\ceuninst.dll"

NOTE: The information above is a single command line. Line breaks are inserted for readability.

The command line will start the normal uninstallation procedure for ActiveSync. The result is identical to uninstalling through the Add/Remove Programs utility in Control Panel.

By adding the "-y -a -m" InstallShield parameters and removing the reference to CEuninst.dll, the uninstallation will run completely silently. The command line would look like this:

"C:\WINDOWS\ISUNINST.EXE" -y -a -m
-f"C:\Program Files\Microsoft ActiveSync\DeIsL1.isu"

NOTE: The is a single command line. Line breaks are inserted here for readability.

USAGE NOTES

  • By removing the reference to CEuninst.dll you are disabling the part of uninstallation which allows you to remove synchronized file folders. You would need to write a tool or batch file to remove these folders.
  • If ActiveSync is running when you attempt to silently uninstall, some files will be in use and so will not be removed. As is the case with a normal, interactive uninstallation, these files are removed when you reboot your computer.
  • The program installation folder and setup log file will remain on your system in all cases. If this is not desired, you can delete the setup log file before starting uninstallation. The installation folder will then be removed during the first reboot after uninstallation.

REFERENCES

For additional information on the InstallShield uninstall parameters, see "INFO: What Command Line Parameters Are Available for unInstallShield?" (Q100021), which is available from the InstallShield Web site:

http://www.installshield.com

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Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/18/2005
Keywords:kbhowto KB299550 kbAudDeveloper
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