How to uninstall HP Print and Scan Detector

[BaruceW]

I installed the HP Print and Scan Detector on my Windows 8.1 PC which sort of helped me determne that I could not use my HP printer with Windows 8.1. Therefore, I don't need it on my PC and would like to uninstall it. It does not show up in my list of installed programs, so how do I uninstall it.

[Dvortex · Accepted solution]

Hello, @BaruceW - Greetings!

Thanks for reaching out to HP Support Forums! I would like to be of your assistance 🙂

HP Print Scan Doctor is an executable file and hence is not installed in your computer. That is the reason you do not find the application in your programs list. 

If you want to remove the program, you simply delete the HP PSDR from your file location. so, right click on HP PSDR icon and select "open file location". Delete the HP PSDR folder to remove the program completely from your computer.

I hope that answers your concern adequately. Let me know!

Good luck 🙂

Please click "Accepted Solution" on the post that solves your issue to help others find the solution. To show appreciation for my help, please click the "Thumbs Up Icon" below!

[tsahia]

The fact that it's an executable doesn't mean it doesn't deserve an unintaller. Somthing installed this executable in its folder, the shortcut on the desktop and Start menu, and so on. You might as well provide a way to remove these artifacts just as easily.

[debhunt247]

i must be doing something wrong as it will only allow me to search the web not file locations

Thanks

Deb

[debhunt247]

Decided not to remove program as it has helped solve some issues i have had with scanning.

Thanks

Deb

[gulltop]

DVortex, you are an HP Employee, and you are utterly wrong.  Deleting a shortcut icon is NOT uninstalling.  

This is basic PC knowledge, and honestly shameful that HP would let someone officially respond without that.  

I checked and will share specifics:

* PCs have something called a "filesystem": HP Print and Scan Detector INSTALLS its files in the filesystem at C:\Program Files (x86)\HP.  --> Just deleting the shortcut leaves behind 231 files in 28 folders, or 74 megabytes of your hard drive space that you can't use anymore.

* PCs have something called a "registry": HP Print and Scan Detector INSTALLS its DLL files in the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDlls.  --> Just deleting the shortcut leaves behind 26 DLL registrations in the registry, for a slight slowdown of your PC's startup.

A factual response to the OP @BareceW: 

The HP Print and Scan Detector installs itself to Windows, but fails to properly register itself for standard uninstallation.  Result: uninstallation is unfortunately a manual process.  Try this:

1) Delete the shortcut from the desktop

2) Open Windows File Explorer as administrator, navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\HP, and delete the entire folder and subfolders.

3) Open Regedit as adminstrator, navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDlls, and delete all keys with names that start with C:\Program Files (x86)\HP

4) Stop buying HP.  Their hardware used to be good, but their software and its support have always been remarkably bad.  This caps it for me.