Can't uninstall products

Lionzinio · 2024-09-26T12:21:32+00:00

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Why is there no easy way to uninstall NI Products? Kontakt 8 Player has basically s*** on my computer. I can no longer load Komplete Kontrol so essentially my NI keyboard is just a piece of junk.

I'd love to be able to just uninstall it and go back to where things were before I installed it. But apparently NI doesn't enable this and I'll have to go rooting around in my hard disc trying to find and destroy all traces of the product.

Waste my time, get my hate.

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Kaiwan_NI

@Lionzinio You can actually uninstall via Native Access. Did you run into any issues?

Doobox

@Lionzinio

I just posted an app I created to remove products without an uninstall option.

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/36525/app-to-uninstall-products-without-uninstall-function

Lionzinio

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/180168#Comment_180168

Hello Kaiwan_NI,

Have you tried uninstalling an NI application, not a library?

I'm guessing not. There is no Uninstall option. Instead there is a very tedious list of elements that you have to remove yourself. I'm not entirely sure why uninstalling should be so much harder to programme than installing, but I'm guessing (again) that it must be very expensive. Otherwise NI would do it because NI is a company committed to making compliant software.

So I very much believe I can't actually uninstall via Native Access.

Thanks

Vocalpoint

@Lionzinio

"So I very much believe I can't actually uninstall via Native Access"

To my knowledge - we have never been able to do this VIA Native Access. And I am actually glad.

And maybe it's a Mac thing - but I can strip my machine (Windows 10) of Kontakt 7 anytime I want via Settings:

There must be a way to do this on your machine?

Lionzinio

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/180255#Comment_180255

So essentially you're saying I'm correct. Thanks

I don't think I'm alone in wishing that software developers who insist you use their software to install things, as NI do, also provide a facility to uninstall stuff using the same software.

Very happy that you're content to do their work for them.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/180258#Comment_180258

Actually what I am saying is - I have a lot of software "managers" here and I do not want them meddling in any uninstall routines whatsoever.

I would rather let the OS (and very specific uninstallers like Revo) handle this kind of delicate work and leave the software managers to "manage" the installs and that's it.

Doobox

@Vocalpoint

"And maybe it's a Mac thing - but I can strip my machine (Windows 10) of Kontakt 7 anytime I want via Settings:"

All that is doing is removing the application files and removes registry entries associated with the application. It is not removing associated files that are scattered around.

Sunborn

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/180182#Comment_180182

@Lionzinio you probably ignored the above comment by @Doobox, because you didn't know, but this is your solution, since you are on Mac! On Windows things are much-much easier, there are a dozen different ways to uninstall a product…

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/180261#Comment_180261

I have a script here via Revo Uninstaller Pro that tells me quite a different story.

And I am not sure what "scattered files" you are referring to - but if these scattered files have nothing to do with the actual install/uninstall of Kontakt - they are irrelevant anyway.

That said - it is super easy to find any "hangers on" and make this Windows machine 100% "Kontakt-free" in minutes with Revo.

Doobox

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/180272#Comment_180272

They kind of are. I'm just a bit anal about having redundant files.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/180282#Comment_180282

Understood. But uninstallers are written to deal with a specific set of files and that’s it

If you used Kontakt over 6 months and it created 100 temp files during that timeframe - there is no uninstaller anywhere that will get those automatically.

On Windows - Revo does an excellent job - perhaps the best there is - but it still cannot see all this kinda stuff without human intervention.

Lionzinio

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/180265#Comment_180265

I am sure that @Doobox is a thoroughly excellent person.

However, just as they are a bit anal about having redundant files, I’m very unwilling to put unofficial applications onto my work computer. So, I’ll not be using their application.

My basic point remains. I believe it’s NI responsibility to provide an easy and effective way to uninstall their products via the same application they insist I use to install those products. And that not providing such a facility makes the experience of using their products less satisfying.

Doobox

@Lionzinio

Well in case you missed it in another post, and you still have issues. For MacOS at least the json file location in the guide is incorrect.

You will find it at :
"/Users/Shared/Native Instruments/installed_products/{product}.json"

Not catching this json file results in Native Access still believing the product is installed and prompting you to repair it via native access.

Lionzinio

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/180477#Comment_180477

Thanks for the tip.

I noticed that that link didn’t work, so I searched for the file itself. And thankfully I found it. So my computer doesn’t think that Kontakt 8 is installed (thankfully).

I really don’t want to have to go stumbling around in odd bits of my computer’s library trying to unearth odd bits of fluff that NI has, in their infinite wisdom, dumped all over the place. And, you know what? I shouldn’t have to.

NI should behave like any serious software development company and provide its customers with ways to gracefully remove their products should they choose. Not simply put up a page that turns the intimidation level up to 11 and, even then, doesn’t work properly.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/180507#Comment_180507

"I really don’t want to have to go stumbling around in odd bits of my computer’s library trying to unearth odd bits of fluff that NI has, in their infinite wisdom, dumped all over the place. And, you know what? I shouldn’t have to."

This is exactly what I was just talking about.

These .json files are NOT part of the Kontakt install or any other NI instrument. These things get hauled down by Native Access on demand and on the fly at non standard times - and all are completely disassociated from any install routine. Even Native Access would leave these behind with a standard uninstall.

Some stuff - like this - simply needs manual intervention. And trust me both my machine and yours are infested with this stuff left behind by all sorts of app processes, OS processes and who knows what else.

File detritus is universal. That is just the way it is and why a tool like Revo is so valuable.

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