COMPUTER TIPS
October, 01 , 06 Today's Tip
Add/Remove hidden programs in Windows XP and 2000
Some programs are hidden and not display in the add/remove files and are next to impossible to find, much less remove. Navigate to C:\WINDOWS\inf
Open the sysoc.inf file in any plain text editor. If you can't find the hidden inf directory, unhide it. Click Tools and choose Folder Options. Under View, enable Show Hidden Files & Folders.
In sysoc.inf, look for the section called "components" in XP or "old base components" in 2000. Here you'll see a component name, followed by an equals sign, followed by a list of parameters separated by commas.
The deal: the "HIDE" between the two last commas indicates a hidden component.
Remove "HIDE" to unhide the component.
For example: word=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,word.inf,HIDE,7
Change too: word=ocgen.dll,OcEntry,word.inf,,7
Do not remove the extra "," and save the file. Then reopen the Windows Component Wizard to see modified Add/Remove options.