Word 6.0 Setup Does Not Delete Equation Editor 2.0a Files

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a
• Microsoft Equation Editor, versions 2.0, 2.0a

SYMPTOMS

If you use the Word 6.0a for Windows Patch to upgrade from Word 6.0 to Word 6.0a, and you then use the Word 6.0 Setup program to remove Microsoft Equation Editor, Setup does not remove the Equation Editor files. Setup does, however, remove the Equation Editor entries from your Windows Registration database (REG.DAT). As a result, Equation Editor no longer appears in your Insert Object dialog box, even though the files are still located in the <WINDOWS>\MSAPPS subdirectory.

NOTE: This only happens when you use the Word 6.0a Patch to upgrade to Word 6.0a. It does not happen if you run Setup using the full Word 6.0a disk set.

CAUSE

The Word 6.0a Patch upgrades your Equation Editor 2.0 installation to Equation Editor 2.0a. By design, the Word Setup program never uninstalls a component that it did not install or that it cannot reinstall. In this case, the Equation Editor 2.0a files have a file date later than the files shipped with Word 6.0, so the Word 6.0 Setup program cannot remove Equation editor 2.0a.

Even though Setup cannot remove the Equation Editor 2.0a files from your computer, it does remove the Equation Editor registration from your REG.DAT file. As a result, Setup disables Equation Editor 2.0a, even though it does not remove the files.

WORKAROUND

To completely remove the Equation Editor after you use Word Setup to uninstall the application, delete the <WINDOWS>\MSAPPS\EQNEDIT subdirectory (where <WINDOWS> is your Windows program directory).

Later, if you want to reinstall Equation Editor, use Word 6.0 Setup to add Equation Editor 2.0, then rerun the Word 6.0a Patch to upgrade to Equation Editor 2.0a.

MORE INFORMATION

Word Setup does not remove a component that it did not install; this includes a later version of an installed component, such as Equation Editor 2.0a. This prevents Setup from removing a later version of a shared application that you installed as part of a different Microsoft application such as Microsoft PowerPoint 4.0.

When you uninstall Equation Editor using Word 6.0 Setup, Setup removes the following line from your REG.DAT file (this line comes from the EQNEDIT2.REG file):

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{00021700-0000-0000-C000-
   000000000046}\Conversion\Readwriteable\Main = Equation,1