17b install uncomplete, uninstall impossble on Win10

After having 17beta (Free & Studio the same) installed on Win10 with no error reports, there is no entry for Resolve in the Win start menu and no entry in the apps list of Win's "Programs and Features" (only BM RAW Common Components, DaVinci Resolve Control Panels, Fairlight Audio Accelerator Utility are there - see pics).

Install-Unistall-Problem_Startmenu.jpg (20.81 KiB) Viewed 1036 times

Install-Unistall-Problem_Programs+Features.jpg (228.17 KiB) Viewed 1036 times

Not nice, if you want to start it - of course you can link the resolve.exe, which is in the dedicated folder, to the desktop.
Finally, the installation is there, I can start it (btw. with a startup-time of ~45 seconds) and Resolve works.

BUT ... resulting main problem from "non-documented" installation: It cannot be uninstalled !

Win's uninstall in "Programs and Features" of course only allows uninstall the above mentioned components, but not Resolve - so it remains. But a complete uninstall is necessary, if you want to start new installation of another version (e.g. switch from Free to Studio, e.g. switching from 17b to 17final, when it comes out).
Possible workaround of course is using dedicated tools like Total Uninstall (to be paid for after 30 days ), but proper install/uninstall should be working basic feature.

Tried several times (again: both, Free & Studio) and on different computers (PC & Laptop) - always same result.

Somebody an idea? Or known bug of 17beta?

Regards
Joerg

Joerg,

There's actually a discussion about this problem here:

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=129805

I've started to analyse what's going on.

Meanwhile, you can uninstall "Davinci Resolve" using the information stored in the Windows Registry. It's explained in a fully illustrated guide that I've written to help a friend of mine. It's available here:

https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=129456

I'll update this guide and the posts pointing to it (including this one) with a solution that's less stressful than diving in the registry. Hopefully, very soon, as I may have seen the light at the end of this tunnel.

Feel free to ask if you need more explanations,
Best regards,
Eric

Did you install from an Admin user account? (You should be using one for this work.)

Jim,

You might be right. In fact, you may be so right in pretending that the problem doesn't occur with an Administrator account.

Yet, I don't recommend Anyone to work under an Administrator account. Note that, during Windows 10 installation, the first account that the Users are invited to create is the main Administrator account.

As a result, a lot of Users work under a highly privileged account and don't either bother about it, nor even notice it. After all, things feel so much smoother that way.
Yet, by granting such a privileged access to your computer, you might invite unattended guys to use it for various tasks, which in nearly every case are evil tasks (only one for one billion will be a good one). By letting the bad guys put a "Trojan" of some sort, you may unwittingly become complicit of large scale evil endeavors (Denial Of Service attacks against Corporate or Governmental websites and so on).

That being said, and I have yet to formalize a few things in order to provide a generic solution to defeat those code shenanigans acting under the hood:

- The "Registry trick" described in my guide will always work, for everyone. It's given with enough safeguards to keep the diving safe.
- As you stated, Jim, *connecting under* the Administrator account to install and uninstall Davinci Resolve just works. Yet, I'm not sure that the shortcuts are properly put in the "All users Programs" (I tend to think they are not).
- A few free software can help here too. I particulary like *all* the ones I've used from the brilliant Nir Sofer: https://www.nirsoft.net

A fair amount of work, testings and all in perspective...
Best regards,
Eric

Jim,

you are right, it depends on the Admin account.

Positive:
If I login in the Admin account, I find the things like they should be:
* Davinci Resolve icon on the desktop
* Davinci Resolve entry in the start menu
* Davinci Resovle entry in Window's "Programs and Features" --> so Uninstallation would be possible.
So, there is a way the job can be done.

Negative:
Eric is totally right, that installations should be enabled from every non-Admin account, being asked for Admin password. "Modern" applications since year ~2000 have this feature
Would be a hint for developers to implement it or to explain, why they avoid it and have the process explained in capital letters at the download link.

Agreeing with Eric, I would never work continuously in an account with Admin rights. Everybody should avoid this for mentioned reasons.
But entering the Admin account for a short installation/deinstalltion should be OK.

Therefore: This post is SOLVED.

Thanks guys for caring.
Joerg

, during Windows 10 installation, the first account that the Users are invited to create is the main Administrator account.

Yes. Use that. There's a long history of software used in this industry needing that kind of access to work properly.

you might invite unattended guys to use it for various tasks, which in nearly every case are evil tasks

Only if you're computer illiterate, which no one using software this level should be.