Uninstall Older version of Dell Display Manager

Question

We recently upgraded our fleet of a mix of Latitude, OptiPlex and Precision to Dell Display Manager 2.0 and recently up to 2.1.0.45.

So many users are complaining that it keeps asking to uninstall the older version of DDM.

"please uninstall your older version of dell display manager"

An older version of DDM is nowhere to be found on the system. When you click the box in the dialog to uninstall, you are taken to Programs and Features that only lists the current version. It's just the same loop upon every single reboot, or when you connect your device to another display.

Both the 2.0 and 2.1.0.45 version of ddmsetup.exe were downloaded directly from the support website. Uninstalling 2.0 or 2.1.0.45 does not help. When you install either 2.0 or 2.1.0.45, the same message returns asking to uninstall.

Can anyone advise on how we can continue to use this tool in peace without getting this prompt to uninstall something that doesn't exist?

Rob___R · Accepted Answer

I've had the same problem, and think I finally fixed it. I've rebooted 3 times without the 'please uninstall' popping up'. The trick seems to be based on the fact that DDM 1.x was made for them by a third party named EnTech, and their registry keys still exist after the uninstall. Open regedit Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE Find the key named 'EnTech' and delete it entirely (I exported it first to be safe) Exit regedit and reboot

kansastechie · Accepted Answer

Yes, this was the solution for sure! Thank you for finding this breadcrumb.

$Registry = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Dell Display Manager 2"
$DisplayName = "Dell Display Manager 2.1"
$DisplayVersion = "2.1.0.45"

if ((Get-ItemPropertyValue $Registry "DisplayName") -eq $DisplayName -and (Get-ItemPropertyValue $Registry "DisplayVersion") -eq $DisplayVersion) {
    Remove-Item -Path "Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\EnTech" -Recurse -Force
} 

else {
    
    }

uegephi · Answer

We have exactly the same issue, thank you for describing it. This is also the first search result regarding this problem since I started sporadically looking for solutions a while ago.

vishvajitd · Answer

It sounds like there may be a registry key or some other configuration file that is causing the Dell Display Manager to think that an older version is still installed, even though it is not. Here are a few things you can try to resolve the issue:

Remove any remnants of the older version: Although you have uninstalled the older version of the Dell Display Manager, there may be some remnants left behind. Try running a registry cleaner or system cleaner tool to remove any leftover files or registry keys.
Delete the Dell Display Manager configuration file: Try deleting the configuration file for the Dell Display Manager, which is located at C:\ProgramData\Dell\DisplayManager\DDMConfiguration.xml. This file contains the settings for the Display Manager, and deleting it may force the software to reinitialize and stop asking you to uninstall the older version.
Use the Dell Uninstaller Tool: Dell provides an uninstaller tool that can be used to completely remove any Dell software from your system. Download and run the tool, and select the option to remove the Dell Display Manager. This should completely remove all traces of the software from your system.
Contact Dell Support: If the above steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to contact Dell Support for further assistance. They may have additional troubleshooting steps or be able to provide a fix for the issue.

I hope this helps!

kansastechie · Answer

We have run a pre-scan and post scan utility against the registry. The only thing detected is the latest 2.1.0.45 version objects; yet the issue remains.

The last thing we're going to do across a few thousand machines is run an uninstaller utility to clean up what DELL should be cleaning up by building good installer applications in the first place.

I have debated contacting support, but don't get much free time to track down annoying issues like this one.

Monitors

Uninstall Older version of Dell Display Manager

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