Uninstalling Instruction
With the release of Microsoft Windows Vista, the FTDI uninstaller has been rendered unusable due to Windows
Resource Protection preventing the executable from deleting driver files and associated registry values. Vista will
only allow the system itself to modify files and registry values in these locations.
Consequently, a new method for uninstalling is required. Devices can be removed using the Device
Manager by simply right clicking on the mouse and selecting "Uninstall". This will delete the associated
registry entries for that device only. Vista provides an automatic method to delete driver files via a check
box to "Delete the driver software for this device" on the uninstall dialog box.
Windows 2000, XP and Server 2003 do not have this check box, so driver files and OEM INF and PNF files
must be removed manually or by using a custom application.
Some points to note about the new uninstallation method:
If the VCP driver has been installed, the COM port driver should be uninstalled before the bus driver. If the bus is
removed first, the COM port will no longer appear in the Device Manager.
If the files are deleted while other installed devices still require them those devices will not work correctly. This can
be fixed by right clicking the device and selecting "Reinstall Driver" which will replace the missing files.
.
If a device to be uninstalled is not connected to the PC, the device can still be removed by setting the device
manager to show phantom devices. This also allows a virtual COM port to be uninstalled if the bus layer has been
removed first.
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