Cannot (un)install Visual Studio 2017 anymore - uninstallation

Question

I'm having serious issues getting VS2017 latest to run as it has gone into an inconsistent state while I was upgrading it. There are a few remnant packages that refuse to uninstall as they are apparently missing cached files from C:\Windows\Installer folder. I never touched that folder. I did, however, moved the C:\ProgramData\Packages Cache and Visual Studio folders to another drive using soft junctions (mklink /D)
Now, even after uninstalling VS2017, I cannot re-install it as it fails immediately reporting that:
The product failed to install the listed workloads and components due to one or more package failures.
Incomplete workloads
.NET Core cross-platform development (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetCoreTools,version=15.0.26127.0)
.NET desktop development (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop,version=15.0.26206.0)
ASP.NET and web development (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetWeb,version=15.0.26206.0)
Node.js development (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Node,version=15.0.26206.0)
Visual Studio core editor (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.CoreEditor,version=15.0.26004.1)
Incomplete components
.NET desktop development tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.ManagedDesktop.Prerequisites,version=15.0.26109.1)
.NET Framework 4.6.1 development tools (Microsoft.Net.ComponentGroup.DevelopmentPrerequisites,version=15.0.26206.0)
.NET Portable Library targeting pack (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.PortableLibrary,version=15.0.26109.1)
ASP.NET and web development tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Web,version=15.0.26127.0)
Blend for Visual Studio (Microsoft.ComponentGroup.Blend,version=15.0.26004.1)
Blend for Visual Studio SDK for .NET (Microsoft.Component.Blend.SDK.WPF,version=15.0.26004.1)
C# and Visual Basic (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Roslyn.LanguageServices,version=15.0.26109.1)
ClickOnce Publishing (Microsoft.Component.ClickOnce,version=15.0.26004.1)
Cloud Explorer (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.CloudExplorer,version=15.0.26206.0)
Connectivity and publishing tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Common.Azure.Tools,version=1.9.170119.3)
Container development tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.DockerTools,version=15.0.26206.0)
Data sources and service references (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VisualStudioData,version=15.0.26004.1)
Data sources for SQL Server support (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.SQL.DataSources,version=15.0.26004.1)
Developer Analytics tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.AppInsights.Tools,version=15.0.26206.0)
Entity Framework 6 tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.EntityFramework,version=15.0.26004.1)
IIS Express (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.IISExpress,version=15.0.26004.1)
IntelliTrace (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.IntelliTrace.FrontEnd,version=15.0.26004.1)
JavaScript and TypeScript language support (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.JavaScript.TypeScript,version=15.0.26004.1)
JavaScript diagnostics (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.JavaScript.Diagnostics,version=15.0.26109.1)
Just-In-Time debugger (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Debugger.JustInTime,version=15.0.26109.1)
Live Unit Testing (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.LiveUnitTesting,version=15.0.26206.0)
Managed Desktop Workload Core (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.ManagedDesktop.Core,version=15.0.26109.1)
Modeling SDK (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.DslTools,version=15.0.26109.1)
Node.js support (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Node.Tools,version=15.0.26206.0)
NuGet package manager (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.NuGet,version=15.0.26004.1)
Profiling tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.DiagnosticTools,version=15.0.26109.1)
SQL Server Data Tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.SQL.SSDT,version=15.0.26206.0)
Text Template Transformation (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.TextTemplating,version=15.0.26004.1)
Visual Studio core editor (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.CoreEditor,version=15.0.26004.1)
Visual Studio SDK (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VSSDK,version=15.0.26206.0)
Web Deploy (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.WebDeploy,version=15.0.26004.1)
WebSocket4Net (Component.WebSocket,version=15.0.26109.1)
Windows Communication Foundation (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Wcf.Tooling,version=15.0.26109.1)
You can search for solutions using the information below, modify your selections for the above workloads and components and retry the installation, or remove the product from your machine.
Following is a collection of individual package failures that led to the incomplete workloads and components above. To search for existing reports of these specific problems, please copy and paste the URL from each package failure into a web browser. If the issue has already been reported, you can find solutions or workarounds there. If the issue has not been reported, you can create a new issue where other people will be able to find solutions or workarounds.
Package 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.MinShell.Msi,version=15.0.26206.0' failed to install.
Search URL: https://aka.ms/VSSetupErrorReports?q=PackageId=Microsoft.VisualStudio.MinShell.Msi;PackageAction=Install;ReturnCode=1714
Impacted workloads
.NET Core cross-platform development (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetCoreTools,version=15.0.26127.0)
.NET desktop development (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop,version=15.0.26206.0)
ASP.NET and web development (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetWeb,version=15.0.26206.0)
Node.js development (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Node,version=15.0.26206.0)
Visual Studio core editor (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.CoreEditor,version=15.0.26004.1)
Impacted components
.NET desktop development tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.ManagedDesktop.Prerequisites,version=15.0.26109.1)
.NET Framework 4.6.1 development tools (Microsoft.Net.ComponentGroup.DevelopmentPrerequisites,version=15.0.26206.0)
.NET Portable Library targeting pack (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.PortableLibrary,version=15.0.26109.1)
ASP.NET and web development tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Web,version=15.0.26127.0)
Blend for Visual Studio (Microsoft.ComponentGroup.Blend,version=15.0.26004.1)
Blend for Visual Studio SDK for .NET (Microsoft.Component.Blend.SDK.WPF,version=15.0.26004.1)
C# and Visual Basic (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Roslyn.LanguageServices,version=15.0.26109.1)
ClickOnce Publishing (Microsoft.Component.ClickOnce,version=15.0.26004.1)
Cloud Explorer (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.CloudExplorer,version=15.0.26206.0)
Connectivity and publishing tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Common.Azure.Tools,version=1.9.170119.3)
Container development tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.DockerTools,version=15.0.26206.0)
Data sources and service references (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VisualStudioData,version=15.0.26004.1)
Data sources for SQL Server support (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.SQL.DataSources,version=15.0.26004.1)
Developer Analytics tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.AppInsights.Tools,version=15.0.26206.0)
Entity Framework 6 tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.EntityFramework,version=15.0.26004.1)
IIS Express (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.IISExpress,version=15.0.26004.1)
IntelliTrace (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.IntelliTrace.FrontEnd,version=15.0.26004.1)
JavaScript and TypeScript language support (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.JavaScript.TypeScript,version=15.0.26004.1)
JavaScript diagnostics (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.JavaScript.Diagnostics,version=15.0.26109.1)
Just-In-Time debugger (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Debugger.JustInTime,version=15.0.26109.1)
Live Unit Testing (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.LiveUnitTesting,version=15.0.26206.0)
Managed Desktop Workload Core (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.ManagedDesktop.Core,version=15.0.26109.1)
Modeling SDK (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.DslTools,version=15.0.26109.1)
Node.js support (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Node.Tools,version=15.0.26206.0)
NuGet package manager (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.NuGet,version=15.0.26004.1)
Profiling tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.DiagnosticTools,version=15.0.26109.1)
SQL Server Data Tools (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.SQL.SSDT,version=15.0.26206.0)
Text Template Transformation (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.TextTemplating,version=15.0.26004.1)
Visual Studio core editor (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.CoreEditor,version=15.0.26004.1)
Visual Studio SDK (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VSSDK,version=15.0.26206.0)
Web Deploy (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.WebDeploy,version=15.0.26004.1)
WebSocket4Net (Component.WebSocket,version=15.0.26109.1)
Windows Communication Foundation (Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Wcf.Tooling,version=15.0.26109.1)
Log
D:\Users\6587\AppData\Local\Temp\dd_setup_20170215092106_005_Microsoft.VisualStudio.MinShell.Msi.log
Details
MSI: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Packages\Microsoft.VisualStudio.MinShell.Msi,version=15.0.26206.0\Microsoft.VisualStudio.MinShell.Msi.msi, Properties: REBOOT=ReallySuppress ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT=1 MSIFASTINSTALL="7" VSEXTUI="1" VS7.3643236F_FC70_11D3_A536_0090278A1BB8="E:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Enterprise"
Return code: 1714
Return code details: The older version of vs_minshellmsi cannot be removed. Contact your technical support group.
This message is complaining about a certain package vs_minshellmsi not getting removed due to another package missing in C:\Windows\Installer. Now, I have tried numerous thing mentioned over the internet but I'm not having any luck:
Tried to find the missing file from a second PC running perfectly. No such file there
Completely removed the VS2017 Installer
Ran the VS2017 setup only to get VS20217 Installer installed so I could run InstallCleanup.exe -full
Created a full offline install point for VS2017 (--layout) and sought the packages in question
None of the above worked for me. Right now, I found a PS script to remove VS2017 preview-4 and trying to use that to resolve my situation but still no-op: https://gist.github.com/timsneath/9f9e384ef7b986fbcd873e75e4cae7c4
Here is the script:
# Setup assets
$foldersToDelete = ,"$env:ProgramData\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Packages"
$foldersToDelete += "$env:AppData\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Packages"
$foldersToDelete |? { Test-Path $_ } |% { del -rec -for $_ }
# VS assets
# Any VS installation folders
if (test-path $env:ProgramData\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Packages\_Instances) {
gci $env:ProgramData\Microsoft\VisualStudio\Packages\_Instances -filter state.json -recurse | gc -raw | convertfrom-json | select -expand installationPath | del -force -recurse
}
if (test-path "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Microsoft Visual Studio") {
del -rec -for "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Microsoft Visual Studio"
}
del -rec -for $env:localappdata\Microsoft\VisualStudio\15.0*,$env:AppData\Microsoft\VisualStudio\15.0*
reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\ | findstr 15.0 |% { reg delete $_ /f }
reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft | findstr VisualStudio_ |% { reg delete $_ /f }
Reg query HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio | findstr 15.0 |% { reg delete $_ /f }
# Remove all VS singletons
# get-package vs_* | uninstall-package
get-package -provider msi | where { $_.name -like "vs_*" } | uninstall-package -additionalArguments "IGNOREDEPENDENCIES=ALL"
I ran this script and it executed with no errors and output. The last line is what I'm interested in:
PS C:\Windows\system32> get-package -provider msi | where { $_.name -like "vs_*" }
Name Version Source ProviderName
---- ------- ------ ------------
vs_codecoveragemsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_professionalmsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_BlendMsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_update3notification 14.0.25431 msi
vs_devenvmsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_filehandler_x86 15.0.26004 msi
vs_cuitextensionmsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_minshellinteropmsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_SQLClickOnceBootstrappermsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_tipsmsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_communitymsires 15.0.26004 msi
vs_networkemulationmsi_x64 15.0.26004 msi
vs_cuitcommoncoremsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_clickoncebootstrappermsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_minshellmsires 15.0.26004 msi
vs_cuitextensionmsi_x64 15.0.26004 msi
vs_communitymsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_enterprisemsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_minshellmsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_clickoncebootstrappermsires 15.0.26004 msi
vs_codeduitestframeworkmsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_clickoncesigntoolmsi 15.0.26004 msi
vs_filehandler_amd64 15.0.26004 msi
I cannot get rid of these packages. When I run the last line, nothing happens and I'm still able to filter these particular packages.
EDIT
There are now a few packages left that I don't have sources of and cannot uninstall. I need a way to force remove these (marked with a *)
Name Version
vs_networkemulationmsi_x64 15.0.26208
vs_SQLClickOnceBootstrappermsi 15.0.26208
vs_communitymsires 15.0.26228
vs_webtestrecordermsi_x64 15.0.26208
vs_minshellmsi 15.0.26228
vs_filehandler_amd64 15.0.26228
vs_loadtestexceladdinmsi 15.0.26208
vs_Graphics_Singletonx64 15.0.26208
vs_BlendMsi 15.0.26004*
vs_update3notification 14.0.25431
vs_cuitcommoncoremsi 15.0.26208
vs_clickoncebootstrappermsires 15.0.26208
vs_minshellmsires 15.0.26228
vs_communitymsi 15.0.26228
vs_codecoveragemsi 15.0.26208
vs_filehandler_x86 15.0.26228
vs_professionalmsi 15.0.26228
vs_cuitextensionmsi 15.0.26208
vs_FileTracker_Singleton 15.0.26208
vs_devenvmsi 15.0.26208
vs_tipsmsi 15.0.26208
vs_helpconfigmsi 15.0.26208
vs_clickoncebootstrappermsi 15.0.26208
vs_cuitextensionmsi_x64 15.0.26004*
vs_minshellinteropmsi 15.0.26208
vs_Graphics_Singletonx86 15.0.26208
vs_webtestrecordermsi 15.0.26208
vs_feedbackclientmsi 15.0.26208
vs_enterprisemsi 15.0.26228
vs_codeduitestframeworkmsi 15.0.26004*
vs_clickoncesigntoolmsi 15.0.26208
vs_labtestagentdeployermsi 15.0.26208

Answer 1

I had same issue after my Windows crashed middle of setup i searched google a lot and i found a tool from microsoft that remove MSI package completely.
Program_Install_and_Uninstall from this page
in my case "vs" installer shows me same error each time different "Name" from log.
I just removed them one by one and problem solved.