Expunging VSTA

To fully and completely remove VSTA v 1 from a machine, follow the steps below.   If a VSTA v 1 host is installed, skip the steps indicated with a * or perform these steps only for VSTA v 1 hosts which will no longer be used.

1.        Remove project templates registered with VSTA and with Visual Studio 2005. (* leave templates for VSTA v 1 hosts that will continue to be used)

Method 1:  using vsta and devenv setup

        See ProjectTemplates:  ProjectGen and "Unregistering" Templates

Method 2:  Manually deleting. 

Remove all HostID folders from the following locations:

%Documents and Settings%\%user%\Application Data\Microsoft\VSTAHost\<HostID>\8.0\TemplatesCache\Project

%Program Files%\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\ProjectTemplates\<C#,VB>\<HostID>

%Program Files%\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\ProjectTemplatesCache\<C#,VB>\<HostID>

Note:  Run vsta and devenv setup after manually deleting or the deleted project templates may still appear as a choices for new projects (although they will not work).

2.       Through Add and Remove Programs window, remove VSTA and the VSTA SDK.   (*uninstall the SDK only)

Remove the entries “Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Applications” and “Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 tools for Applications SDK February 2007” from the Add and Remove Programs window (through the Control Panel). 

3.       Remove VSTA files from Program Files.

Remove the file C:\Program Files\Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Applications SDK which may be left after VSTA is removed from Add\Remove Programs. 

4.       Remove host files from %My Documents%.  (* leave host files for hosts that will continue to be used)

Each host may create its own folder under %My Documents% which should be removed.

5.       Remove samples.

Remove the VSTA v 1 ShapeApp samples which may have been extracted to C:\ShapeAppSamples.  Other samples from Summit may be located at C:\VSTA\Summit Software\Samples.

6.       Remove registry entries.  (*leave registries for hosts that will continue to be used)

From the HKey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft registry hive, remove the keys VSTA, VSTAHost and VSTAHostConfig.

7.       Remove proxy assemblies from the GAC.  (* leave proxies for hosts that will continue to be used)

Uninstall any VSTA v 1 proxy assemblies in the GAC, such as the ShapeAppCSharpProxy.  This can be done by viewing the GAC , which is at C:\WINDOWS\assembly, right clicking the assembly to be removed and selecting uninstall.  Alternatively, the GACutil tool can be used with a command like “gacutil /u ShapeAppCSharpProxy”.

8.       Remove environmental variables. 

Check that any environmental path variables that were added are removed.  Right click “My Computer” and select properties.  On the advanced tab, select the Environment Variables button.  In the System variables section, select the Path variable then the Edit button.  I suggest you copy variable value and paste it into notepad.  Remove any entries to do with VSTA from the value, such as paths to ProxyGen, ProjectGen and the path to vsta.exe.