Question: In Win7, an old version of Acrobat XI is still showing, but there is no matching MSI file for it to execute, so it can't "uninstall" and I can't delete the entry because MS makes it intentionally difficult.

Normally such things just pile up over time. But Acrobat *insists* on uninstalling the previous version and will not install until the old one is gone. 

How can I remove the entry from the database that "Programs and Features" uses?

![Programs and Features window](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HEH4h.png)

Answer: 
The **cached MSI file** that is supposed to run the uninstall might be **missing** from the super-hidden MSI cache folder normally found at **C:\windows\installer** (formally at **%SystemRoot%\Installer**), or there is a **crash** in the uninstall sequence. Creating an **uninstall log file** could help (replace the truncated paths):

```sh
msiexec.exe /X "C:\Test.msi" /L*V! "C:\msilog.log"

```

Uninstall by product code (sample guid):

```sh
msiexec.exe /x {11111111-1111-1111-1111-11111111111X} /L*V! "C:\msilog.log"

```

Please see sections **3**, **4** and **12** here for details on how MSI's uninstall works: **[Uninstalling an MSI file from the command line without using msiexec](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/450027/uninstalling-an-msi-file-from-the-command-line-without-using-msiexec/1055933#1055933)**. This will also tell you how to find the product GUID for Adobe Acrobat XI Pro (use the Powershell command found in section 3, or find the same information and a screenshot here: [How can I find the product GUID of an installed MSI setup?](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/29937568/how-can-i-find-the-product-guid-of-an-installed-msi-setup)).

Before trying anything else, I suppose you can try this [**uninstall fix tool**](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17588/fix-problems-that-block-programs-from-being-installed-or-removed) (fixed broken link, **September 2017**). It would be interesting with feedback on whether it actually works.
This question is technically off topic as you are a user of the product not a developer of the product setup. Your cached MSI is missing and that's blocking their uninstall (bad design on their part) which occurs during upgrade to the new version. There are several things you can try:

1) Reinstall / Repair the old version and then try to uninstall it.

2) Contact the vendor for support.

3) Reinstall Windows.

4) Use the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility (no longer supported but can be found online ) to whack MSI's knowledge of the product. Note this doesn't actually uninstall the product and can cause all sorts of difficulties that may lead you to back to option 3.