Can't update or uninstall Adobe Reader 9 on Windows 7

Question

I keep getting a message to update Adobe Reader, but when I try I get a message:
'Adobe uninstall update failed could not open hkey-local-machine\software\microsoft\windows\current version\run\optionalcomponants\imail'
I tried also uninstalling it through the control panel. Shows it uninstalling with a progress bar and then the same error message pops up and the progress bar goes in reverse till finally there is no uninstalling of the Adobe Reader.
Is there some other way to uninstall and reinstall Abobe Reader? Are there instructions available somewhere to uninstall Adobe Reader manually which include the registry keys to unistall for Adobe Reader 9? I have seen step by step instructions for earlier versions, but I don't know if those would be the same for later versions like Adobe Reader 9.

Answer 1

Can you please try the following:
1. Download Microsoft's SubinACL tool from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e8ba3e56-d8fe -4a91-93cf-ed6985e3927b&displaylang=en
2. Install the same by double clicking on the "subinacl.msi" just downloaded.
3. Open Command Prompt window through the Run Dialog Box (Vista/Win7Start -> type "cmd". In the section above you should be able to see a command.exe. Right click on the same and select Run As Administrator)
4. In the Command Prompt window, type in the following commands:
    i. cd /d "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Resource Kits\Tools" (Hit Enter)
   ii. subinacl /subkeyreg HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\OptionalComponents /grant=administrators=f /grant=SYSTEM=f /grant=USERS=f /grant="Creator Owner"=f (Hit Enter)
Try updating Reader now, it should work.
Ankit