How do I delete Photoshop Elements from my PC - EVERYTHING - so I can do a totally clean install

Question

I did not use adobe to backup and got a new hard drive (actually a SSD). Old hard drive is now F (was C).  Have worked with Adobe.  No success.  Catalogs are messed up because they use the unique identifier of the old hard drive.  I have given up trying to fix this and just want to start over so Elements doesn't establish a new catalog that is messed up just like the old catalogs.  Where is this information stored besides in the elements database.  I have, I think, deleted all versions on my PC and all catalogs I can find, then reinstalled and got a bad catalog again.  HELP.  I just want to start all over.  I have a PC with Windows 7.  It has had a number of editions of elements (6,10,13) on the this PC over the last 5 years. Thanks. Paul

Answer 1

Hello Paul,
I would first suggest trying to reset the default preferences of Photoshop Elements to see if that would fix your issue.
Preference settings control how Photoshop Elements Editor displays images, cursors, and transparencies, saves files, uses plug‑ins and scratch disks, and so on. If the application exhibits unexpected behavior, the preferences file could be damaged. You can restore all preferences to their defaults.
Note: Deleting the preferences file is an action that cannot be undone.
Do one of the following:
Press and hold Alt+Control+Shift (Mac: Option+Command+Shift) immediately after Photoshop Elements begins launching. Click Yes to delete the Adobe Photoshop Elements settings file.
Go to Edit > Preferences (Mac: Photoshop Elements > Preferences > General), click the Reset Preferences on next launch button, and then click OK. When you restart Adobe Photoshop Elements, all preferences are reset to default settings.
A new preferences file is created the next time you start Photoshop Elements Editor. For information on a specific preference option, search for the preference name in Help.
However, if you want to delete it entirely you can start by running the uninstaller or then ensuring all files were deleted manually.
Run the uninstaller
Close all applications.
Choose Start > Control Panel or Start > Settings > Control Panel.
Do one of the following:
Windows 7, Vista: If the Control Panel is in a Control Panel Home view, then click Uninstall A Program under Programs.
Windows 7, Vista: If the Control Panel is in Classic View, then double-click Programs And Features.
In the list of installed programs, select Adobe Photoshop Elements 10, and then click Uninstall or Remove.
Click next.
Click Remove, and then follow the remaining onscreen instructions to complete the removal.
Remove Separate Files
Note: Some of the folders below are hidden. By default, Windows Explorer does not display hidden files and folders. To show these hidden folders, see Show hidden files, folders, and filename extensions.
Stop the Watch Folders service
The Watch Folders service runs in the background on your computer. The service detects photos that you add to folders that are on the Organizer's watch folder list. If this service is running, then you can't remove all of the folders listed in the next section.
Choose Start > Run (Windows XP) or click Start (Windows 7 and Vista).
Type services.msc and then press Enter.
In the list of services, locate Adobe Active File Monitor V10. If it is not listed, this section.
Right-click Adobe Active File Monitor V10, and then do one of the following:
Choose Stop from the pop-up menu. Proceed to the next step.
If Stop is unavailable (it is dimmed), then the service is already stopped. Proceed to the next step.
Remove remaining folders and files
64-bit editions of Windows 7 or Vista
Folders
C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 10
C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Elements 10 Organizer***
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\Help\en_US\PhotoshopElements\10.0
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\Help\en_US\ElementsOrganizer\10.0***
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\Elements 10***
C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\10.0
C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Elements Organizer\10.0***
C:\Users\[Your User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\10.0
C:\Users\[Your User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Elements Organizer\10.0***
C:\Users\[Your User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Online Services\Photoshop Elements 10.0.0
Shortcut Files
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\Adobe Photoshop Elements 10
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Adobe Photoshop Elements 10
32-bit editions of Windows 7 or Vista
Folders
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 10
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Elements 10 Organizer***
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Help\en_US\PhotoshopElements\10.0
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Help\en_US\ElementsOrganizer\10.0***
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\Elements 10***
C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\10.0
C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Elements Organizer\10.0***
C:\Users\[Your User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\10.0
C:\Users\[Your User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Elements Organizer\10.0***
C:\Users\[Your User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Online Services\Photoshop Elements 10.0.0
Shortcut Files
C:\Users\Public\Desktop\Adobe Photoshop Elements 10
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Adobe Photoshop Elements 10