How to uninstall VMware Player 4? "The MSI '' failed" keeps popping up

Question

I have been trying to uninstall VMware Player 4 for more than 5 days because I need to install the version no. 5 but I can't do it... The message: "The MSI '' failed" keeps popping up and the process just stops.... I tried this but was not successful either...

Is there some software that uses brute force to unintall anything from my PC? If so, what else should do after I use it? Clean the Windows Registry? What else?

I tried also to install VMware Player 5 without uninstalling version no. 4 but it didn't let me do it... It says I need to uninstall previous version first...

BTW, I use Windows XP professional...

Answer 1

1. First, do a full scan of your system for virus/malware using the latest definitions and tools such as Malwarebytes and Microsoft Security Essentials.
2. Make sure you do EVERYTHING in the VMware KB article you linked to. If you are unable to complete one of the steps for some reason, do not skip it, but fix that problem first.
3. If all else fails, try reinstalling Player 4 to "fix" the installation, then uninstalling it.