Windows Live Essentials Beta [Build 15.3.2804.607] is now available for download. I downloaded the Beta only to find myself stuck with a weird problem with the uninstall of the previous version of Windows Live Essentials. I tried to uninstall the previous version but the ‘Uninstall Wizard’ failed to launch. The previous installation had messed up and the uninstall couldn’t initiate. Moreover, you can’t over-ride the previous version of Live Essentials with the new installer. It throws a message, something like, ‘The following programs are already installed’. Fortunately, after hours of searching on the internet, I found a way to completely uninstall and remove all traces of the previous ‘Windows Live Essentials’ installation. If you are facing a similar problem, the following steps might help:

1) First, download and install the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility.  This little kid removes traces of previous installation of any program installed on your computer.

2) Once installed, launch it by clicking → ‘All Programs’ → ‘Windows Install Clean Up’.

3) In the window that appears, select the entries that has the words ‘Windows Live’ in it. Click Remove.

4) Once done, restart your PC (IMPORTANT). Then run Windows Update, just in case an important update is required to be installed prior to fresh Windows Live Essentials installation.

5) Finally, install Windows Live Essentials. This time it should go well.