My TeXstudio could not handle KaiTi fonts, so I installed CTeX to try to fix it. Unfortunately, that broke my LaTeX setup completely. Reinstalling required uninstalling MiKTeX first, but the uninstall process could not finish cleanly.
First, I used Hardwipe. It removed almost everything, but a few empty folders were left behind. Because of those remaining folders, MiKTeX still could not be installed again.
Finally, I used Unlocker to remove the empty folders. Although Windows would not delete them immediately, Unlocker scheduled them to be deleted at the next boot.
After a reboot, the folders disappeared, and I was able to reinstall MiKTeX and TeXstudio successfully.
Table of Contents
Practical Steps
- Uninstall MiKTeX from Windows if the normal uninstaller still works.
- Check whether the old MiKTeX installation folder remains.
- If Windows refuses to delete the folder, use a file unlock/removal tool such as Unlocker.
- Choose the option to delete the folder on reboot.
- Restart Windows.
- Install MiKTeX again, then reinstall or reconfigure TeXstudio.
Before reinstalling, it is also worth checking whether any TeX-related processes are still running in Task Manager, such as MiKTeX Console, TeXstudio, or background package manager processes. Closing them first may make manual deletion possible without extra tools.