When trying to uninstall (Settings >> Apps & Features >> Miktex 2.9 >> Uninstall) a regular Miktex 2.9 installation (user installation, not administrator) on Windows 10, I encounter the following error:
MiKTeX
---------------------------
Administrative startup refused because this is not a shared MiKTeX setup.
---------------------------
OK
Miktex itself is broken (some .exe files are missing, the updating process in Miktex Console fails with an error, execution of pdflatex doesn't work, etc.), so I'd like to completely uninstall it and do a fresh new installation. Any help is appreciated.
Best Answer
For me, I found that the error message was correct: I hadn't installed MiKTeX for all users (i.e. "not shared") and therefore admin rights were not needed to uninstall. I don't know why the uninstaller is not smart enough to handle this scenario, but the solution is simple:
Open the MiKTeX Console as usual (no admin rights), go to the "Cleanup" tab, then select Uninstall (screenshot below).
You can find MiKTeX Console via the Start Menu shortcut, or, in my case, at this path:
C:\Programs\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex\bin\x64\miktex-console.exe