Oracle Database Express Edition (XE)

XE installation failed towards the end--when installshield tries to create all the services. It just hung there.

I tried to repair or uninstall it, but that was not an available option in Add/Remove programs. I also didn't find any install script in the XE folders or option in the Start menu. So, I manually removed the services and dug into the registry to remove references to XE. Also deleted the oraclexe folder. I did all this after nothing else seemed to work.

Problem now is that I am unable to install XE again. I get an "Installer has detected and already existing XE instance on this system. Installation cannot proceed." At which point, the installer aborts. I can't imagine why it's detecting this, since I seem to have removed any traces of XE that I found.

Short of reformatting my hard drive and reinstalling everything--definitely not worth it, how can I recover from this installation problem?

Many thanks in advance.

Bob