Oracle Database Discussions

INS-32025 preventing install after format hdd and fresh install of Vista
I am trying to install Oracle 11gR2 on my test machine (vista ultimate) but keep getting “[INS-32025] The chosen installation conflicts with software already installed in the given Oracle home.”

Background: I have DBA experience with several relational DBs but am new to Oracle. Using the OUI, I ran through a cycle of “install, de-install, install” several times, just getting familiar with the process and trying to get it the way I wanted. After doing this several times (successfully) I got the INS-32025 error message when I tried to install again. I double checked the un-install and it did remove the software from my machine (the c:\app\username directory was still there but the software was gone). However some Oracle services were still in installed (but disabled). There were no instance variables and nothing for Oracle in my PATH. Since the software had been removed I was not able to use the “Manually Removing the Remaining Oracle Database Components” process documented in the Windows “Oracle Database Installation Guide”. So, I started searching the web.

I used the process to manually uninstall Oracle I found in http://www.oracle-base.com/articles/misc/ManualOracleUninstall.php#Windows but still got the INS-32025. In one of the forums I read that the only way to completely get everything Oracle off a machine is to format the hard drive and do a re-install of windows from scratch – so I did. After many hours of re-installing patches, updating windows, etc... made a backup with backup and restore center. After all this I once again tried to install Oracle but got the same thing, INS-32025.

Judging from the number of hits I get when googleing this error message, this might be a rather common problem. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Is this a bug in Oracle install?
thanks,
uruz