Synapse 3.0 won't start, cannot uninstall | Razer Insider

Synapse 3.0 won't start, cannot uninstall

  • 10 December 2023
  • 18 replies
  • 1804 views
F

Hi!

I don’t know what has changed, if a Windows update occured or an update to Synapse, but one day Synapse seized to launch anymore. Splash screen pops up when I boot to Windows, but the startup fails and when you retry, it too always fails. I tried to uninstall the program via Windows settings menu, but first it said some path is missing, and since then when you hit uninstall nothing happens, but the program remains on the list. I downloaded the latest version of Synapse from Razer’s site, but that too doesn’t launch up at all, basically nothing happens (although a command prompt like window flashes briefly).

What to do? Do you possibly have a particular uninstaller program so I could simply remove all Synapse related files and registry entires and then install it again, since the installation would likely proceed then.

Please help!

 

EDIT. I’m on Windows 11 Home 23H2 (22631.2792).

EDIT2. I might also add, that aborting Synapse related processes in task manager does not make reinstallation or uninstallation possible.

18 Replies

F

*delete this post pls, not the topic though*

FiszPL
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Userlevel 7
Badge +1

Tried doing these steps?

  1. Uninstall Synapse
  2. Download & run this tool: https://rzr.to/Tf53xj to remove any razer drivers/leftovers
  3. Then restart your PC
  4. After reboot install Synapse again (as administrator).
F

Tried doing these steps?

  1. Uninstall Synapse
  2. Download & run this tool: https://rzr.to/Tf53xj to remove any razer drivers/leftovers
  3. Then restart your PC
  4. After reboot install Synapse again (as administrator).

Thanks for your post, but it didn’t help. I have made sure that:

  • NetFramework is up to date.
  • Anti-virus (Bitdefender) does not block Razer services. Also disabled temporarily the firewall and some other active component.
  • There are admin priviledges.
  • Synapse doesn’t launch at startup.

Not much changed, but after proceeding as you suggested the Synapse installer prompted a splash screen which didn’t happen before, but it too resulted in the same error screen as when trying to launch Synapse, which yet remains on my computer as installed.

Any other tips? I’ll try your method in safe mode next…

EDIT. Safe mode didn’t help. :(

EDIT2. I deleted Razer files from Program Files (x86) folder and from Appdata folder (under my user name) in safe mode, but the situation is still the same. It seems some registry entry remains since Windows shows Synapse is still installed. Should I fish and remove this entry by using something like CCleaner? I await alternative options.

F

I noticed there were more files in ProgramData folder which I too deleted. I read some active Razer services could prevent installation, but since I have deleted all the necessary files for them, they are inactive all the time. I also tried to reinstall Synapse in safe mode with no luck and proceeded with the procedure behind the link below, pointed to by one of Razer’s videos, which did not help either, even though a corrupted system file was indeed fixed.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system-files-79aa86cb-ca52-166a-92a3-966e85d4094e

Now I’m out of luck it seems and using Synapse is beyond my reach. I’ll contact the official support next and wish that at least I could get rid of the remaining stuff on my computer like registry entries, even if I could not use Synapse on this Windows installation anymore. Needless to say, if this problem does not get fixed, I will never buy Razer again. :/

D

I too, have the same exact issue. Furthermore, I cannot uninstall synapse off of my PC even using CC cleaner.

F

I too, have the same exact issue. Furthermore, I cannot uninstall synapse off of my PC even using CC cleaner.

Okay, good to hear that I’m not alone with this - I guess, though there are many posts through the years regarding similiar issues with Synapse, but they never seem to offer any working solution. I’m already in contact with Razer support and I’ll be sure to post the resolution here if one comes up. Please also post here yourself if you happen to realize a fix.

 

technoDIAMONDAmazon825

I’ve been trying to uninstall for a couple days now. Installed CCleaner to try that this morning. 

There’s also a hidden folder in “c:\windows\installer\razer” and “..\razersynapse”. Other folders: ProgFiles, ProgFIles86, WindowsInstaller, ProgData files. Deleted ALL of them. 
Everytime I reboot, the device manager reinstalls the drivers in Audio, HID and Sound controllers.  I’ve gone and purged numerous RegEdit entries in HKLM, HKCU and even Class. 

In the Windows Installer, there’s an InstallerConfiguration.XML file. It references a website. Would this be the reason it continues reinstalling even though the hardware has long since ceased operation? “discovery.razerapi.com”. 

I did run the suggested uninstaller. I ran it from CMD ran as an admin. It handled removing all of the drivers quickly and a couple other backend items. 

Post Restart, the system folders have not reappeared. Unfortunately, the device drivers are still auto-installing in Audio and Sound folders in the Device Manager.

Final Observation: If I repeatedly run the 'DriveCleanup' utility, I find that the drivers are quickly replaced. If I wait 15 seconds between running it, the three audio devices are reinstalled and there's a "Razer INF: oem48.inf - Removed". 
I suspect that there's a background task running continuously, triggering driver reinstalls for devices no longer present. It does not appear to reinstall the Synapse software. 

F

There’s a new version released 1.15.0.504, but it doesn’t install either. :/ Perhaps worth a try for you others.

Z

I am on Windows 10 and I am having the same problem with the synapse 3.0 which I just downloaded earlier today.

F

I am on Windows 10 and I am having the same problem with the synapse 3.0 which I just downloaded earlier today.

Ok, sad to hear. I guess some update to the Synapse installer at least will eventually fix the issue, since, alas, Razer hasn’t responded to me since 14.12.23. I sent them some system info and logs which they asked and truly hope they are on the case. Let’s be patient and see though...

LosCyberos

Tried doing these steps?

  1. Uninstall Synapse
  2. Download & run this tool: https://rzr.to/Tf53xj to remove any razer drivers/leftovers
  3. Then restart your PC
  4. After reboot install Synapse again (as administrator).

Had same problem after last update from Jan 8th and this method helped me, but on the second try, when I plugged out everything but mouse (in wired mode) and keyboard. And yeah, that tool should be ran with admin priveleges.

F

From Razer’s support every time a different person seems to respond to my response to them. They have collected some logs from my system, but I have no idea if they do anything with them. They resulted back recently on offering simple solutions you can find online, like simply reinstalling the software, which is part of the whole issue here and which any sensible person would have tried in the first place - it’s hard to say if they have management issues or what the heck they are doing?

I hope Synapse gets updated one day so that it would install, but for now it seems I need to manually remove the registry files and all Razer related, ditch the mouse (Deathadder Elite), and move to another brand. Installing Windows again and perhaps then successfully install Synapse seems more of a burden than just ordering a decent gaming mouse for under 30 euros, and what quarantees that the issue does not occur again on a new install.

I found the below article about removing registry entries, but I will get on it only once I get my new mouse, for the reason that I don’t want the Razer mouse to be plugged anymore to my computer while and after I sweep all the Razer stuff away, so perhaps somebody could offer me instructions on what I exactly need to remove from the registry and what are the file locations of any possible Razer/Synapse files?

Removing Invalid Entries in the Add/Remove Programs Tool - Microsoft Support

F

The battle is over…

After approximately a month of changing messages, including logs, pictures and two videos also, the issue cannot be solved. I’m not trusting Razer again before they revamp their software, because I want to stress, that I recall not making any changes to my computer for this issue to happen, I simply booted my PC one day, there was some automatic update for Synapse processing right after boot, and then, an unexpected failure.

The good news is the following: An amazing program I was not previously aware of called RevoUninstaller can easily get rid of Synapse - try it out, but by all means create a restore point before proceeding to delete anything, as the program will suggest to you. If you are not willing to use such a program, then below are all the file locations that Razer support told me of and here’s a link to an unistaller tool they also gave (seems much the same as the one posted on this topic before).

  • C:\Program Files\Razer
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Razer
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Razer Chroma SDK
  • C:\ProgramData\Razer
  • C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Razer
  • C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Synapse3

Yet, I can happily inform, that for Deathadder lovers out there, there exists at least one mouse alternative I can confirm is very similar, more or less the same, in some ways perhaps better, which is my new mouse Asus Rog Gladius II Core. Yet on top, Asus actually offers an unistaller tool on their support page if you may run to issues (I’d say their software is a bit bloated as well). The sensor feels smoother on the Asus, I like it.

As ending notes, perhaps Bitdefender has something to do with this issue, but I of course disabled all active components of it when trying to reinstall - perhaps Bitdefender did something to bust the update process? Razer support suggests that I may have corrupted Windows files, but the common guide Razer offers on Youtube did not fix the problem even though Windows found out and replaced at least one file. Well, I’m glad that I have a working mouse now and I wish the best of luck to Razer; to me it seems they have improved the durability of their products over the years, but the next logical step would be a redesign of the sofware, to make it more error proof and also just function smoother.

EDIT. Razer support didn’t give up though, they just finally suggested to do Windows restoration to a restore point, which is a bit too much for me on my current installation.

 

 

russpinkston

Revo uninstaller doesn’t work for me because it just tries to open the Razer uninstall tool, which never opens.

F

Revo uninstaller doesn’t work for me because it just tries to open the Razer uninstall tool, which never opens.

It likely works if you first unplug your Razer pheriperals, then use the uninstaller provided by Razer, then remove all Razer files manually from the locations listed in my previous post, and finally remove both the registry entries and remaining files with RevoUninstaller. I cannot say though if you can install Synapse anymore after this, I haven’t tried because I don’t want to mess with Synapse anymore. Report if you manage to get it reinstalled this way.

russpinkston

I'm on a razer laptop, so it's not a matter of unplugging peripherals. I was able to remove synapse manually by first stopping all the tasks and services, then deleting the registry entries, program files, and user files. No need for Revo.

After a reboot, I successfully ran the installer and reinstalled synapse. Now everything is working as it should.

P

Tried doing these steps?

  1. Uninstall Synapse
  2. Download & run this tool: https://rzr.to/Tf53xj to remove any razer drivers/leftovers
  3. Then restart your PC
  4. After reboot install Synapse again (as administrator).

This worked for me. My Synapse 3 was broken, wouldn’t detect my device. Uninstalling the app through Windows didn’t appear to completely remove it, so a clean re-install was impossible. Tried manually deleting both Razer folders on the C:\ drive but Synapse 3 was still showing up on my Windows Apps list. Followed these steps and noticed Synapse 3 was completely removed from the Windows App list. Simple re-install after that.

Enigma1618

The installer, as of today creates 9840 files and 1646 registry entries.  Sheesh.
 

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