>Where did you find the "repair" option? When I try to uninstall I get the install dialog. It wants to go through the entire install process. Step 1, windows components does fine (well, if you call a half dozen reboots and 30 minutes "fine") but the beginning of Step 2, Install VS.NET hangs as soon as I select it displaying the same (!) message: "searching for installed files." I didn't see an option to "repair." The OS is Win 98. I did try deleting the directory but obviously some keys are still registered.

This appears after the windows component update, and after the "Setup is loading files". You are letting the setup run from the CD's right? (autorun, or double-click the setup from the CD)

Although when I inserted the CD and the autorun popped the setup it didn't went through the windows component update again.

Anyway, the repair/reinstall option is available as the first step of the actual VS.Net setup, if you ever get that far.