Can't run installer for Microsoft 4000 keyboard

I have a Microsoft 4000 keyboard that I'm trying to install after moving from Win 10 to Win 11. I'm using the installer "MouseKeyboardCenter_64bit_ENG_3.1.250.exe", which I downloaded from Microsoft several days ago. I've tried to uninstall any previous version, but apparently unsuccessfully. When I try to run the installer I get the message: "Setup cannot continue because a later version of this software is already installed."

I've been using ChatGPT to try fix this problem. It's probably not the best guide, but I would have worn out any human one in the hours and hours I've spent over the past week to try to fix the problem. I show ChatGPT's summary of what's been tried below. Can some (human) expert help? Many thanks!!

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Why is it that the installer can find the problem almost instantaneously while after hours of work we haven't found it?

ChatGPT said:​

Excellent — and frustrating — question. Here’s why the installer can instantly detect a “later version” while we've spent hours trying to track it:

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1. The Installer Uses Internal, Undocumented Checks​

The MMKC installer likely:

• Calls a custom internal routine (not MSI standard logic) to check for existing installations.
• Looks for one specific registry key or file, placed by its own setup program — not the Windows Installer database, not Add/Remove Programs, not the usual uninstall locations.
• May read its own metadata from:
  
  • %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center
  • A hidden key like HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UpgradeCodes\{...}
  • Cached setup results in C:\Windows\Installer

And unless you reverse-engineer the installer or trace every file/registry access in real time with tools like Process Monitor (which we did!), it’s extremely difficult to guess the exact check.

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2. It’s Likely Checking a Hidden Product Code​

The installer may store a value like:

InstallStatus=Complete
Version3.1
somewhere like:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-1-5-18\Products\{ObscureKey}
Or a GUID under Installer\Products whose name doesn’t mention MMKC at all — just raw encoded product IDs.

So unless you know the exact GUID or compare a clean system side-by-side, you won't find it manually.

---

3. We Already Cleared Everything Normal Tools Can See.​

• Get-WmiObject: nothing
• Registry searches: nothing
• WindowsApps: not present
• Revo Uninstaller Pro: nothing
• Installer logs: inconclusive

So now we’re down to “last-ditch” tactics like:

• MsiZap
• Registry surgery
• Creating a new dummy MSI that overwrites the phantom version (!)
• Or even slipstreaming a reinstall of Windows Installer itself (very rare)

---

TL;DR​

The installer knows where it left its own fingerprint.
But:

• It doesn't register properly with standard tools.
• And it doesn’t clean up after itself properly when it fails.

That’s why it seems like it “knows more than we do.”

The latest installer that's compatible with the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000:
Mouse and Keyboard Center download - Microsoft Support

Which devices are supported by Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center? - Microsoft Support

THANK YOU!! Downloaded it and it installed without a hitch. I thought I had the latest version.
Humans are definitely better than ChatGPT! I only wish I'd posted this a week ago - it would have saved me a lot of time.

coffent said:

Humans are definitely better than ChatGPT!

Click to expand...

Yes they are.

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