How to delete "ghost" vsts?

Okay, here's one for you computer coding experts. I'm having a twilight zone moment with some .vsts. I have un-installed some plugins that I no longer use. I have even deleted any installation folders left over after install. Yet, when I go to the plugin list in the browser, they're still there. It gets weirder, when I go to plugin manager and select the plugin, it shows the path of the plugin, but that path no longer exists, and strangest of all, when I drag the deleted plugin to a track it still loads. How is this possible and how do I clean this up? Thanks in advance for your help.

dbmm001
Okay, here's one for you computer coding experts. I'm having a twilight zone moment with some .vsts. I have un-installed some plugins that I no longer use. I have even deleted any installation folders left over after install. Yet, when I go to the plugin list in the browser, they're still there. It gets weirder, when I go to plugin manager and select the plugin, it shows the path of the plugin, but that path no longer exists, and strangest of all, when I drag the deleted plugin to a track it still loads. How is this possible and how do I clean this up? Thanks in advance for your help.

So if you can load a deleted plugin (and by that I assume you mean that it actually functions when loaded) there is something mone than a registration issue. In that case the plugin has not actually been deleted by whatever process you used to try to delete it, and suggests that a working copy is stored somewhere other than where you deleted one. If you mean that the drag seems to move the plugin into Sonar but it does not actually function that is a different issue and is consistent with Sonar accepting a pointer or registry entry that no longer actually links to the dll. 

Searching with Windows search on some versions will only find all files if you have all locations indexed. It will only index (and search using the index) in locations specified to be indexed. In some versions you need to have Explorer set to show all file types. Dll files are grouped with system and hidden files so you need to either unhide them or set explorer to show hidden and system files. Depending on which Windows version you have those settings are a little different. Google "show system files" "windows [your version]" and "index settings" "windows [your version]" to find out how. In non-indexed locations a file search can take a very long time. 

You may have VST 2 and VST 3 plugins. Deleting one doesn't delete the other.

VST 3 files are found in C:\Program Files\Common\VST 3

You could also look for a Steinberg folder in either Program Files or Program Files (x86)

Many plugins create the Steinberg\VSTPlugins\ as a default folder on installation as the VST standard was created by Steinberg. Hope that helps.

You might have to *carefully* trawl through the Windows Registry.

dbmm001
Thanks for the suggestions, but I always set up Windows to show all files including system files and hidden files. The only thing I can figure is that Sonar made a duplicate copy of the plugins somewhere that aren't visible by traditional search methods.

I can think of a couple of other things. You cannot set "Windows" as a whole to show all files from within Windows, you can only set something (unless you tell us what your version is we are only guessing what) in windows. The setting is only valid under a specific account, so setting it in one account does not set it in others, and setting it in an account with administrator group privileges does not set it in every user account. You cannot search for files that belong to another account from within the account you are logged on to. If you are running Sonar "as administrator" for example, it can access files in a user account that the current user is not able to search (or in some cases even see) because he is searching from within a different account. It could be that the file name you are searching is not correct. I doubt that Sonar somehow incorporates plugins files into itself in some form that is not available to Windows or file explorer.

So, it's best to disable the plug-in first then uninstall it.

If you select the plug-in in question in Plug-in Manager, the "filename" displays the full path to the DLL that Sonar is actually using. This is a more positive means of finding ghosts than using a Windows search, I feel.
 
I have often used that to find out whether I am actaully using the "expected" version of a plug-in. It is surprising how often I end up with duplicates (or near duplicates) typically as a result of my having deviated from the default installation location at some point in the past.

The only sure way is to start from a completely clean version of Windows, but only if you're prepared to reinstall everything from scratch.

I have Ozone 5 still showing as available to load in Sonar, but it then says it's  not available.  I've always upgraded and am on Ozone 7 now. Many times I've had sessions trying to track down and delete any references on my PC to Ozone 5, including in the registry, and still it shows as available in Sonar.  I've had to give up.  Very, very, annoying!!