Problems with program install/unintstall in Vista

So, for a while now, my Vista installation has been quite problematic whenever I try to uninstall almost any program. When I go to uninstall them, windows searches for temporary files that no longer exist to uninstall the program. And I've been having trouble with the Windows Live Betas, in trying to, at first upgrade, and then trying to do a fresh install. This happens because One of the older version programs is unable to uninstall. I've been trying to find a way to work around these problems, but I can't think of a solution. If anyone has any ideas, they would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to have to reinstall Vista again.