The PC version of Ittle Dew from the BM9 bundle doesn't have an installer, it's just a folder with the game executable and data assets directory. Likely it wrote to the registry on first run, as you suspected. But yes, there is no installer as it is never properly installed, merely run from wherever it resides.

Given this setup, I'm not sure why you can't run the DRM-free version again. If cleaning the registry doesn't do it, check to see if any environment variables were created (pretty unlikely though).

A somewhat more complex test would be to create a new user under Windows and try to run the DRM-free version from there. (You can always delete the account afterwards.) If it works there but not under your own account, then you know the problem is restricted to just your account and is localised. If it fails there, then a global change has been made that screwed things up.

I highly recommend re-downloading the DRM-Free version again. as IAmSinistar pointed out, it runs right from the folder it is downloaded to. Also, Make sure that you are not trying to run it from inside the compressed folder, Unzip/Decompress it first.

I suppose that you already tried right click the name of the game in you steam library and clicking "uninstall" or "remove all files from this computer" or whatever it says, already?

This game does not have an installer, all files are ran from a single directory, therefore the "'uninstall' or 'remove all files from this computer' or whatever it says" Does not exist in this situation.

I tried all kinds of de-installing, re-installing etc. now and just gave up.

I dusted off my poor old laptop, installed it there and strangely enough it works.
Oh well, at least I can play.

Hmm, this is usually a sign of a badly programmed programm. Maybe little Dew isn't so good at all.

this sounds more like a dependancy issue than anything installation related to be honest (well, apart from possibly missing the correct files for systems that may not have them). Like not having the right DirectX or it needing .net framework installed, stuff like that (not those probably but I can't think of more likely ones at the moment >.<)

Hhmmmm... That sounds like an idea.
I have no clue what could be missing, I have to admit that I don't know any of that stuff.
I checked DirectX, Flash, Shockwave and the graphic drivers.
No improvement.

OR, this is the sign of a program that simply does not have the dependencies that other larger apps need.

I just now caught this. So you never actually ran the DRM-free version. Then it should have had no impact on the later Steam installation, since it was just some files sitting in a folder. Definitely an issue with the game as a whole on that computer then, either the game itself or the Steam client (which has been having troubles lately from what folks have said).

Sorry for sending you down some blind alleys, I should have picked up on that sooner. Glad you can get it to run on an alternate system at least.

*blush* I think I'm going to make it all even more complicated now.
If I remember correctly (and right now I'm not even sure about that) I double clicked the desktop icon got to the screen where you can choose the input, windowed mode etc., and closed it again. So I never started the game itself...

Anyway, it works on my laptop and I will settle with that.

It's all good as long as you are able to play it. Though you may not feel the same way when you get to the damn Ice Room puzzle. Still haven't worked that one out yet.

I got it to run. Well no, it started to work.

I decided to give it a final try.
I started the game, chose start in the menu, got to the loading screen and it stopped responding. Angry I got up, did other stuff and when I came back about 15 minutes later the game was running.
I then quit it, started it again, it stopped responding and I just waited. After about 7 minutes, it started to work.
O_o

So I played it tonight and I have to say that I really enjoyed it! :-D