How to uninstall MS SQL Server 2005 manually!

Backup all databases, if you have any, before you uninstall the application. Also save a copy of all the data and of all the log files.

Also, be careful when you play around with the Windows registry files, while using Registry Editor. Its probably a good idea to take a backup of your registry.

STEP 1: Make sure you have you have ‘Microsoft SQL Server Setup Support Files component’ installed in the server.

Open ‘Add/Remove Programs’ and check whether Microsoft SQL Server Setup Support Files component is listed there, if it’s there you can proceed to Step 2.

Otherwise, you will have to install it from the MS SQL Server 2005 installation media.

STEP 2: Run “C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Setup Bootstrap\ARPWrapper.exe” /Remove - in the command prompt.

This will evoke the MS SQL Uninstall program and uninstall all the MS SQL server components one by one.

If you experience problems here and you are not able to remove ‘MS SQL Server 2005′ from the Server. The last hope is seeking the help of Window’s registry file.

Start the Window’s Registry Editor and look for the registry key: ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall’

On the left side of the Registry Editor, you will be able to see so many GUIDs, one after another. {26F1A218-3158-4107-B3A6-37FD61CEE969} - This is how a GUID looks like.

Click on each GUID, you will be able to see the details of each GUID on the right pane or side of the Registry Editor. Look out for the GUID that gives out ‘Microsoft SQL Server 2005′ in the ‘Display Name’ details.

For each GUID related to ‘Microsoft SQL Server 2005′, run this command in the command prompt.

start /wait msiexec /x {GUID} /l*v c:\sql_uninstall.log

For eg: start /wait msiexec /x {26F1A218-3158-4107-B3A6-37FD61CEE969} /l*v c:\sql_uninstall.log

(You can copy a GUID name by right clicking on the GUID on the left pane or side of Registry Editor)

c:\sql_uninstall.log - stores the uninstall logs

This should uninstall the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 without much problem.

STEP 3: Now it’s time to uninstall the support components.

Unistall them in the order specified below:

- MSXML 6.0 Parser
- SQLXML4
- Microsoft SQL Server VSS Writer
- Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Backward Compatibility
- Anything else that is related to SQL Server 2005, except for the Microsoft SQL Server Native Client component and for the Microsoft SQL Server Setup Support Files component.

If any of the components fail to uninstall, you will have to seek the help of Registry Editor and uninstall them using the GUID for each component.

a. Start the Registry Editor and locate the registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

b. Click on each GUID, you will be able to see the details of each GUID on the right pane or side of the Registry Editor. Look out for the details of MS SQL support components, listed above.

c. For each GUID, to uninstall, run the command below:

start /wait msiexec /x {GUID} SKIPREDISTPREREQS=1 /l*v c:\sqlredist_uninstall.log

STEP 4: Uninstall the Microsoft SQL Server Native Client component using Add/Remove Programs.

STEP 5: Uninstall the Microsoft SQL Server Setup Support Files component Add/Remove Programs.

All done!

Tags: microsoft, mssql, system administration

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Filed under: Uncategorized by — aaron @ 2:24 pm