INF: Manually Removing SQL 6.5 After Failed Install

ID: Q198680

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft SQL Server version 6.5

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

The best way to remove SQL Server from a computer is by using the uninstall option in SQL Server Setup. However, after a failed installation, it is possible that the setup option may not be available. In this case, you need to get the system to a clean, stable install point before attempting to reinstall. The steps in this article will help you accomplish this.

MORE INFORMATION

IMPORTANT: If you currently have data that needs to be saved, before using the following steps, make sure you have a known good backup of the data or a copy of all data and log files that need to be saved in a directory other than the MSSQL directory tree.

To get the system to a clean, stable install point, you must first remove any possible conflicting software. Please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base for more details:

Q183692 PRB: SQL Server Setup Appears to Stop Responding

Next, verify through the Windows NT Event logs that no hardware problems are currently being detected.

Finally, use these steps to manually remove SQL Server 6.5:

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

Select Start, point to Settings, choose Control Panel, and then select Services. If either the MSSQLServer or SQLExecutive services are running, stop them.

Use Regedt32.exe to remove the following keys in the registry:
```
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
         Software
              Microsoft
                 MSSQLServer
  
```
```
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
         System
            CurrentControlSet
               Services
                  MSSQLServer
  
```
```
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
         System
            CurrentControlSet
               Services
                  SQLExecutive
  
```
Remove MSSQLServer and SQLExecutive for each ControlSet key present under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System.

NOTE: It is possible that a ControlSet key may contain only one of the services, or neither service. The goal is to clean both the MSSQLServer and SQLExecutive services out of every ControlSet key, so delete either of the services present.

Right-click My Computer:
1. Choose properties.
2. Select the Environment tab.
3. Select the path variable in the box below System Variables and review it in the box to the right of Value. Remove any references to the SQL Server directories from the path statement along with verifying there are no double semi-colons (;;) present. If double semi-colons are present, change them to single semi-colons (;).

Copy any .out files to a directory other than the MSSQL directory tree. These files can provide further information about the reasons for the failed setup; hence they should be examined thoroughly and all reported problems should be resolved before attempting to rerun setup.

Remove the SQL Server directory tree completely.

SQL Server should now be completely removed from the system.

Note that setup is based on a very specific install order, all server type applications must be installed first and all user applications must be installed last. For further information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q192710 INF: Installation Order for Windows NT Server and SQL Server

Additional query words:

Keywords : SSrvInst kbSQLServ650
Version : winnt:6.5
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbinfo