How to completely remove Exchange 2000?

[libove]

Some time back, I half-setup a first test Exchange 2000 server. Then I completely trashed that test machine. This stupidity on my part left my Active Directory already "set up" for Exchange 2000, and now I'm trying to really set up Exchange 2000 and it obviously is causing problems.

So, how can I COMPLETELY remove all traces of Exchange 2000, so that my Active Directory is as if I never loaded E2K, never loaded Active Directory Connector, and never got myself in to this mess

My network consists of one single Windows 2000 Advanced Server, running Exchange 5.5, and an NT 4.0 Server which still thinks that it's a Backup Domain Controller. All workstations are either XP Pro or 2000. All systems are fully patched, the domain is in mixed mode in deference to the remaining NT server (though I'm ready to upgrade it, so if that will help, just say so).

Thanks for the advice!
-Jay

 

[achilleus]

Hi,

Here are two MS KB links that may help:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;278918

or

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;260378

AJ
SA
HS

 

[mtraversMSFT]

Using the /removeorg switch from the service pack will remove the entire org from Active Directory as if no E2k ever was installed. It is important if using this that you have only 1 E2k server in the organization. This will NOT remove Exchange 5.5 server so you do not have to worry about that.

273478 XADM: How to Completely Remove Exchange 2000 from Active Directory

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=273478

Hope this helps

--
Melissa Travers, MCSE
Microsoft Exchange Support

Please do not send email directly to this alias. This alias is for newsgroup purposes only.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 

[libove]

Okay, so maybe removing and reinstalling Exchange 2000 is actually working, and I just don't realize it, so let me ask this question:

Assuming that my AD isn't corrupt and that the software actually installed, how do I actually see and configure the new (only) Exchange 2000 server on the Windows 2000 Server system? The Exchange MMC snap-in doesn't actually see a server there - just the old (only) 5.5 server.

Thanks!
-Jay

 

[libove]

Just in case anyone was wondering, the problem was completely between the user and the keyboard.

When I installed Exchange 2000, in the initial setup wizard it would not select the "Collaboration Tools" because of a dependency on the missing NNTP server.

Being unaccustomed to the Exchange 2000 nomenclature, I did not realize that "Collaboration Tools" was the new code word for the core Exchange Server itself! Therefore, the reason I could not find the Exchange server aftering "successfully installing" is that I never installed it at all!

Now I've got the server in place, and have shown problems inside my domain / AD, which will be the subject of future posts...

Thanks to those who tried to help me with my own stupidity! Ouch...

-Jay

 

[libove]

A bit more information - I got back around to working on newer versions of Exchange -- Exchange Server 2003 this time -- and still had problems even after using setup /removeorg. While /removeorg may remove the organization, it does not appear to be able to remove vestiges of broken servers. My trial Exchange 2000 server still showed up in Active Directory even after /removeorg.

To get rid of it, I ran ADSIEdit, browsed to the Exchange container under Services, and in my case I removed the entire Exchange container since I had never successfully installed any Active Directory integrated version of Exchange before. If I just needed to trash one broken server, I guess I could have removed just the subcontainer for the bad server.

-Jay