Preparing for reinstallation after a failed uninstallation on Windows systems

This procedure cleans a Windows system if uninstallation of WebSphere Process Server fails. After running the uninstallation program, these manual steps remove registry entries that can prevent you from reinstalling the product into the original directory. If you are not planning to reinstall, do not perform this task.

Before you begin

Before performing this procedure, ensure you have uninstalled WebSphere Process Server using the Uninstallation wizard or silently, and that the procedure was not completely successful. If the procedure was successful, you do not need to perform this task.

Determine the install_root directory for the product so that you remove the correct product and produce a clean system.

Default directories are shown in Table 1:

Table 1. Planning table for identifying actual location of product installation
Identifier Default directory location Actual location
install_root C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\ProcServer or C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer  
profile_root C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\ProcServer\profiles \profile_name or C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer\profiles \profile_name

A character space was added to these entries to enable them to fit in the table cell. The actual entries do not include a character space.

 

Icon indicating Windows platforms On Windows platforms: If you move either installation root directory, move it to a directory with a shorter path name. Windows platforms have a length restriction of 258 characters for a command. A problem can occur that prevents the successful creation of a profile when either path is too long. The maximum length for the install_root directory is 60 characters. The maximum length for the profile_root directory is 80 characters.

The Installation wizard and the Profile wizard let you specify your own locations for installation root directories. Examine the following files to determine the actual locations:
  • The %USERPROFILE%\.WBIRegistry file identifies the installation root for all installed WebSphere Process Server products; the %USERPROFILE%\.WASRegistry file, for all WebSphere Application Server products.
  • The install_root\logs\wasprofile\wasprofile_create_profile_name.log file for each created profile identifies the installation location in the stanza with the <method>invokeWSProfile</method> tag.
Uninstalling the product leaves the profile_root directory, including the profile_root\logs directory with the pcatLog<timestamp>.txt file, where profile_root represents the installation location of the profile. It leaves the install_root\logs directory as well.

Why and when to perform this task

Reinstalling the product into a new directory when files remain from a previous installation can create a coexistence scenario. However, you can delete all files and registry entries to completely remove WebSphere Process Server. A clean system lets you reinstall the product into the original directory without coexistence.

Important: Throughout this procedure, steps address removing artifacts left after uninstallation of both WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere Application Server or WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment. The WebSphere Application Server product addressed is assumed to be the one underlying the installation of WebSphere Process Server.

Perform the following procedure to produce a clean system.

Steps for this task

  1. Log on with a user ID that belongs to the Administrator group.
  2. Verify that you have an Emergency Recovery Disk. Instructions for creating this disk are in the Windows help documentation.

    This step is a safeguard. This procedure does not require the recovery disk.

  3. Use the regback.exe program from the Windows Resource Kit to back up the registry.

    This step is a safeguard. This procedure does not require the backup copy of the registry.

  4. Delete product registry entries for the WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere Application Server products that you uninstalled.

    Invoke regedit.exe from a command prompt, to edit the Windows system registry.

    CAUTION:
    Handle the Registry with care. You can easily make a mistake while using the registry editor to view and edit registry contents. The editor does not warn you of editing errors, which can be extremely dangerous. A corrupt registry can disrupt your system to the point where your only option is to reinstall the Windows operating system.
    1. Use Ctrl-F to search for all instances of WebSphere, to determine whether you should delete each entry. You might not be able to remove all of the entries related to WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere Application Server, which is not a problem.
    2. Expand and select keys related to WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere Application Server products.
      Delete the following keys if present for the WebSphere Application Server product:
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ Currentversion\ Explorer\ MenuOrder\ Start Menu\ Programs\ IBM WebSphere\ Application Server Network Deployment v6
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\IBM\ WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment\ 6.0.0.0
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Software\ IBM\ Web server Plug-ins for IBM WebSphere Application Server\ 6.0.0.0
      Delete the following keys if present for the WebSphere Process Server product:
      • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ Currentversion\ Explorer\ MenuOrder\ Start Menu\ Programs\ IBM WebSphere\Process Server 6.0
      • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\IBM\WebSphere Process Server\6.0.0.0
    3. Select Edit > Delete from the menu bar for each related key.
    4. Select Yes when asked to confirm deletion of the key.
    5. Select Registry > Exit from the menu bar when you are finished.
  5. Delete the installation root directory for the product that you uninstalled.
  6. Determine all of the profile directories and remove the directories.
  7. Open a Windows Explorer window and browse to the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\IBM WebSphere directory.
    If you have only one installation of WebSphere Application Server, delete the following folder if it is present:
    Application Server v6
    If you have only one installation of WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, delete the following folder if it is present:
    Application Server Network Deployment v6
    If you have only one installation of WebSphere Process Server, delete the following folder if it is present:
    Process Server 6.0
    If you have multiple versions of WebSphere Application Server or WebSphere Process Server installed, the folder names will be appended with a number, for example, Application Server Network Deployment v6 (2) or Process Server 6.0 (2). In this case, you can use the following procedure to determine which folder(s) to delete:
    1. Open C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\IBM WebSphere in Windows Explorer.
    2. Open the Application Server v6 or Application Server Network Deployment v6 subfolder, if one exists in the IBM WebSphere folder.
    3. Right-click the First steps subfolder and select Properties, then select the Shortcut tab.
    4. Examine the Target property and determine if the Target directory points to the WebSphere Application Server installation that failed to uninstall. If that is the case, delete the Application Server v6 or Application Server Network Deployment v6 folder.
    5. Repeat steps b through d, but this time for step b start with the Process Server 6.0 subfolder, and for step d, determine if the Target directory points to the WebSphere Process Server installation that failed to install.
    6. Repeat steps b through e for each additional set of folders (for example, Application Server Network Deployment v6 (2) or Process Server 6.0 (2)).
  8. Delete the %WINDIR%\IsUninst.exe file.
  9. Edit the vpd.properties file to remove the entries for WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere Application Server or WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment.
    The file is located in the installation directory of the operating system, such as the C:\WINNT or C:\Windows directory. Remove all entries for the installation of WebSphere Process Server that you have uninstalled. Each WebSphere Process Server entry starts with the characters WSE, followed by numbers representing the release number, and on the same line will have the install_root path corresponding to the installation you have uninstalled. (Each entry is on a single line if the file is displayed in a text editor with word wrap turned off.) For example, the line
    WSEAA60BPC|6|0|0|0|6.0.0.0|1=Bpc|BPC||IBM||6.0.0.0
    |C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\ProcServer|0|0|1|WSEAA60|6|0|0|0|6.0.0.0|1|0
    |true|true|3|WSEAA60BPC|6|0|0|0|6.0.0.0|1
    corresponds to the Business Process Choreographer component (indicated by BPC in the example), for an installation that was installed in the directory C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\ProcServer.
    Note: This text appears in several lines in this document for formatting purposes but would be a single line in the vpd.properties file.

    Each WebSphere Application Server or WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment entry in the vpd.properties file has a similar format. For information about these entries to help you determine which to delete, and for more information about the vpd.properties file, refer to the topic vpd.properties file in the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, version 6.0 information center.

    Do not delete or rename the vpd.properties file because the InstallShield for MultiPlatforms (ISMP) program uses it for other products that it installs. If the WebSphere Process Server or WebSphere Application Server product that you are uninstalling is the only product with entries in the vpd.properties file, you can delete this file.

  10. Edit the .WBIRegistry and .WASRegistry files.

    The location of these files is the home directory of the user ID from which the product was installed.

    The .WBIRegistry file contains a one-line entry for each WebSphere Process Server product installation; the .WASRegistry file, for each WebSphere Application Server product installation.

    You can delete these files if there is just one line in each that identifies the product that you removed. Otherwise, use a flat-file editor to remove the line that identifies the installation root directory of the product that you removed. Leave the other lines intact. Do not delete the .WBIRegistry and .WASRegistry files unless you removed all of the installations listed in the files.

  11. Restart your server if a prompt is displayed that directs you to restart.

Result

This procedure results in having a clean system. You can reinstall into the same directories now. A clean system has no trace of a previously deleted installation.

What to do next

After you have cleaned your system, go to Installing the software to choose an installation procedure.


Last updated: Wed 01 Nov 2006 07:47:12

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