How to manually delete a SQL Server 2000 default instance

What to consider before you outline removing Microsoft SQL Server 2000

To delete SQL Server

To delete a specific instance of SQL Server

Remove all known instances of SQL Server

Remove the default instance of SQL Server

To delete a named instance of SQL Server

How to include Full-text search deletes

Delete the contents of the temporary folder before reinstalling SQL Server

Reference

The information in this article applies to:

Profile

The steps in this article explain how to prepare your system for reinstalling your SQL Server program.

The correct way to remove Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (the method recommended by Microsoft) is to use the uninstall option in Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Setup. However, if the installation fails, the uninstall option may not be available. If you cannot use the uninstall option, you must restore the system to a clean, stable installation point before attempting to reinstall the SQL Server program.

NOTE: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (64-bit) installer uses Windows installer to fully integrate the installation of SQL Server features into a single feature tree. The minimum and typical installation mode is no longer in use. By default, the installer displays the feature tree and selects all available features. Administrators can customize the installation by selecting items in the feature tree and changing the installation path. For more information, see your SQL Server 2000 (64-bit) documentation.

Considerations before removing Microsoft SQL Server 2000

Important WARNING: You may want to save some databases in the current state. You may also want to save changes to the default database. If you encounter any of these situations, make sure that you have a known good backup of the data or copy all the data and log files to a folder other than the MSSQL folder before you follow the steps in this article, because you must delete the MSSQL folder in the following actions.

The files that must be saved include the following database files that are installed by Microsoft SQL Server 2000:

distmdl.*

master.*

mastlog.*

model.*

modellog.*

msdbdata.*

msdblog.*

northwnd.* (optional installation)

pubs.*

pubs_log.*

tempdb.*

templog.*

Warning: If the installed SQL Server is also used with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, make sure that the following folders and subfolders are also saved or renamed:

Default path\Reporting Services
Default path\MSSQL\Reporting Services
Default path\SQL Server Instance name\Reporting Services
Default path\80\Tools\Report Designer