Manually uninstalling on a Windows system

This procedure uninstalls a WAS product from a Windows system. After running the uninstaller program, manual steps remove log files and registry entries that can prevent you from reinstalling the product into the original directory. If you are not planning to reinstall, do not uninstall manually.

 

Before you begin

The uninstaller program removes all profiles, including all of the configuration data and applications in each profile. Before you start the uninstall procedure, back up the config folder, the installableApps folder, and the installedApps folder of each profile, if necessary. See Using command line tools for a description of managing configuration files. Back up all applications that are not stored in another location.

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

 

Overview

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

Default directories are shown in the following planning table:

Identifier Directory Actual location
install_root C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer  
profiles_install_root C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer\profiles  
plug-ins_install_root C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\Plugins  

Windows 2000 consideration: If you move either installation root directory, move them to a shorter path name. Windows 2000 has 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 installation root directory is 60 characters. The maximum length for the profiles installation root directory is 80 characters.

The Installation wizard and the Profile creation wizard let you specify your own locations for installation root directories. Examine the following files to determine the actual locations:

  • The %USERPROFILE%\.WASRegistry file identifies the installation root for all installed WAS products.

  • The install_root\logs\wasprofile\wasprofile_create_profile.log file for each created profile identifies the installation location in the stanza with the <method>invokeWSProfile</method> tag.

Perform the following procedure to produce a clean system.

 

Procedure

  1. Log on with a user ID that belongs to the administrator group.

  2. Run the uninstaller program for the Web server plug-ins for WebSphere Application Server.

    If a Web server is configured to run with the application server, uninstall the plug-ins to remove the configuration from the Web server. See Uninstalling the Web server plug-ins for WebSphere Application Server.

  3. Issue the uninstall command.

    If you have already run the uninstaller program or if one cannot run the uninstaller program, simply skip this step.

    install_root\_uninst\uninstall
    

    See the description of the uninstall command for more information.

    The Uninstaller wizard begins and displays the Welcome panel.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Delete product registry entries for the WebSphere Application Server product that you are uninstalling.

    Invoke regedit.exe from a command prompt, to edit the Windows system registry. Handle the Registry with care

    Note: We 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 Application Server, which is not a problem.

    2. Expand and select keys related to WAS products.

      Delete the following keys for the WAS 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

    3. Click Edit > Delete from the menu bar for each related key.

    4. Click Yes when asked to confirm deletion of the key.

    5. Click Registry > Exit from the menu bar when you are finished.

  7. Delete the installation root directory for the product that you are uninstalling.

  8. Determine all of the profile directories and remove the directories.

  9. Open a Windows Explorer window and browse to the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\IBM WebSphere directory.

    If you have one installation of a WAS product, delete the following folder:

    Application Server Network Deployment v6
    

  10. Delete the %WINDIR%\IsUninst.exe file.

  11. Edit the .WASRegistry file.

    The file location is the home directory of the user ID who installed the product, %USERPROFILE%\.WASRegistry.

    The .WASRegistry file contains a one-line entry for each WAS product installation.

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

    The following example shows a .WASRegistry file for a system with five installations:

    C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
    C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
    C:\ExpressV6\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
    C:\ND_Install_9_25_2004_build\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
    C:\Express_09_25_2004\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
    

  12. Restart your machine if a prompt displays that directs you to restart.

 

Result

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

 

What to do next

Go to Task overview: Installing to begin planning a new installation.