Manually uninstalling on a Windows system

 

Uninstall a WAS product from a Windows system by running the uninstaller program and performing some manual steps to remove log files and registry entries. Such registry entries can prevent you from reinstalling the product into the original directory. If you are not planning to reinstall, you do not have to uninstall manually.

The uninstaller program removes all profiles by default, 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, or use the -OPT removeProfilesOnUninstall="false" parameter on the uninstall command. See Use 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, you 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
app_server_root	C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
profile_root	C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer\profiles
plugins_root	C:\Program Files\IBM\WebSphere\Plugins

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

The Installation wizard and the Profile Management tool let you specify your own locations for installation root directories.

Use the installRegistryUtils command to examine the installation locations for all installed WebSphere Application Server products.

Perform the following procedure to produce a clean system.

 

Procedure

1. Log on with the same user ID that you used to install the product.

2. Run the uninstaller program for the Web server plug-ins for WAS.

   If a Web server is configured to run with the appserver, uninstall the plug-ins to remove the configuration from the Web server. See Uninstall the Web server plug-ins for WAS.

3. Stop any browsers and any Java processes related to WebSphere Application Server products, as described in Uninstall the product.

4. Issue the uninstall command.

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

   app_server_root\uninstall\uninstall
   

   See the description of the uninstall command for more information.

   The Uninstaller wizard begins and displays the Welcome panel.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Delete product registry entries for the WAS product that you are uninstalling.

   Edit the Windows system registry by invoking the regedit.exe command from a command prompt.

   Handle the Registry with care

   You can 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. Press 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 WAS, which is not a problem.

   2. Expand and select keys related to WAS products.

      See Operating system registry keys for a list of Windows registry keys to search for and delete.

   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.

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

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

10. 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 ND v6.x
    

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

    %WINDIR% is a variable. The Windows installation folder might be, for example, C:\Windows or C:\Winnt.

12. Edit the vpd.properties file.

    The file is located in the installation directory of the operating system, such as the C:\WINNT directory or the C:\windows directory.

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

13. Use the installRegistryUtils command to examine the installation locations for all installed WebSphere Application Server products and remove the desired products from the install registry.

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

 

Results

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

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

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Related tasks

Uninstall manually

 

Related information

installRegistryUtils command