MySQL server service uninstallation

Question

I uninstalled the MySQL server by removing the entire folder manually in my Win2k3 machine (since it was in a zip installation format), but the NT Service references are still dangling. How should I remove this stale service references.

Answer 1

I'm assuming by "service references", you mean the service is still listed in the service manager. Services are stored in the registry. If you're sure you have removed it properly, you can find the service keys in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services. Before making changes to your registry, remember to make a backup. Find the MySQL keys (not sure their name), right click on it, and select Export so you have a backup. When done, delete the key. You may need to reboot for the services manager to see it has actually gone.

Answer 2

Use the Windows sc.exe tool. Specifically, there are three steps:

1. Get the service's display name from the Services control panel.
2. Use sc.exe GetKeyName <service_display_name> to get the service's key name.
3. Use sc.exe delete <service_key_name> to remove the service.