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I installed Microsoft Exchange server on a blank 2008r2 server a few days ago. After installing Exchange I had to remove and re-enable the Active Directory Domain Services role to fix another issue. When uninstalling Exchange earlier today the uninstaller crashed and I had to restart it. After starting the uninstaller I now get the error message:

Error:

The following error was generated when "$error.Clear(); 

Set-MailboxServer -Identity $RoleFqdnOrName -CalendarRepairWorkCycle $null -CalendarRepairWorkCycleCheckpoint $null

" was run: "The operation couldn't be performed because object 'PLSERVER.mydomain.co.uk' couldn't be found on 'PLSERVER.mydomain.co.uk'.".

I really just want to uninstall Exchange server in any way possible. I am not quite sure how to tackle this error message though, especially since I am very new to Windows server (I come from a *nix background).

cdyer
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  • You're running Exchange and AD on the same server? – MDMarra Jun 18 '13 at 16:03
  • Yes, I was just trying to determine whether Exchange suited my clients needs. In production would they always be on separate machines? – cdyer Jun 18 '13 at 16:19
  • Yes. Exchange is a complex beast suited for its own server entirely. – Nathan C Jun 18 '13 at 16:27
  • Thanks that useful to know. At least if something like this happens you can then nuke it and start again. – cdyer Jun 18 '13 at 16:34
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    You should never run *anything* on a DC that isn't Directory Services or DNS. In very small environments, sometimes it's unavoidable, but large packages like Exchange/MSSQL/SharePoint/etc should never be on a DC. – MDMarra Jun 18 '13 at 17:32

2 Answers2

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I've been through a manual uninstall of Exchange. It sucked. It required a call to Microsoft Support and many hours on the phone with them.

The gist of it was that you get the install media and find all of the MSIs, right click on each and select uninstall, lather rinse repeat. Then, manually delete all Exchange references from the registry.

That said, this is entirely unsupported outside of the direction of Microsoft. I really recommend opening a ticket with them.

MDMarra
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    At that point it may be faster to just wipe the machine and start over again if it's not a production server. – Nathan C Jun 18 '13 at 16:26
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There's no need to uninstall if you don't want to. All you should do is to run repair. Given the Exchange configuration intact in the AD, the installer will repair the "damaged" installation. If you really need, run uninstaller after it, it should complete successfully.

Vick Vega
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