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Removing Oracle

I need to remove Oracle Enterprise 9i Rel 2 from a Windows 2000 pro box and install standard. I deinstalled all the products using the installer, dropped the file structure and deleted the Oracle key in the registry. Upon reinstall I tried to configure the starter db with the same name ORCL as the one I blew away. I got an error that ORCL_SID already existed on this machine.

Where is this value hiding.

What do I have to do in order to clean up a Windows box and remove all trace of Oracle?

sdrozd

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\ALL_HOMES key
- There are keys named ID1,ID2,... where the number stands for the ORACLE_HOME number. Find the key with PATH value matching your ORACLE_HOME directory and delete the ID key itself. Record the ORACLE_HOME number to use them in the following steps.
- There is a String value named HOME_COUNTER. Decrease the value by 1.
- There is a String value named LAST_HOME. If the value is the ID you are deleting, decrease the value by 1.
- If the DEFAULT_HOME value is the one you are deleting, change the value to another existing home name. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE key - Delete the HOME key with the ORACLE_HOME number. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\ORACLE_HOMES key
- Delete the ORACLE key with the ORACLE_HOME number if it exists. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE key again.
- There are many String entries under this key. Some of them contain directories or files in full path. Delete those String entries which refers to the ORACLE_HOME to be deleted itself or a location under it Some values imply a specific product directly. (e.g. Oracle Developer 6.0 etc.) If you find something related to the product in the ORACLE_HOME you are trying to remove, delete the corresponding String entry. Under the same key, there can be some other keys that includes the path to the ORACLE_HOME you are trying to remove or some location under it (e.g. OO4O, EXPERT..., AUTOTUNE..., iSuites, iSQLPlus etc.). Delete those keys also.

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ODBC and expand all subkeys and remove the key: "Oracle in <HOME_NAME>" If Oracle Lite is installed - "Oracle Lite ..." Check "Oracle ODBC Driver" key contents whether it refers to te ORACLE_HOME to be deleted. If it does, delete the key.

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services - Delete the keys that the name starts with Oracle and has a reference with the ImagePath string entry to the ORACLE_HOME to be deleted or a location under it.

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EventLog\... ...\Application - Delete the keys that the name starts with Oracle and has a reference with the EventMessageFile string entry to the ORACLE_HOME to be deleted or a location under it.

Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and search deep into the keys starting with Ora or ORCL (e.g. Oracle..., ORADC..., ORAMMC..., OraOLE..., OraPerf... and ORCL...). Delete those keys which include string values with the specific ORACLE_HOME that is to be deleted.

Search for the ORACLE_HOME in the whole registry and delete the keys that has the reference. Note: Only regedit.exe has facility to search String names and values. The regedt32 can only search for Keys.

Close the registry editor

sdrozd

By the way, you probably need to delete system variables

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venkotch

I think you simply forgot to get rid of the Oracle services defined in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> CurrentControlSet -> Services.

You will find all Ora services defined here as a tree nodes and simply delete them.

Venko