Microsoft Sharepoint Products and Technologies Resource Kit eBook

48 Part I: Introduction to SharePoint Products and Technologies
Uninstalling Windows SharePoint Services
If you need to uninstall Windows SharePoint Services, you can choose from several
options that remove the Windows SharePoint Services installation from a particular
virtual server.
There are different degrees to which you can uninstall Microsoft Windows
SharePoint Services. Depending on your needs, you can choose from the following
options:
■ Remove Windows SharePoint Services from a virtual server and preserve the
site content.
■ Remove Windows SharePoint Services from a virtual server and delete the site
content.
You can choose to remove Windows SharePoint Services and delete the
site content in the database. Use this method to remove a virtual server permanently,
but continue using Windows SharePoint Services on other virtual servers.
For example, use this method if you are finished with a project and no
longer need the associated websites.
Caution When you use this method, you cannot reconnect to the site content
later. If you choose to delete the content databases, you are permanently
deleting the site content and cannot recover the site data except
from a backup.
Uninstall Windows SharePoint Services Completely from a Server
You can choose to uninstall Windows SharePoint Services by using the Add/Remove
Programs control panel. This method does not delete site content. You can reinstall
and reconnect to the site content. Use this method to repair an installation or to
remove a Web front-end server from a server farm.
All these methods leave the virtual server or server in a clean state, ready to be
used for other websites or applications; however, each method affects the content
and configuration databases in a different way. Table 2-6 explains what happens
when you use each of these remove or uninstall methods.