Started out fair enough. Installed Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server to learn a little and take it for a spin. Realized when I installed it that I accidentally installed the MSDE along with it, figure I don’t need it sense I already have a SQL server.

So I start uninstalling, no problems uninstalling in the MSDE and the WSS uninstalls without complaining. At last I’m just going to uninstall SharePoint Portal Server. But heck no it completely and utterly refuses to uninstall:

These errors take turns no matter what I try. Googling for a while makes me realize that I’m not the only one that encountered this problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=827755 http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/newsgroups/dgbrowser/en-us/default.mspx?dg=microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver&mid=58ddc97f-533f-45db-9e82-06c6d745d909&sloc=en-us http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;830326&Product=sppsvr20

But none of their suggestions and fixes gets me on track. Finally at about midnight I start shooting msiexec commands at the computer having little or no idea what they are supposed to do. Finally I hit the jackpot:

msiexec /qb /fa F:\STS\Sts.msi (F: is my cd-rom)

I think it forces an installation no matter what is there before. Well, it worked out fine for me it installed the hole tamale again and I could after that uninstall it… IN THE RIGHT ORDER!