[Prior Post]

In the prior post of this series, I recommended not uninstalling the other SQL Server instances unless you are planning to reuse the license elsewhere.  Reasons to retain the instance include:

  • It can take a significant amount of time to do compared to disabling.
  • It will only free up a little disk space.
  • If you made a mistake in consolidating databases to one instance, you will have to reinstall the removed instance and restore the prior configuration.

In this post, I will walk you through a visual step-by-step on how to do this. Installation documentation often does not include instructions on how to uninstall.

Uninstalling SQL Server Instances

  1. Open Control Panel and select Programs and Features.
  2. Scroll down until you find Microsoft SQL Server. Double click this item. The SQL Server change dialog will appear.
  3. Click Remove. A command window (DOS - box) may momentarily flash on screen). A Please wait ... dialog may appear for several minutes
  4. The Setup Support dialog will appear. Click [OK]. You will see a Please wait... again.
  5. The Remove SQL Server dialog will appear.
  6. Select the instance to remove in the drop down list. For this example, I am selecting MICROSOFTSCM. Then click [Next]
  7. The Select Features dialog will appear.
  8. Check the Database Engine Services checkbox (and any additional item that may appear under the instance name).
  9. Click [Next]. After a few seconds, the Removal Rules dialog will appear.
  10. Click [Next] and the Ready to Remove dialog will appear.
  11. Click [Remove]. The Removal Progress dialog will appear for a few minutes while the install is removed.
  12. Click [Next] when it completes. The Complete dialog will appear.
  13. Click [Close] and you are done.

 You have now removed the unneeded instance. If you open Administrative Tools / Services, you will find that the instance is no longer listed.