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Last week I was testing with Exchange in a testing environment, but at one moment the Exchange server could no longer boot (Applying Computer Settings) when it was within a domain and I have spent like 4 hours trying to fix it, but it was impossible. So I deployed a new Exchange01 server in order to use it.

Although it requires a clean active directory and all Microsoft says is that I should properly uninstall, and if that's impossible.... well, that's not supported it says in the KB.... errr... I am pretty bummed out by this whole this, since I prefer to have my servers clean and not some junk lying around, especially since the AD-host is the domain controller with connects with like all other virtual machines. I am aware that the Windows registry for desktop is pretty much hopeless, but having a clean active directory shouldn't be too much to ask...

So far this is not a production environment and I am only hosting email for a test domain that does not receive much e-mail, just for 1 game account it receives 5 e-mails daily.

I have already removed the following Active Directory entry via ADCI edit:

  • Configuration(dc.mydomain.local)->CN=Configuration,DC=mydomain,DC=local->CN=Services=>CN=Microsoft

I am planning to run before next install of Exchange (typical setup):

  • Setup /PrepareLegacyExchangePermissions
  • Setup /PrepareSchema
  • Setup /PrepareAD
  • Setup /PrepareDomain

How save am I to have removed most garbage of Exchange? A proper uninstall is no longer possible. I would like to continue playing around with Exchange and learning more using my Trainsignal video's.

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    So if this is a test environment, can't you just start from scratch with a vanilla install, why muck about with a Frankensystem?
    – DutchUncle
    Jun 15, 2011 at 15:35
  • It will still have Exchange in AD. It will cause issues.
    – ujjain
    Jun 15, 2011 at 15:55
  • Are you saying you're building a test Exchange server with your production AD DCs?
    – jscott
    Jun 15, 2011 at 16:35
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    Seriously, just wipe and start again. You can NEVER totally remove exchange as the schema has been irreversibly extended. Even if you try to delete stuff in ADSI Edit, I can almost guarantee you'll delete something you didn't mean to, or miss something and Exchange will be b0rked next time you install it, trying to refer to the last Exchange install.
    – Ben Pilbrow
    Jun 15, 2011 at 17:34

1 Answer 1

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Some things that come to mind are the Microsoft Exchange System Objects container in the domain partition, and the myriad of security groups that exchange likes to install.

But, this still wouldn't be very clean, as it's not like removing the organization clears all of the exchange properties from your existing directory objects.

Skip the /prepareschema step, as it's already done and there's no way to reverse that, and you'll need an /organizationname parameter on your /preparead since you deleted the exchange org.

I'm with @UnisoftDesign, though - this is pretty ugly, starting your test environment from scratch with a fresh Active Directory may be a better approach.

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