pc Filemaker Uninstalls Windows Services when removed.

[RobinW]

Hi All, I'm a small business computer support guy and have been called into an SBS 2011 essentials server that's cactus. They've tried to upgrade from Filemaker 11 server, which has been running fine for several years I'm told, to Filemaker 12 server. After the change the server services failed, IIS no longer works, remote desktop gateway is gone and the active directory database is corrupted.

 

I restored the machine's C: drive to a date before the change and that restored functionality and filemaker 11 server. I've found if you uninstall filemaker 11 it also uninstalls several services in IIS and remote desktop gateway at least and I'm guessing this corrupts the registry.

 

I knocked up an SBS 2011 VMachine and installed Filemaker Server 12 on it. But if I uninstall it from there I see the same result. Lots of Windows services are removed. So even if I get server 12 going it will kill the box when uninstalled.

 

I believe SBS isn't supported and before I try the same thing on a 2008 R2 virtual running IIS, I'm sure I'll get the same result, does anyone know a way to stop this. I'm tempted to just come in in safe mode and delete the pig off the C: drive, but I'm sure that'll cause other issues. 

[Wim Decorte]

What you are seeing is not normal.  An FMS uninstall does not remove those services.  It does make modifications to the IIS default website as it removes the connection to the FMS Web Publishing Engine (WPE).

 

You are right that SBS is not supported and that could very well be the issue.  I've done hundreds of FMS installs on Windows 2003 / 2008 / 2012 and have never seen this issue so you will not get the same result there.

 

You are removing FMS (after closing the databases and stopping the FMS service) from the "add/remove" control panel?

[RobinW]

Yes, I tried stopping the service before uninstall and it looked ok, but the services vanished after a reboot. Been at this thing since Friday Arvo, it's now early Sunday

 

I've reimaged the server, moved filemaker server 11 to another directory in safe mode and manually removed most of it from the registry. Looks good so far. The guy with the server 12 keys is in bed

 

The IIS services like ASP and half dozen others are uninstalled, I can go to server manager and reinstall them to make it go but remote desktop gateway and the corrupt directory database is a real problem to fix.

 

As I said, it did the same thing on a clean installed unconfigured VMachine of SBS 2011 essentials with a filemaker server 12 uninstall. Same services vanished. Somethings not right. I put server 12 on the clean VMachine to see if the install was causing the issue. It's definitely uninstalling that's at fault. 

[Wim Decorte]

You didn't really answer my question: are you using the "add/remove" control panel for the uninstall or some other uninstall utility?

[RobinW]

Yes Add/Remove, I'd only use a removal; tool if something won't uninstall.

 

[edit]

Just to tie this off. Removing filemaker 11 in safe mode was no good. Filemaker 12 installed just fine and was running but then said the serial was invalid when accessing the admin console, there must be FM11 licence remnants in the registry. 

 

I imaged the server back to a stable date and filemaker was moved to another machine.