Network Management

Uninstall all SolarWinds Platform products from a server and prepare for reinstall

Uninstall your entire SolarWinds Platform deployment (all SolarWinds Platform products) from a server and prepare for reinstallation.

First published date

11/29/2018 10:40 PM

Last published date

12/1/2025 3:54 PM

Overview

This article provides instructions to uninstall all SolarWinds Platform products from a server and prepare for reinstallation.

Product section

Orion Platform

Cause

A failed or incomplete install/upgrade
High Availability issues
Product version mismatch

Resolution

Before you start

Back up the SolarWinds Platform database, folders, and registry keys.
Make sure you are logged in with the built-in local Administrator account.
- If you are not using a built-in local Administrator please make sure to disable UAC for the duration of this process. On how to disable UAC please check the following Microsoft documentation:
  - How to disable User Account Control (UAC) on Windows Server
If installed, uninstall the SolarWinds Platform SDK.

Orion and SolarWinds Platform products 2019.2 and later

Starting with Orion Platform 2019.2, you can uninstall the entire Orion Platform deployment using the SolarWinds Platform Installer.

If you have scalability engines deployed, run the following steps on each scalability engine (additional polling engines, HA backup servers, and additional web servers) and then repeat the steps on the SolarWinds Platform server (the main polling engine).

Locate the SolarWinds Platform installer .exe file on the server.
In a command prompt, run the following command:

'<path>'\<fileName>.exe -uninstall

For example:

C:\Users\UserName\Downloads\Solarwinds-Orion-NPM.exe -uninstall
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation.
Reboot the server after uninstallation completes.
Make sure that the following folders were removed:
- C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\SolarWinds
- C:\inetpub\SolarWinds
- C:\ProgramData\Solarwinds
- C:\ProgramData\SolarWindsAgentInstall

All SolarWinds Platform products are removed, including all relevant registry entries and folders. The SolarWinds Platform database is not removed.

Orion Platform products 2018.4 and earlier

Open SolarWinds License Manager and deactivate your license.
Go to Programs and Features (Run > appwiz.cpl) and sort the list by Publisher.
Uninstall all programs under SolarWinds in the list.
After uninstalling, rename the following folders:
- C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\SolarWinds
- C:\inetpub\SolarWinds
- C:\ProgramData\Solarwinds
- C:\ProgramData\SolarWindsAgentInstall
Open IIS (Run > inetmgr) in the Server Manager and delete:
- Applications Pools > SolarWinds Orion Application Pool
- Sites > SolarWinds NetPerfMon
Open Registry Editor (Run > regedit) and expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software.
NOTE: If you are uninstalling from a 64-bit server, expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Wow6432Node
Remove the registry keys under 'SolarWinds'.
Reboot the server.

SolarWinds Observability SaaS Network Collector product:

Uninstall the SQL Express on the virtual machine. See Uninstall an existing instance of SQL Server in Microsoft documentation.
Uninstall the SolarWinds Observability Agent on the virtual machine:
- On the server hosting the SolarWinds Observability Agent, uninstall the Agent. See Uninstall the Agent.
- Remove the SolarWinds Observability Agent from SolarWinds Observability SaaS.
  - In SolarWinds Observability SaaS, click Settings > Agents.
  - In Agents, locate the entity hosting the Agent.
  - Click the vertical ellipsis at the end of the row, and then click Delete. See Remove the Agent from SolarWinds Observability SaaS.

Reinstallation and other related articles

To reinstall, see the SolarWinds Platform Products Installation and Upgrade Guide.

If you have problems during the uninstallation, see these related articles:

Disclaimer: Please note, any content posted herein is provided as a suggestion or recommendation to you for your internal use. This is not part of the SolarWinds software or documentation that you purchased from SolarWinds, and the information set forth herein may come from third parties. Your organization should internally review and assess to what extent, if any, such custom scripts or recommendations will be incorporated into your environment. You elect to use third-party content at your own risk, and you will be solely responsible for the incorporation of the same if any.