[dba-Tech] How to remove a directory when access is denied

[Gustav Brock]

Hi Arthur

You also have registry entries to clean up, so this can be an extensive task:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh231731(v=sql.110).aspx

It might be faster and/or simpler to reinstall the OS.

/gustav

-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: dba-Tech [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] På vegne af Arthur Fuller
Sendt: 26. juni 2017 09:44
Til: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com>
Emne: Re: [dba-Tech] How to remove a directory when access is denied

Thanks, Peter and Gustav. Your replies beg the question, How do I run CMD with admin rights? I suppose that the MS people think they are protecting me from doing something stilly, but on occasion I do in fact want to do something silly and/or destructive. I'm tired of folks trying to protect me from my will to destroy the worlds I inhabit I just want to eradicate all traces of MS-SQL and start over. I have the disks for 2008 ++, and want to erase every previous trace of said installations. I have backup software from which I can create an image sans the MS-SQL stuff.

You might ask, Why do I want to do this? Well, a number of job postings of interest demand acquaintance with SQL 2008, which I abandoned years back.
So I have to remove everything to do with MS-SQL and then install those pieces, one virgin at a time. But the OS won't easily let me nuke the whole "Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server" directory and all its children.

How can I do this?

A.