Error message when you uninstall SQL Server 2005 or install SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1: "The setup has encountered an unexpected error while Setting Internal Properties. The error is: Fatal error during installation"

When you uninstall Microsoft SQL Server 2005, you receive the following error message:This problem occurs when you perform the following operations before you uninstall SQL Server 2005:

1. You install the Active Directory directory service on the server.
2. You install SQL Server 2005.
3. You remove Active Directory from the server.

In another scenario, after you move Microsoft Windows from one domain to another domain, you receive the same error message when you install Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

This problem occurs because the SQL Server user groups do not match the corresponding security IDs in the Windows registry.

SQL Server 2005 requires that the SQL Server user groups match the corresponding security IDs in the Windows registry to successfully install or uninstall SQL Server 2005.

To work around this problem, follow these steps:

1. Start Registry Editor, and then locate one of the following registry subkeys:
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.2005\Setup
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.X\Setup
     
     
     
   Note Only one of these registry subkeys will exist on your computer.
2. Empty the following registry entries:
   • SQLGroup
   • FTSGroup
   • AGTGroup
3. Exit Registry Editor.
4. Uninstall SQL Server 2005 or install SQL Server 2005 SP1.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.