Error message when you try to install System Center Essentials 2007 on a domain controller that is running Windows Server 2003: "Essentials is already installed in this domain"

When you try to install Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 (SCE) on a domain controller that is running Windows Server 2003, you receive the following error message:

This issue occurs if the SCE Service Connection Point (SCP) already exists in Active Directory directory service from a previous installation of SCE 2007. This situation may occur because the SCP is not removed when you uninstalled SCE 2007. The SCP is created during the SCE 2007 setup, and the SCP is located under the computer account that was used to install SCE 2007.

Warning If you use the ADSI Edit snap-in, the LDP utility, or any other LDAP version 3 client, and you incorrectly modify the attributes of Active Directory objects, you can cause serious problems. These problems may require you to reinstall Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, or both Windows and Exchange. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems that occur if you incorrectly modify Active Directory object attributes can be solved. Modify these attributes at your own risk.

To resolve this issue, use the ADSIEdit tool that is included in Windows Support Tools to remove the SCP object manually. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the domain controller, click Start, click Run, type Adsiedit.msc, and then press ENTER.
2. Right-click the domain node, point to New, and then click Query. The New Query window is displayed.
3. In the Name box, type SCESCP Query.
4. In the Root of search box, type the domain name. For example, you can type the domain name as DC=Contoso, DC=com.
5. In the Query String box, type (&(objectCategory=serviceConnectionPoint)(cn=SCESCP)).
6. Click OK to close the New Query dialog box.
7. Expand the domain node, and then click SCESCP Query. In the result pane, the "CN=SCESCP" object is listed with a distinguished name of “CN=SCESCP,CN=ComputerName,CN=OUName,DC=DomainName,DC=com”. This object entry lets you determine which computer account has the SCP object.
8. In the result pane, right-click CN=SCESCP, and then click Delete.
9. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
10. Install SCE 2007 again.

To download the latest Windows Support Tools for Windows Server 2003, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For more information about System Center Essentials 2007, visit the following Microsoft Web site: