I am trying to install Exchange Server 2008 on WindowsServer2008 R1, which I recently upgraded from Windows Server 2003. However, the installer fails at the readiness check because it says the SMTP service is installed. However, this is not the case. I uninstalled it, as instructed, from Features under Server Manager. Exchange still detected it. So I also ran the smtpsetup.exe /uninstall for service, common and admin from %windir%\system32\inetsrv. No change. Finally I reinstalled SMTP from Features and then uninstalled it again. Exchange still detects the SMTP service. I've run out of ideas, can anyone enlighten me please?Thank you.

What happens when you open a cmd prompt on W2K8 and enter"servermanagercmd -q"Does it list out sMTP Server in green?is there anything else running on the server? Other apps? You said you upgraded it from W2K3 right?SF - MCITP:EMA, MCTS

Hi,Have you restarted your server after uninstalling service? Please try Bardapony's suggestions first. Meanwhile, you may check exchangesetup.log to view detail installation information there, see if there isothererrors.The log file should locate at \ExchangeSetuplogsThanks,Elvis

Thanks for the replies. I've just had a chance to get back on to this and here are the answers to your questions: 1. servermanagercmd -q displays SMTP Server in white with no cross in the box. 2. There are quite a few other things running on this box, but none of them SMTP related AFAIK. 3.I have restarted the server several times since uninstalling the SMTP service. 4. The ExchangeSetup.log file simply states the same error: "The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service is installed on this computer. This must be removed before Setup can continue."

There may be a registery key floating around, have you checked the registry?SF - MCITP:EMA, MCTS

This was actually one of the first things I checked, and there was indeed an SMPTSVC key under HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services which I tried to delete, but failed with an error. After your post, I revisited it and, using a thrid party tool, I managed to delete the key. The Exchange installer no longer detected the SMTP service and completed without any other issues. Thanks very much for your time and effort Bardapony and Elvis.

Cool. Thank you for your sharing, Ravendarque. :)

Glad you were able to get it working!SF - MCITP:EMA, MCTS

This was actually one of the first things I checked, and there was indeed an SMPTSVC key under HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services which I tried to delete, but failed with an error. After your post, I revisited it and, using a thrid party tool, I managed to delete the key. The Exchange installer no longer detected the SMTP service and completed without any other issues. Thanks very much for your time and effort Bardapony and Elvis. If anyone else experiences this (like I just have!) third party registry tools aren't required.The error in deleting the keys is down to permissions. You need to change the Owner of the keys from "TrustedInstaller" to Administrators or similar, and then assign Full Control permissions. This enables you to delete them without third party tools.

Instead of forcing permissions on the regkey and then deleten it manually, just open an (elevated) command prompt and run: sc delete smtpsvc More "clean" that way :) Had the same issue, thanks for pointing me in the right direction though! Wonder where it comes from; it's a fresh install on which I just installed IIS with required options for exchange..

Censored13 - your solution worked perfectly for me. I have been trying to install Exchange 2007 SP3 on SBS 2008. SMTP Server had been installed and uninstalled. SMTP service on port 25 responded to telnet. However, SMTP was still visible in Services - and when stopped there was no response on port 25. Exchange 2007 SP3 failed to install with the above error. Elevated CMD and "sc delete smtpsvc" then reboot did the trick, SP3 installs correctly, SMTP Server is not installed, there is no SMTP service visible in services, incoming SMTP mail works. Just like it should :) Thanks!

sc delete smtpsvc worked!!