How to hack MDAC 2.8 off of a machine

I can't take credit for this as I found the tip here. Basically the preferred method is to have the MDAC installer for what you want *removed* and using a couple of less-known setup switches:

1. use the /T switch to specify a temporary folder to extract the files in the setup
2. use the /C switch to only copy the files out

Also, it's good to use the MDAC Component Checker to verify which version you have installed. Then grab the standalone installer for that version, unpack it, run the uninstall, reboot and you're good to go.

I downloaded the mdac_typ.exe and used a command prompt to execute the following:

mdac_typ /t:C:\mdac /c

I then switched to the C:\mdac directory just created and executed the following to uninstall:

dasetup /u

I happened to be running this on a Windows 2000 machine and after the reboot Windows Protection kicked in and tried to restore stuff. I cancelled it then tried Component Checker again and promptly got an error because MSXML wasn't installed. I then ran the install for the version of MDAC I wanted (2.7 SP1 Refresh). After it finished, I tried Component Checker again and it told me that version of MDAC installed was indeed 2.7 SP1 Refresh.

As with any undocumented hacks like this, your mileage may vary.

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