SharePoint Portal Server Uninstall Error

So you try to uninstall SharePoint Portal Server using the Add/Remove Programs applet but receive the following error:

Application has generated an exception that cannot be handled.
Process id=0xb60 (2912), Thread id=0×1dc (476)
Click OK to terminate the application.
Click CANCEL to debug the application.

This error occurs if you do not uninstall SharePoint Portal Server and Windows SharePoint Services in the correct order.  SPS must be uninstalled prior to uninstalling WSS.  Also, if it is installed on the server, Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) must be removed last.

I encountered this problem today while trying to remove an old SharePoint installation from one of our servers.  Someone had previously uninstalled WSS so my attempt to uninstall SPS failed.  I did a little research and found a Microsoft Knowledge Base article that provided the following workaround:

1. Log onto the server as a member of the local Administrators group.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
4. Switch to the drive where SharePoint Portal Server is installed.
5. Type the following line, where CDImage is the path of the shared folder that contains the SharePoint Portal Server CD files, and then press Enter:

   msiexec /qb /i <CDImage>\WSS\Sts.msi /L*v <full path>\STS_Install.log LAUNCHEDFROMSETUPSTS=1

6. Switch to the drive where Windows is installed.
7. Type the following line, and then press Enter:

   cd %programfiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\60\Config
   

8. Type the following line, and then press Enter:

   copy Web.config Web.config.bak

9. Type the following line, where CDImage is the path of the shared folder that contains the SharePoint Portal Server CD files, and then press Enter:

   msiexec /qb /I <CDImage>\SPS\Sps.msi /L*v <full path>|SPS_Binary_Upgrade.log REBOOT=ReallySuppress

10. Type the following line, where CDImage is the path of the shared folder that contains the SharePoint Portal Server files, and then press Enter:

    msiexec /qb /fvm <CDImage>\SPS\Sps.msi /L*v <full path>\SPS_Repair.log REBOOT=ReallySuppress DONTSTARTSERVICE=1

11. When Setup completes and you are prompted to restart the server, click No.
12. Use the Add/Remove Programs applet to remove, in this exact order, SharePoint Portal Server, Windows SharePoint Services, and MSDE (if installed).