Oracle Installer: how to remove "Required Support Files"?

I'm trying to install the latest OLE DB driver (OraOLEDB_8170.exe) on a Win2k Server development machine with Oracle8 (Enterprise) client & server stuff installed, and the installer tells me it can't install the latest
"Required Support Files" over existing Oracle 7 & 8 required support files,
and that I must first remove them. So, I shutdown the database, stop all Oracle services in Win2k Services manager and run Oracle Installer to remove them. However, when I try to remove "Required Support Files 7.3.4.1.1" files I get the following errors:

"It was not possible to find a value for the variable, 'rdbms73', in
'$ORACLE'. It is therefore not possible to remove Required Support Files. Please restore the binding for 'rdbms73' in '$ORACLE' in order to remove required support files.'

click ok and then:

"It was not possible to find a value for the variable, 'plsql23', in
'$ORACLE'. It is therefore not possible to remove Required Support Files. Please restore the binding for 'plsql23' in '$ORACLE' in order to remove Required Support Files.

click ok and then:

"It was not possible to find a value for the variable, 'pro18', in
'$ORACLE'. It is therefore not possible to remove Required Support Files. Please restore the binding for 'pro18' in '$ORACLE' in order to remove Required Support Files.

When trying to remove "Required Support Files 8.0.5.0.0" I get a dependency warning and the following error:

"Deinstallation terminated. Please stop all Oracle services before
deinstalling."

Arrghh. I just want to install the newest friggin driver (need the good LOB support)! Anyone have info how I go about getting this OLE DB driver installed?

Thanks.

Rich Gilmour
"Damnit, Jim! I'm a developer, not a DBA!"
Received on Sun Apr 22 2001 - 22:58:34 CEST