Removing Merge Replication

Several years ago I set up Merge Replication on a SQL 2000 database and an MSDE Client on a Laptop. The Laptop frequently travelled out of the country and would "synch" up when it came back in.

Well the Laptop received some Viruses that we cannot get to remove so putting it on the network is not possible. Also, the owner of the laptop received a new one. He wants the database set up on the new laptop but it is not a priority at the moment and we plan to wait till the "Yemen" project is finished.

In the mean time, I want to remove the old laptop out of the Merge Replication scenario. We are not concerned about losing the data in the database on the laptop.

Does anyone know the steps I need to perform to "unreplicate" my database without being able to connect them?From the publisher's standpoint, it should be a pretty simple matter to delete the subscriber (uncheck the option to remove replication artifacts at the subscriber). See sp_dropmergesubscription in BOL.

If you are trying to remove the merge subscription artifacts from the subscriber database, then you simply execute sp_removedbreplication '[DB_NAME]'.

Regards,

hmscott|||For my situation, the subscriber was dead. So doing any procedure on the subscriber side was not an option. I had a bit of difficulty removing the subscriptions from the publisher side (sp_DropMergesubscription would not run) but I think I have it accomplished now.

The prescribed way of removing replication is to 1. Drop subscriptions, 2. Drop publications, 3. Drop Distributor - see

However I couldn't get the subscriptions to remove because I couldn't attach to them so I skipped step 1 and went to the part in the article on dropping a merge publication. I was able to run the sp_dropMergePublication and sp_Relicationdboption procedures. After that I was able to delete the subscriptions (via Enterprise Manager) as well.

I still have some garbage in the Replication Monitor on my agents that haven't cleaned up. Perhaps a restart will resolve this. Thanks for your input.|||Sorry, my URL didn't display on the last post.
http://http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324401