Removing Exchange 2003 form a DC

Hi Folks,
Here's my situation and I am hoping you can help.
DC1
Windows Server 2003
Exchange 2003
DNS
DC2
Windows Server 2003
DC3
Windows Server 2008 R2
DNS
Due to aging equipment, I need to remove Exchange 2003 from DC1 and demote it to a member server  The machine will then be decomissioned.   The Exchange data has been exported from DC1 and imported into Office365, and the Exchange services
are not currently running. The FSMO roles have been moved off from DC1 to DC3. All clients and server now use DC3 for DNS.
I have heard of all sorts of horror stories related to removing Exchange from a DC. Based on my situation, can anyone tell me what I need to do to remove Exchange 2003 so that I can demote this DC. The Exchange store has been shutdown for sometime know,
but I need to get this machine off our network.
Any help would be appreciated.  I apologize if this is posted in the wrong forum.
Thanks

Hi,
It is not supported to demote a DC running Exchange Server, so I recommend you follow the steps below to uninstall the Exchange 2003 at first.
1. Log on to the server from which you want to uninstall Exchange 2003.
2. Open Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.
3. In Add or Remove Programs, select Microsoft Exchange, and then click Change/Remove.
4. On the Welcome to the Microsoft Exchange Installation Wizard page, click Next.
5. On the Component Selection page, in the Action column, use the drop-down arrows to select Remove, and then click Next.
6. On the Installation Summary page, verify that the Action column is set to Remove, and then click Next.
7. On the Completing the Microsoft Exchange Installation Wizard page, click Finish.
When you uninstall the Exchange 2003 server successfully, you can demote the DC1 to a member server.
Hope it helps.
Best regards,
If you have feedback for TechNet Subscriber Support, contact
[email protected]
Amy Wang
TechNet Community Support

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