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In some cases, it may be necessary to uninstall and reinstall the Windows Failover Clustering feature on a server
that is currently a member of a Failover Cluster. This can be done via either Server Manager, or PowerShell.
Below are the steps to complete the process using each method. These instructions document the process for
Windows Server 2012 R2, however the steps are similar for other versions of Windows.
Complete the following steps with a user account that has administrative rights over the cluster, from any server
that has access to the cluster. If the desired server is not listed, first add it by clicking Manage > Add Servers in
Server Manager.
1. In the Nodes view of Failover Cluster Manager, right-click on the node where the Failover Clustering
feature is being uninstalled, select More Actions > Evict, and wait for the node to be removed from the
Nodes view.
2. Open Server Manager and click Manage > Remove Roles and Features.
5. On the “Remove features” window, deselect the checkbox next to “Failover Clustering” and click Next.
If prompted, deselect the checkbox next to “Remove management tools (if applicable)” to retain the
Failover Cluster Management Tools and PowerShell modules, if desired, and click Continue.
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Install/reinstall the Windows Failover Clustering feature and add the node to a cluster via Server Manager
and Failover Cluster Manager
Complete the following steps with a user account that has administrative rights over the cluster, from any server
that has access to the cluster. If the desired server is not listed, add it by clicking Manage>Add Servers in Server
Manager.
2. If prompted, click Next on the “Before you begin” and “Select installation type” windows, then select the
server on which the Failover Clustering feature is to be installed.
3. Click Next on the “Select server roles” window.
4. Select Failover Clustering on the “Select features” window, and click Next.
If prompted, select the checkbox next to “Include management tools (if applicable)” to install the
Failover Cluster Management Tools and PowerShell modules, if desired, and click “Add Features”.
5. Select the checkbox next to “Restart the destination server automatically if required”, and confirm that the
server will be restarted if required if prompted before clicking Install.
6. The server will be rebooted when the Feature is successfully installed.
7. When the reboot is complete, open Failover Cluster Manager, Click “Add Node”, and follow the instructions
in the “Add Node Wizard” to add the node to a cluster.
Complete the following steps from an elevated PowerShell prompt with a user account that has administrative
rights over the cluster, from any server that has local or remote access to the cluster. If necessary, run the
following commands first to import the Failover Clustering and Server Manager PowerShell modules:
Import-Module FailoverClusters
Import-Module ServerManager
1. Run the following command to evict the node where the Failover Clustering feature is being uninstalled:
Remove-ClusterNode -Cluster <clustername> <nodename>
Install or reinstall the Windows Failover Clustering feature and add the node back to the cluster via
PowerShell
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8/23/2018 Uninstalling and reinstalling the Windows 2012R2 Failover Clustering feature | Ask the Core Team
Complete the following steps from an elevated PowerShell prompt with a user account that has administrative
rights over the cluster, from any server that has local or remote access to the cluster. If necessary, run the
following commands first to import the Failover Clustering and Server Manager PowerShell modules:
Import-Module FailoverClusters
Import-Module ServerManager
1. Run the following command to remove the Failover Clustering feature from and reboot the desired node:
Install-WindowsFeature Failover-Clustering -ComputerName <nodename> -Restart
2. When the reboot is complete, run the following command to add the node back to a cluster:
Add-ClusterNode -Cluster <clustername> <nodename>
3. Run the following command to confirm that the desired node is listed as a member of the cluster:
Get-ClusterNode -Cluster <clustername>
Eriq Stern
Support Escalation Engineer
Windows High Availability Team
ScottGu's Blog
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