Problem

After uninstalling PG Desktop the MSSQLSERVER service won’t start. The Windows Application event log has an error in it claiming that the “perf-MSSQLSERVER-sqlctr14.0.3436.1.dll” can’t be loaded/found.

This happens because the PGDesktop uninstall removes the msvcp120.dll and msvcr120.dll from the C:\Windows\System32 folder. 

Solution

Hopefully, their is a back up of the PGDesktop client in question. Restore the backup and then preserve the msvcp120.dll and msvcr120.dll from the C:\Windows\System32 folder before the uninstall of PGDesktop and replace them once the uninstall is completed.

If a backup of the Windows client machine with PGDesktop installed doesn’t exist, an additional install of PG Desktop will put the two msvc dlls back in place. Make copies of them before uninstalling PGDesktop again.