How can I delete this ODBC?

Question

I am unable to delete a specific ODBC of type system DSN. I am able to create and remove other ODBC connections on the same server, but a particular ODBC (name = Default) cannot be removed. If I try to rename it to something other than "Default", a new system DSN is created with the original name "Default" which also has the same metadata, such as description and server FQDN.

Environment info:

• OS = Windows Server 2012 Standard 64-bit
• ODBC =
  • Name = Default
  • Platform = 32bit
  • Driver = SQL Server Native Client 10.0
  • Type = System DSN
• Database = SQL Server 2008 R2 SP2 (located on another server)

What I have tried/learned thus far:

1. I have attempted to remove this ODBC using "ODBC Data Sources 32-bit" (path = %windir%\syswow64\odbcad32.exe). I do not receive an error message after attempting to remove it, but the ODBC remains anyway. I am not able to even see this ODBC using "ODBC Data Sources 64-bit" (path = %windir%\system32\odbcad32.exe), though I am able to see (but not modify) other 32-bit ODBCs using this 64-bit tool.
2. If I perform a "Test Data Source..." within the tool for configuring this "Default" ODBC, it succeeds with "TESTS COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY!"
3. This ODBC originated to be used with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2010. When I launch GP 2010 to attempt to connect to this "Default" ODBC, it is not available as a connection option, though all other ODBCs on the server are.
4. I have not been able to find any references within the registry to this "Default" ODBC or any other ODBCs of type system DSN. I have looked within HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE >> SOFTWARE >> ODBC >> ODBC.INI, and all that exists there is a default registry key (name = (Default), not the string literal "Default"). Also, in my own research, I have seen mention of a "ODBC Data Sources" key which should appear at this registry path, but I simply do not have one.

Solution

I able to delete by recreating a registry value. Then I deleted the entire ODBC using the %windir%\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe GUI client.

In order to recreate the registry value, I had to know where to go. In this case, the registry path at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE >> SOFTWARE >> Wow6432Node >> ODBC >> ODBC.INI >> ODBC Data Sources was missing a value. The value I manually created had the following information:

• Name = Default
• Type = REG_SZ
• Data = SQL Server Native Client 10.0

After this value was created, TWO entries showed up within the 32-bit ODBC GUI client with the name "Default". After I deleted one "Default" ODBC, they both disappeared!

My suspicion is that there was a key for "Default" within ODBCINST.INI, as I think I saw one before the deletion. There is not one there now. If there was one before, it was deleted using the GUI tool in process described above.