I havent researched the new features for SQL 2005. My question is, can you install SQL 2005 on the same machine with SQL 2000 running and keep the SQL 2000 server installed? I would like to keep my original install of 2000 and work with the new functionality of 2005. I also have Visual Studio installed. Thanks for any advice.
Yes you can. Install 2005 instance as a named instance. I have had some issues on a cluster with both versions, but on a standalone box, they run fine together.