SQL Server Express only installs with Configuration Tools

  • Downloaded SQL Server Express 2005 from microsoft, went through the whole install process without any errors, but it's left me with only the Configuration Tools on the Start Menu. I looked in Add/Remove Programs and it lists SQL Server 2005, SQL Server Native Client, SQL Server Setup Support File, and SQL Server VSS Writer.

    I dbl-click on a .mdf file and it recognizes it as a SQL Server Primary Database file, but doesn't find SQL Server to open it with.

    I've got .NET 2.0 (as well as 1.1 and it's hotfix).

    ..um...what else....oh, I looked in /Program Files/Microsoft SQL Server/ and it's only got three subdirectories in it: MSSSQL.1, 80, and 90. They're all relatively empty (though 90 seems to have some stuff).

    Help!

    Jon W

    Victoria BC

  • [font="Verdana"]Hi Jweston,

    As said above SQL Management studio(SSMS) GUI is not accompanied with SQLExpress setup. You need to download the same separately and install the same from the link above.

    Still SQLExpress provides you command line utility to connect to the server. SQLCMD is the command utility bundled with SQLExpress.

    Sample connection string:

    sqlcmd -E -S servername\instancename --- Connecting through windows authentication

    sqlcmd -S servername\instancename -U username -P password ---- Connecting through SQL logins

    [/font]

  • Thanks for the help guys. Got it all working and then discovered that the front-end I'm building for doesn't like 2005, it will only talk to SQL Server 2000. Grabbed a Sql Server 2000 install disk and it's saying that the server component is not supported on this OS (WinXP SP2). I need the server component to "host" the db so the front-end app can access the db, yeah? What server component? Does this mean I need Windows Server installed or something? What a pita this is turning out to be...I'm just doing development on my standalone desktop so it's not like I need to host this SQL db across a network or anything.

    Thanks again,

    Jon

  • Hi Jon,

    Try downloading MSDE from the MS site - it's the SQL Server 2000 equivalent of SQL Server Express.

    Cath

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