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SqlExpress 2005 Install Surprises (Issues)

3 years later and it never ceases to amaze me with how many surprises SQL Express comes with when you try to install it on a windows 2003 server for whatever reason.  So today when I was playing the role of “Server Admin” and attempting to install SQL Express, I ran into a couple of issues.

The first one was

The SQL Server System Configuration Checker cannot be executed due to WMI configuration on the machine* * Error:2147749896 (0x80041008)

So after the initial, “why, God, why?????”, I found this nugget off of google. Its basically a command script that goes through and fixes possible errors for the WMI configuration (FIXWMI.CMD).  So after running this, I could finally get SQL Express installing, well, sort of. 

Evidently SQL Express sometimes has issues installing, when it installs itself in “stealth” mode which is how it installs when you run the “SQLEXPRE32.EXE” installer.

SQLexpress fails with the error: An installation package for the product Microsoft SQL Server Native Client cannot be found. Try the installation again using a valid copy of the installation package ‘sqlncli.msi’

So to get around this, you need to create a temp folder where ever your evil server admin heart desires. I chose to be spontaneous and created: “c:tempsql”.   Then you need to open a command line and change the directory to where ever you have the file “SQLEXPRES32.EXE” kept and run the following command:

$> SQLEXPRES32.EXE /x:c:tempsql

This will unpack everything into that folder.  You should now have a “c:tempsqlSetup” folder, inside of which is a file/msi called … (drum roll), “sqlncli.msi”. Double click on that msi file and run “repair”.  After that rerun the “SQLEXPRES32.EXE” and all should be golden. 

This blog was sponsored by the letter S and number 5 and does not imply warranties of any kind, use at your own risk, the same kind that you take when you open up regedit and begin mutilating various keys and values.