SQL Server 2000 MSDE Service Pack 1 Setup on Windows 98 computer fails with error message

Retired KB Content Disclaimer

View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q303680

Expand all | Collapse all

SYMPTOMS

When you try to install Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE) Service Pack 1 onto a Microsoft Windows 98-based computer, the setup may fail with the following error message:

Unable to run script files.

Back to the top

CAUSE

During the SQL Server 2000 MSDE Service Pack 1 installation on the Windows 98-based computer, the setup tries to connect to the SQL Server server to run the following three scripts:

Sp1_serv_uni.sql
80sp1-tools.sql
Sp1_repl.sql

The SQL Server 2000 MSDE Service Pack 1 installation attempts to log on by using either Microsoft Windows NT authentication or SQL Server authentication. SQL Server 2000 MSDE on a Windows 98-based computer only has SQL authentication. The SQL Server 2000 MSDE Service Pack 1 installation fails if you do not specify a SQL authentication login to run the upgrade. The installation fails because it attempts to log on as user "NULL". The following error message is recorded in the Sp1_serv_uni.out file, which indicates that the problem occurred while the installation was trying to run the Sp1_serv_uni.sql script:

Back to the top

WORKAROUND

To avoid the problem described in the "Cause" section of this article, specify a SQL authentication login to run the SQL Server 2000 MSDE Service Pack 1 installation. You must also add the Upgradeuser property to the Setup.ini file that is used by the SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine installation.

Download the SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine Service Pack 1 file (Sql2kdesksp1.exe).
Extract the contents of Sql2kdesksp1.exe.
Edit the Setup.ini file by using Notepad and add the following text: UPGRADEUSER=sa

Note The sa password must be set to NULL before you apply SQL Server 2000 MSDE Service Pack 1. You can change the sa password after the upgrade completes.

Note We recommend that you install Microsoft SQL Server 2000 MSDE Service Pack 4 (SP4). For more information about SQL Server 2000 MSDE SP4, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/B/D/1BDF5B78-584E-4DE0-B36F-C44E06B0D2A3/ReadmeSql2k32desksp4.htm#_acquiring_desktop_engine_sp4 (http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/B/D/1BDF5B78-584E-4DE0-B36F-C44E06B0D2A3/ReadmeSql2k32desksp4.htm#_acquiring_desktop_engine_sp4)

Back to the top

REFERENCES

For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

299351 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299351/ ) BUG: MSDE installation fails on systems that have SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 1 or 2 installed

281983 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/281983/ ) Cannot specify instance name using SQL Server 2000 merge modules

Back to the top

APPLIES TO

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (Windows)

Back to the top

kbprb KB303680

Back to the top

Retired KB Content Disclaimer

This article was written about products for which Microsoft no longer offers support. Therefore, this article is offered "as is" and will no longer be updated.

Back to the top