Article ID: 831862 - Last Review: November 27, 2007 - Revision: 3.6

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000) Release A

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Currently, Microsoft is re-releasing Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine 2000 Service Pack 3a (SP3a) as Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000) Release A. This article addresses the changes and the differences between SQL Server Desktop Engine 2000 SP3a and MSDE 2000 Release A.

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INTRODUCTION

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE 2000) Release A is an updated, downloadable version of MSDE 2000. The updated version has a new End-User License Agreement (EULA) that gives users different rights from previous MSDE 2000 licenses.

After you download and extract the MSDE 2000 Release A files, you use the Desktop Engine Setup.exe file to install instances of MSDE 2000 Release A. Desktop Engine Setup.exe is a command prompt utility; it does not have a user interface. Instead of using a user interface to specify installation options, you use command prompt switches, or you use an .ini file.

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MORE INFORMATION

The differences between MSDE 2000 Release A and MSDE 2000 SP3a

After you install MSDE 2000 Release A, it functions the same as MSDE 2000 Service Pack (SP) 3a. The following is a list of the differences between MSDE 2000 Release A and MSDE 2000 SP3a.

MSDE 2000 Release A has a new EULA.
MSDE 2000 Release A cannot be used to upgrade earlier versions of MSDE.
MSDE 2000 Release A does not include the merge modules that are sometimes used to embed earlier versions of MSDE 2000 in application setup utilities.
The ReadmeMSDE2000A.htm file is new.

How to upgrade earlier versions of MSDE

MSDE 2000 Release A can only be used to install new instances of MSDE 2000 Release A. If you want to upgrade earlier versions of MDSE, you must use the MSDE part of the SQL Server 2000 service pack files. You use the SQL Server 2000 service pack files to do the following:

Upgrade MSDE 1.0 to MSDE 2000.
Apply the latest service pack to an instance of MSDE 2000. For example, use the MSDE part of Microsoft SQL Server 2000 SP3a to upgrade instances of MSDE 2000 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or to upgrade MSDE 2000 Service Pack 2 (SP2) to MSDE 2000 SP3a.

To download the latest SQL Server 2000 service pack files, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/bb331754.aspx (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/bb331754.aspx)

How to distribute MSDE 2000 Release A

MSDE 2000 Release A does not include the merge modules that are sometimes used to embed earlier versions of MSDE 2000 in application setup utilities. To distribute the MSDE 2000 Release A files with applications, you must write an application setup wrapper utility that does the following:

Calls the Desktop Engine Setup.exe file to install an instance of MSDE 2000 Release A.
Installs the application.

For more information about distributing MSDE 2000 Release A, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/msde/msdeuse.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/msde/msdeuse.mspx)

Version information

MSDE 2000 Release A contains the same fixes as MSDE 2000 SP3a, including the fixes that address issues that were raised by the Slammer worm. You do not have to apply MSDE 2000 SP3a to MSDE 2000 Release A. You also do not have to upgrade MSDE 2000 SP3a or MSDE 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3) to MSDE 2000 Release A.

MSDE 2000 Release A returns the same version information as MSDE 2000 SP3a. If you use the @@VERSION system variable or the SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion') function, both report a build number of 8.00.760. The SERVERPROPERTY('ProductLevel') function returns SP3. Both the @@VERSION system variable and the SERVERPROPERTY('Edition') function report the edition as Desktop Engine.