Error message when you change the service account of SQL Server 2008 components to a non-domain administrator account on a Windows Server 2008 domain controller: "The service did not start due to a logon failure" or "WMI Provider Error"

On a Windows 2008 domain controller, when you try to use SQL Server Configuration Manager to change the service account of some Microsoft SQL Server 2008 components or of the SQL Server service to a domain user account that is not a domain administrator, you receive one of the following error messages:

Error message 1You receive this error message if install one or more of the following SQL Server 2008 components, and then you change the service account of the components:

• SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
• SQL Server 2008 Integration Services
• SQL Server Browser

To work around this problem, see Workaround 1.

Error message 2You receive this error message if you upgrade a named instance of SQL Server from SQL Server 2005 to SQL Server 2008, and then you change the service account of the SQL Server service.

To work around this problem, see Workaround 2.

Workaround 1

To work around this problem, add the domain user account to the corresponding domain group for the specific SQL Server component according to the following table. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.
2. In the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in, click Users.
3. Double-click the corresponding domain group.
4. In the Properties dialog box, click the Members tab.
5. On the Members tab, click Add.
6. In the Select Users, Contacts, Computers, or Groups dialog box, type the user in the DomainName\UserName format under Enter the object names to select, and then click OK.
7. In the Properties dialog box, click OK.

Workaround 2

To work around this problem, add the domain user account to the SQLServer2005MSSQLUser$ComputerName$InstanceName domain group.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.
2. In the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in, click Users.
3. Double-click SQLServer2005MSSQLUser$ComputerName$InstanceName.
4. In the Properties dialog box, click the Members tab.
5. On the Members tab, click Add.
6. In the Select Users, Contacts, Computers, or Groups dialog box, type the user in the DomainName\UserName format under Enter the object names to select, and then click OK.
7. In the Properties dialog box, click OK.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

We do not recommend that you install SQL Server on a Windows Server 2008 domain controller.