Can’t Install SQL Server 2008?

I tried to install SQL Server Management Studio Express 2008 today.

Going through that install process gives me a taste of the cruel world DBAs live in. I feel bad for those guys. No wonder they’re frazzled and grumpy.

I went to the SMSSE download page and was informed after downloading the program that I need to go to the Windows Installer 4.5 page and install the installer so that I could run the SQL Server Installer. My head hurts.

After reading tea leaves and conjuring up spirits with the Ouija board, I figured out how to install the Windows Installer.  At this point my morning took a turn. After dutifully restarting my computer, I ran the SMSSE installation process to have it tell me that my computer needed to be restarted before I could install SQL Server 2008.  It didn’t matter how many times I restarted my PC, it still failed to install.  I summed it up in a Twitter Post:

After searching the internet, I found the answer in a Microsoft Support Forum:

  1. Click ‘Start’ -> Run…
  2. Type: Regedit, hit enter.
  3. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerPendingFileRenameOperations
  4. Right click PendingFileRenameOperations and click Modify.
  5. Delete the value for PendingFileRenameOperations.
  6. Close the Registry Editor, the issue should be fixed.

After you’re finished, it should look like this:

In my case, it did and I was able to install SMSSE, just with a little less hair.


 

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