Installing Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE)
MSDE is Microsoft free version of the SQL Server 7. It is more limited in performance and scalability than SQL Server. MSDE is freely redistributable for owners of Microsoft Office 2000 developer edition and Microsoft Visual Studio 6. MSDE runs as a service on the machine where it is installed. It only needs to be installed once as the MSDE service can host multiple databases from different applications.
Requirements for a Proper Installation
The first step in installing MSDE is to review its operating requirements. A typical MSDE installation requires 55 megabytes (MB) of local hard drive space, and 64 MB of system memory is recommended. MSDE runs on both Workstation and Server editions of Windows NT 4.0. Service Pack 4 is required to run MSDE on any Windows NT 4.0 platform. MSDE runs on all editions of Windows 2000 and Windows XP
Installing MSDE from Office 2000
Although MSDE is not part of Microsoft Office 2000 or Microsoft Access 2000 standalone setup, you can install MSDE from the Office 2000 CD-ROM by running Setupsql.exe located in the \Sql\x86\Setup folder.
To install MSDE from the Microsoft Office 2000 you must perform the following steps:
1. Launch MSDE installation wizard from the Office 2000 CD-ROM by double clicking on the \Sql\x86\Setup\Setupsql.exe file.
2. A dialog will appear in which you can select the installation method. You can choose Local Install - if you want to install MSDE on the local machine or Remote Install - if you want to install MSDE on a remote machine. Click Next to continue.
3. A welcome dialog will appear. Close other Windows programs and click Next.
4. Setup will ask your name and/or your company name. Click Next to continue.
5. In the next step you must specify the destinations folders. Program Files folder is the folder where MSDE program files will be copied. Data Files folder is the folder where the MSDE databases will be stored. Click Next to continue.
6. Next, a dialog will appear in which you can select Character Set, Sort Order and Unicode Collation. It's recommended to leave the defaults settings in this step. If you want some special settings please click the Help button at the bottom of the page and read the information. Click Next to continue.
7. In this step select Network Libraries. MSDE uses network libraries to pass network packets back and forth between clients and a server running MSDE. It's recommended to leave the defaults settings in this step unless you want to use another network protocol. If you want some special settings please click the Help button at the bottom of the page and read the information. Click Next to continue.
8. When running on Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP, MSDE and SQL Server Agent are started and run as Windows services named MSDE and SQLServerAgent. For these services to run, they must be assigned a Windows NT user account. Both services may be assigned the same user account. Click Next to continue.
9. The setup wizard will announce you that it has enough information to start copying the program files. If you want to review or change any settings click Back. If you are satisfied with the settings click Next.
10. The installation wizard has now completed. Now you can start using MSDE.
| 
