Failed to generate a user instance of SQL Server

• rmasonh2006

  Go to server connections tab in VS 2005 or Database connections VWD 2005. Right click the MDF file. Click modify connection. On the Advanced Tab of the modify connection, scroll down and look for 'User Instance' property. Set to 'False'.
  
  Then test connection; should work fine.
  
  

• James Lau

  Could you please provide build numbers of VS and SQL Server
  
  Also, have you tried connecting to SQL Server instance using sqlcmd command line utility (sqlcmd / for options). If that fails, please include full command line and the error message you get.
  
  Most likely reason for the connection to fail are incorrect connection string, lack of permissions (or application/database server running under different accounts) and not running instance.
  
  Try verifying each of the steps in the error message provided.
  
  Thank you,
  Boris.
  
  
  
  

• NesherHH

  Are you able to connect on the same machine to an instance I do not know how to connect to a database file through sql server express manager but I can open it through the vs2005 ide.
  What is the version you are running sql server express beta 2.
  What are you connecting with when you get this error message When I run the site through the vs2005 ide I don't get the error but if I run the site through iis I get the error message.
  Have you tried restarting the sql server and the machine   Yes
  Have you checked permissions   I checked to make sure that aspNet (i'm running on xp) has write premisions to the database (Personal.mdf) file.
  Did it ever work   Only through the VS2005 IDE.
  
  Thanks.

  
  

• Alberto Ferreira

  I am having a similar problem.
  
  I have installed the VS2005 TS CTP (Beta 2).  I am walking through the tutorial at http://beta.asp.net/guidedtour2/.  When I get to the point in the tutorial where you create the authentication/authorization database (http://beta.asp.net/guidedtour2/s27.aspx), I go to the security tab of the web site admin tool, and get this:
  
  "There is a problem with your selected data store. This can be caused by an invalid server name or credentials, or by insufficient permission. It can also be caused by the role manager feature not being enabled. Click the button below to be redirected to a page where you can choose a new data store.
  
  The following message may help in diagnosing the problem: Unable to connect to SQL Server database."
  
  I then click on the "Choose Data Store" button, which takes me to the "Provider" tab.  At this point I click on the link to choose a single provider.  On the next page, I select "AspNetSqlProvider" (the only option available) and click on the "Test" link.
  
  At this point, I get an error page.  Contents pasted below.  I have checked all of the permissions mentioned in this error page, and am at a complete loss as to what to try next so that I can create the database and continue on.
  
   

  Server Error in '/asp.netwebadminfiles' Application.

• GEEEO

  I still get the error (when trying to browse the web page though ie) even though the database now shows up in Sql Server Express Manager.
  

• Richyj

  Ok, I tried to do that and now it can't connect to the database at all.
  Gives me the message:
  An attempt to attach an auto-named database for file C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\Visual Studio 2005\WebSites\BearLodge\App_Data\Files.mdf failed. A database with the same name exists, or specified file cannot be opened, or it is located on UNC share.
  
  Trying to do it in the connection I can't even get it to save the setting, and putting it in the web.config it won't load the page, just displays that error. I did some checking and what I've found that says how to fix that error says to put the user instance back to true.
  So... where do I go from here
  
  
  

• hey answer plz i got a problem..

  I have the same problem.
  
  I installed SQL 2005 Server, I don't have a SQL Express (While installing VS2005 I skipped SQL Express)
  
  Do I need to change connection strings Where
  
  
  
  

• biriktirici

  I'm having a similar problem, my question though, in a walkthrough to use the login control it says the default is an access one that is not even listed as an option as a Provider, and not the sql one, indeed the sql version it lists isn't even the provider listed in the asp.net configuration setup. Because I'm not very proficient with SQL yet, but am fairly good with Access I wanted to build my first applications using Access rather than SQL. I am assuming that this is something that changed from beta 1 to 2
  Whether it is or not, is there a way for me to use the asp.net configuration and user management tools with an Access backend If there isn't, how do I migrate this database from my development system to my production server I am quite at a loss on using SQL so detailed help here would be greatly appreciated.
  
  Jyn
  

• Jack Loomis - MSFT

  Thanks!  That makes sense.

  
  

• Hong Zhang

  Ok got this much figured out, still having other problems, but this part of the problem is fixed. lol
  

• Sam Matthews

  I'm getting the same error message when I try and connect to the site from a different computer but it works fine on my test machine.  I get an error message "Your Sql Server installation is either corrupt or has been tampered with (Could not open sqlevn70.rll)."
  
  Thanks for any help you can give.
  Wyatt 
  

• markstamp

  I met this problem too.But now I has solved that.
  1.Firstly,do as what factoryman said:Go to server connections tab in VS 2005 or Database connections VWD 2005. Right click the MDF file. Click modify connection. On the Advanced Tab of the modify connection, scroll down and look for 'User Instance' property. Set to 'False'.
  2.After do that,you can view the database stucture in the "Server Explore" view.But if you run your web application,maybe you'll found that the same problem occure.And this time I think you should do:in the web.config file, modify the infomation of the database connection,set "User Instance=False".
  

  
  
  

• RDV0326

  In arbitrary order:
  
  Are you able to connect on the same machine to an instance
  What is the version you are running
  What are you connecting with when you get this error message
  Have you tried restarting the sql server and the machine
  Have you checked permissions
  Did it ever work

  
  
  

• Stoked

  Yep, same for me - the database now at least appears in the 'Data Connections' list of the Server Explorer pane, but when I try and run any of the 'Starter Pack' apps, I get the same message: 'There was a problem loading data: Failed to generate a user instance of SQL Server due to a failure in starting the process for the user instance. The connection will be closed.'
  
  Helpful Not!
  
  Perhaps VS would work better with a MySQL database . . .
  
  
• Failed to generate a user instance of SQL Server