Configuring SQL Server Express and Visual Web Designer Express

OS: XP Pro/SP2

Previous installation of SQL Server 2000 Developer Edition, now removed.

I am able to successfully install .NET 2.0, SQL Server 2005 Express, and VWD 2005 Express from the Express homepage (http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/express/). At least, I am not receiving any error messages during download/install. However, I am unable to configure SQL and VWD to talk with each other such that a new Web project in VWD Express can connect to the database for the basic site admin functions, much less any actual data manipulation/storage.

All instructions I've found seem to relate to SQL build versions other than what is available now for download.

In the course of repeated uninstalls/reinstalls of various versions of the SQL Express, I have probably also mucked up my machine beyond redemption.

So, to the actual questions:

(1) Which version of SQL Server 2005 Express should I be trying to use with VWD 2005 Beta 2

(2) Where can I find detailed click by click configuration instructions to set it up

(3) Or, will the Nov 7th release include a matched set of Express components that would make it worth just waiting a few weeks

I found a lengthy blog post on cleaning up the kind of mess I probably have, so I'll be doing that first. Any other guidance will be appreciated!

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Configuring SQL Server Express and Visual Web Designer Express

saff_cossie
On November 7th, all of the versions will be matched up and there should be fresh documentation regarding uninstalling old versions and installing the new versions. So if you can wait till then, things should certainly be easir.

In the meantime, you should look into the auto-uninstall tool at http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/express/uninstall/. This will help clean up some of the settings that may have been left behind.

As for versions, if you start on a fresh machine and just grab the VWD Express installer, it will automatically install the correct, matched, versions of the .NET Framework and SQL Server Express for you. That would be your best bet.

Thanks,
Luke Hoban
Visual C# IDE Program Manager
Raja_blr
Thanks for the quick reply!

I did the complete cleanup and a fresh install, and this time it did offer SQL Express with the VWD download (I don't believe it did before, but I was trying to install SQL Express separately and maybe that messed it up).

I'm now able to run VWD and I'm trying to slow down and carefully follow the steps outlined in Dan Burman's "Web Development with Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition and SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, Part 1".

I have created a new project, created the new folders he describes, and created a new SQL database in my project. However, when I move to setting up the web site admin with the ASP.NET Configuration tool, two things go haywire.

(1) I'm not given a choice, it says I'm already configured for SQL Server as my provider (OK, that's what I planned anyway, but why doesn't it follow the documentation )

(2) When I test the provider connection it times out with a "server not responding" error and a long page of possible causes relating to permissions, presence or absence of the folder, database, etc.

I recalled seeing somewhere that aspnet_regsql needs to be run, so I ran that program and got the same timeout error.

What did I miss in the install/setup What's the fix

Thanks again.

Larry
Configuring SQL Server Express and Visual Web Designer Express

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