I have a few times failed to install Windows SharePoint Services or Microsoft Search Server Express, when I have come to a location where the SQL Server 2005 is already in place with custom configuration. The failures have occurred during the phase when the WSS is trying to create and configure the SQL Server. First time I had some troubles working it out, since I’m not a DBA, so I would like to share my solution since nothing is found on Google on this matter.
The installation fails during one of the first steps (don’t remember exactly but it’s second or third) and you get a link to the installation log file. In the log there are reported errors, such as this one:
05/08/2008 10:38:44 8 ERR Task configdb has failed with an unknown exception
05/08/2008 10:38:44 8 ERR Exception: System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: Ad hoc update to system catalogs is not supported. Configuration option 'show advanced options' changed from 0 to 1. Run the RECONFIGURE statement to install.
An other scenario is that SharePoint is during the installation trying to modify some of the SQL Server 2005 configuration parameters, such as the Min server memory (MB) to 128 MB. The error message then states
An exception of type System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException was thrown. Additional exception information: The affinity mask specified conflicts with the IO affinity mask specified. use the override option to force this configuration.
configuration option ‘min server memory (MB)’ changed from o to 128. Run the RECONFIGURE statement to install
All you have to do to solve this is to execute the statements using SQL Management Studio and use the RECONFIGURE WITH OVERRIDE statement.
For example:
exec sp_configure 'allow updates', 1
reconfigure with override
allows updates to be done. To solve the second problem I have used
exec sp_configure 'min server memory (MB)', 128
reconfigure with override
Hope this helps somebody out.