Steps To Install SQL Server Express (&& Reporting Serivces) On 64 Bit Windows Vista Ultimate

Steps to install SSX (& Reporting Serivces) on 64 bit Windows Vista Ultimate



I struggled quite a bit over the past few days to complete this install. The sequence of steps is less obvious than those for Windows XP Pro on a 32 bit machine.

I recorded all the steps in one place in cookbook style for non-technical (but database capable) users like myself. I have referenced appropriate other postings and sources for detail steps. These are steps I found useful, you may be in a different situation.



My environment is as follows:
-New HP dv9000 w/ 2GHz and 2GB memory
-Factory installed Windows Vista Ultimate. Note this includes .NET Framework 2.0 so I did not have to deal with installing that.
-I have no extant databases or SQL Server that I am trying to convert or upgrade!


Setup Steps Before Install:
1) Turn off User Account Control.
At present, I am a one-user operation with close control over my system and there seemed to be issues with getting reporting services set up right with UAC. I may come back and modify this step later on and certainly would change this for any releasable systems.


1a)Go to Control Panel Home --> User Accounts --> Turn User Account Control on or off.
1b)Unselect Use User Acount Control.
2)Set up your IIS 7.0 for Reporting Services.
IIS 7.0 has IIS 6.0 Compatibility features turned off out of the box. You will turn them on with this step. This is needed for both Reporting services and to enable the Adminscripts that are used in Step 3 below.


2a) Use the Control Panel --> Programs --> Turn Windows features on and off function.
This is quite nicely desribed with screen shots at:
http://www.iis.net/default.aspx?tabid=2&subtabid=25&i=957
These steps worked for me although they are labeled Vista Beta 2.

3)Set up your 64 bit machine to run 32 bit ASP.NET
This capability is needed to make sure you pass the System Configuration Check for Reporting Services. I don't know the full implications of this step and wonder if it might eventually bite me if I have to flip-flop between 32 and 64 bit ASP.NET or have them both run at the same time.



3a) Open a command line window by:
Start --> Accessories -- Cmd Prompt
3b) In this window type:
cscript %SystemDrive%inetpubAdminScriptsadsutil.vbs set w3svc/AppPools/Enable32bitAppOnWin64 1

At some point, you may wish to go back to 64 bit. For that, see the posting by MihaelaE as an Answer in the SQL Server Reporting Services Forum under a thread started by fagster on 3/8/2007.

Now to actually install SQL Server.

1) Download the 64 bit SSX.
This step fooled me for a while as the 64-bit downloads are 'below the fold' on the web page.



1a) Go to the SSX download page:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/download/

1b) Scroll down the page and below Step 5, Register, you will see this text which takes you to the download you want:
"* For the 64-bit install of SQL Server 2005 Express Edition, click here."
1c) Follow the "click here" to get the download.

2) Install the package from step 1c and you will get SQL Server Express.




2a) The install may fail and complain about not finding a valid SQL Server Native Client Install, sqlncli_x64.msi. You will have to extract the files manually and then run the sqlncli_64.msi package by itself. Then you can go back to step 2 and should be successful.
To do this, see post of Mike Wachal on 4/5/2007 to SQL Server Express Forum, titled "Cannot Install SQL Server Express on Vista Ultimate -- cannot find MS SQL Server Native Client".

3) Now add in the SQL Server Management Studio Express 64 bit version.




3a) Go to the SSX download page:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/download/

3b) Scroll down the page and below Step 5, Register you will see this text which takes you to the download you want:
"* For the 64-bit install of SQL Server 2005 Management Studio Express, click here."

3c) Follow the "click here" to get the download.

4) Now add the SQL Server Reporting Services.



4a) Go to the SSX download page:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/download/

4b) Scroll to Step 3 Download and Install (in the middle of the page) and download SQL Server Express Edition with Advanced Services SP2.
4c) Install, but at the Feature Selection screen, disable all components EXCEPT Reporting Services. You already have the other components installed.
4d) In the install, you will get a screen called "Report Server Installation Options". Go ahead and select the "Install but do not configure the server" radio button.

5) Go ahead and configure SQL Server Reporting Services.
I'm not highly skilled in this area so I recommend the SQL Server Express Video "Learning Video 10: Getting Started with Reporting Services". This is found at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/learning/default.aspx
I found this video to be cogent and useful.


That's what it took me to get SQL Server Express installed with reporting services on a 64 bit Vista Ultimate system. Sorry if this is so long but I wanted to cover all the steps that hung me up.

To forum moderators: If I have any errors that will lead people astray, I'm more than happy to correct them.

This posting is "AS IS" with no warrantees and caveat emptor.