CodeFrenzy

I’ve just had the toughest time getting SQL Server 2005 WITH Management Studio installed, so I thought I would blog about my thoughts on the matter and my rather round about way of getting it going.

1 – Install SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition. Stick Disk 1 in. Everywhere says ‘click on the link to start the SQL Server Installation Wizard.’ Well guess what, there isn’t a link that says that! There are two links, one to install components and another to install SQL Native Client. Grr.

2 – I click on the components one and it seems to install everything I need to run SQL Server 2005, EXCEPT for Management Studio. Why? I don’t know. I do however wonder why it never asks me for Disk 2… hmm.

3 – Open up Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs. Look for “Microsoft SQL Server 2005”. Click on the “Change” button.

4 – Select the ‘SQL Server 2005 common components > Workstation Components’ option and hit Next. When you are finally given the option to ‘remove’ this component, do it. Just do it.

5 – Once this is all finished (takes forever!), repeat step 3. When you are shown the the same dialog box as in step 4, there won’t be a ‘SQL Server 2005 common components > Workstation Components’ option. Instead there will be some text telling you you should use the ‘To install a new component, click here’ link at the top of the dialog box. Click this link. This will open up a series of dialog boxes very similar to those encountered in step 2 – your basic installation. Select the last option (I think it was ‘Tools’?).

6 – It should tell you it’s going to install a bunch of stuff and then start installing it all… pretty quickly however, it will ask you to insert Disk 2. This is a good sign.

7 – Insert Disk 2.

8 – Wait for the installation of all the different components to complete.

9 – And like magic, you should now have a whole bunch more shortcuts in your start menu under Microsoft SQL Server 2005. Although this seems like all you did was install, uninstall and re-install, believe me, it’s the only way I managed to get it to work.

As I said above, I’m not sure if I’m the only person this has ever happened to but I have seen plenty of other blog articles on how to get Management Studio installed if it doesn’t appear to be there already so I believe I’m not alone. None of the other solutions I saw helped me either so hopefully this will help someone else in the same position as me!

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