You receive an "Unable to connect to database" error message when you install SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or Windows SharePoint Services (883547)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003
  • Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services

SUMMARY

This article describes an error message that you may receive when you install Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services on your computer. You experience the symptoms that are described in this article if you upgraded a computer that is running Microsoft Windows 2000 to Microsoft Windows Server 2003. The Setup program does not update the version of the Oledb32.dll file that is installed on the computer to version 2.80.1022.0. To work around this behavior, you have to extract the compressed Oledb32.dl_ file from the Windows Server 2003 CD and then copy the file as Oledb32.dll to your hard disk.

SYMPTOMS

You may experience one of the following symptoms when you install SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or when you install Windows SharePoint Services on your computer:
  • If you install Windows SharePoint Services and Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (Windows) (WMSDE) by using the Typical Installation Setup option, you may receive one of the following error messages:
    Unable to connect to database. Check database connection information and make sure the database server is running.

    Cannot connect to the configuration database.
  • If you install Windows SharePoint Services in a server farm configuration that connects to a remote computer that is running Microsoft SQL Server 2000, you receive the following error message:
    Unable to connect to database. Check database connection information and make sure the database server is running.
  • If you install SharePoint Portal Server by using the Install with database engine option, the installation of Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine unexpectedly rolls back. (Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine is also known as MSDE 2000.)
  • If you install SharePoint Portal Server 2003 by using the Install without database engine option, you receive the following error message:

    Error accessing database. Verify that the database server name and the instance name (if present) are correct. Also, ensure the configuration database administration account has sufficient permissions on the server or instance and the service corresponding to your SQL Server instance is running.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if the version of the Oledb32.dll file on the computer is not 2.80.1022.0 or a later version. This behavior may occur if the following sequence of events occurred on your computer:
  1. The following components were installed on your Microsoft Windows 2000-based computer:
    • Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) version 2.7 or MDAC 2.7 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
    • The security update that is described in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

      832483 MS04-003: Buffer overrun in an MDAC function could allow code execution

  2. You upgraded your Windows 2000-based computer to Windows Server 2003, and then you installed SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or Windows SharePoint Services on the computer.
In this situation, when you upgrade your Windows 2000-based computer to Windows Server 2003, the Setup program cannot update the version of the Oledb32.dll file that is installed on the computer. Therefore, the version of the Oledb32.dll file that is installed on the computer is one of the following:
  • If MDAC 2.7 and the security update that is described in article 832483 are installed on the computer, the version of the Oledb32.dll file is 2.7.9002.0.
  • If MDAC 2.7 SP1 and the security update that is described in article 832483 are installed on the computer, the version of the Oledb32.dll file is 2.71.9031.4.
For Windows Server 2003, the version of Oledb32.dll file must be 2.8.1022.0 or a later version.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, extract the compressed Oledb32.dl_ file from the Windows Server 2003 CD, and then copy the file as Oledb32.dll to the following folders on your hard disk:
  • Drive:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Ole db
  • %Windir%\System32\Dllcache
To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Restart the computer in Safe Mode. To do this:
    1. Shut down your computer, and then restart the computer.
    2. Before Windows Server 2003 starts to load, press F8.
    3. On the Windows Advanced Option Menu, use the ARROW keys to select Safe Mode with Networking, and then press ENTER.
    4. If you have a dual-boot or multi-boot computer, select the appropriate operating system from the list that appears, and then press ENTER.
    5. Click OK when you receive the message that Windows is running in Safe Mode.
  2. If Windows is configured to hide protected operating system files, configure Windows Explorer to display operating system files. By default, Windows Explorer hides certain operating system files.
    1. Start Windows Explorer, click Tools, and then click Folder Options.
    2. Click the View tab.
    3. In the Advanced settings dialog box, click to clear the following check box:

      Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)

    4. When you are prompted, click Yes to confirm that you want to display the files, and then click OK.
  3. Rename the Oledb32.dll file in the Drive:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Ole DB folder to Oledb32.old. To do this:
    1. In Windows Explorer, locate the following folder:

      Drive:\Program Files\Common Files\System\Ole DB

    2. Right-click the Oledb32.dll file, click Properties, and then click the Version tab.
    3. Verify that the version of the Oledb32.dll file is earlier than 2.80.1022.0.
    4. Right-click the Oledb32.dll file, and then click Rename.
    5. Type Oledb32.old, and then press ENTER.
  4. Delete the Oledb32.dll file in the %Windir% \System32\Dllcache folder if the Oledb32.dll file exists in that folder.
    1. In Windows Explorer, locate the following folder:

      %Windir% \System32\Dllcache

    2. Right-click the Oledb32.dll file if it exists, and then click Delete.
    3. If you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
  5. Insert the Windows Server 2003 CD into your computer's CD drive.
  6. Extract the Oledb32.dl_ file from the Windows Server 2003 CD, and then copy the file as Oledb32.dll to your hard disk. To do this:
    1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd in the Open box, and then click OK.
    2. At the command prompt, type the following lines, and then press ENTER after each line:

      cd drive:
      cd I386
      expand oledb32.dl_ "drive:\program files\common files\system\ole db\oledb32.dll"
      expand oledb32.dl_ %windir%\system32\dllcache\oledb32.dll

  7. Register the Oledb32.dll file.
    1. At the command prompt, type the following lines, and then press ENTER after each line:

      drive:
      cd "drive:\program files\common files\system\ole db"
      regsvr32 oledb32.dll

    2. When you receive the message that says that the operation was successful, click OK.
  8. Remove the Windows Server 2003 CD from the computer's CD drive.
  9. If you want, reconfigure Windows Explorer to hide certain operating system files:
    1. Start Windows Explorer, click Tools, and then click Folder Options.
    2. Click the View tab.
    3. In the Advanced settings dialog box, click to select the following check box, and then click OK:

      Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)

  10. Restart your computer.
  11. Install SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or Windows SharePoint Services.

    Note If you still experience the symptoms that are described in the "Symptoms" section after you follow the steps that are described in this article, install MDAC 2.8. For more information about how to obtain MDAC 2.8, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=6c050fe3-c795-4b7d-b037-185d0506396c&DisplayLang=en:

If the version of the Ole32db.dll file is not upgraded to 2.8.1022.0 after you install MDAC 2.8, repeat the steps that are described in this article.

REFERENCES

For more information about SharePoint Portal Server 2003, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://office.microsoft.com/home/office.aspx?assetid=FX010909721033

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:2/3/2006
Keywords:kbsetup kberrmsg kbprb kbtshoot KB883547 kbAudITPRO
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