You receive an "error code 8000FFFF" error message when you run the Commerce Server 2000 Setup program (889580)

SYMPTOMS

You run the Microsoft Commerce Server 2000 Setup program. When you click Next on the Administration Database Configuration dialog box, you receive the following error message:

Error: SQL Error encountered.

Execution of the SQL command "select * from sysdatabases where name='MSCS_Admin'" failed with error code 8000FFFF. Please verify that the SQL Server and Administration user credentials specified are correct.

You receive this error message even after you verify that your Microsoft SQL Server administrative user credentials are correct. Therefore, you cannot install Commerce Server 2000.

CAUSE

This issue occurs if SQL Server 2000 is configured to use Windows Authentication Mode authentication instead of Mixed Mode authentication.

When you install Commerce Server 2000, SQL Server 2000 must use Mixed Mode authentication.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, when you install SQL Server 2000 to support Commerce Server 2000, click Mixed Mode (Windows Authentication and SQL Server Authentication) in the Authentication Mode dialog box.

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, configure SQL Server 2000 to use Mixed Mode authentication. To do this, follow these steps:

Start the SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Manager program. To do this, click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server, and then click Enterprise Manager.
Expand Microsoft SQL Servers, expand SQL Server Group, right-click the name of your computer that is running SQL Server, and then click Properties.
Click the Security tab.
Under Authentication, click SQL Server and Windows, and then click OK.
When you receive the following message, click Yes:The changes you have made will not take effect until the SQL Server server has been restarted. Do you want to Stop and Re-start the server (ServerName) now?
Restart the Commerce Server 2000 Setup program.