You receive an error message when you try to upgrade an expired installation of SQL Server 2005 Evaluation Edition to a retail version of SQL Server 2005 (914158)

SYMPTOMS

Consider the following scenario. An installation of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Evaluation Edition has expired. You try to upgrade the installation to a retail version of SQL Server 2005. In this scenario, you receive the following error message, and then the installation fails:

The SQL Server service failed to start. For more information, see the SQL Server Books Online topics, "How to: View SQL Server 2005 Setup Log Files" and "Starting SQL Server Manually."

The following error messages are logged in the installation log file:

2007-08-16 16:29:50.10 Server Error: 17051, Severity: 16, State: 1.
2007-08-16 16:29:50.10 Server SQL Server evaluation period has expired.

Additionally, you notice that the following event is logged in Event Viewer:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: InstanceName
Event Category: (2)
Event ID: 17015
Date: Date
Time: Time
User: N/A
Computer: ComputerName
Description:
SQL Server evaluation period has expired.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://support.microsoft.com

Note InstanceName represents the name of the instance that you installed. For the default instance, the instance name is MSSQLSERVER. Date and Time represent the date and the time when the installation failed. ComputerName represents the name of the computer.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because the Setup program cannot start the SQL Server service. When you install retail versions of SQL Server 2005, the Setup program tries to start the SQL Server service of the old installation of SQL Server 2005 Evaluation Edition. However, the service cannot start because the installation is expired. Therefore, the installation stops, and you receive the error messages.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, you must uninstall SQL Server 2005 Evaluation Edition. Then, install the retail version of SQL Server 2005. If you want to keep system databases and reuse the databases after a new installation, you can uninstall SQL Server 2005 at the command prompt by using the SAVESYSDB parameter. Then, install the retail version of SQL Server 2005 at the command prompt by using the USESYSDB parameter.

When SQL Server 2005 Evaluation Edition is expired, you cannot start the SQL Server service. If you want to move the user database to the retail version of SQL Server 2005, you can copy the user database files to a specified location. Then, you can attach the database to the retail version of SQL Server 2005.

For more information about how to install SQL Server 2005 at the command prompt, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144259.aspx

You receive an error message when you try to upgrade an expired installation of SQL Server 2005 Evaluation Edition to a retail version of SQL Server 2005 (914158)

SYMPTOMS

CAUSE

WORKAROUND

STATUS