Help please! - Unable to install MS SQL Express 2012 on laptop.

[IainB]

I am trialling out a third-party product called Tabbles.
Tabbles is a sort of file tagging/categorisation tool that integrates with the Windows NTFS filing system. It can use either a proprietary Cloud-based database for the tag data, or Microsoft SQL Express.
I have installed Tabbles on a laptop with an i7 CPU, OS is Windows 7-64 Home Premium (Build 7601) with SP1, .NET Framework 4, and all updates up-to-date.
Currently, I am running the thing with Tabbles' proprietary Cloud-based database, but I want to run it with a local MS-SQL database.

Tabbles Wiki: says:

Tabbles 3 Requirement: Microsoft SQL Server
Tabbles 3 requires the .net framework 4 (this is installed by the installer) and the Microsoft SQL Server (the free version, called "Express" works just fine).

Installing the Microsoft SQL Server Express for single users
For single users, willing to use Tabbles on a single pc, installing the Microsoft SQL Server won't be too complicated. You can download the installer here [1]. The server should work
_____________________

I don't have any practical experience of installing SQL, but it seemed like it should be straightforward.
I checked that the system where the install was to take place met the pre-requisites.
However, it does not install.
There are these 3 most recent files/versions that I could find available for download re SQL 2012 Express:
(From: https://www.microsof...V2/enus/default.aspx )

• 01. SqlLocalDB - (Local DB 64-bit).msi
• 02. SQLEXPR_x64_ENU - (Express DB only 64-bit).exe
• 03. SQLEXPRWT_x64_ENU - (Express + Tools 64-bit).exe

File 02 is the one I apparently needed. It goes into the install process just fine, but just as the progress bar gets to 100% it abends with the error message:

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1 Setup
The operating system on this computer does not meet the minimum requirements for SQL Server
2012. For Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 operating systems, Service Pack 2 or later is
required. For Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2, Service Pack 1 or later is required. For more
information, see Hardware and Software Requirements for installing SQL Server 2012 at:
http://go.microsoft....wlink/?LinkID=195092
______________________

Trial-and-error:

• Following the LinkID=195092 just leads me in circles (I had already established that the system where the install was to take place met the pre-requisites).
• I tried installing File 01, and it installs (but is not of any use to me, I think).
• I tried installing File 03, but that abended with the same error message as for File 02.
• I tried installing what seemed to be an earlier version of the file 02 from another MS website, but that abended with the same error message as for File 02.
• I tried DuckGo searches for problems with installing SQL 2012 Express, but could find nothing that helped or seemed close to the problem I was experiencing, or with a fix/workaround.
• I have searched the DC Forum, but could not find anything that might help.
• I have MySQL-for-Excel installed on the same laptop, and was unsure whether this could have been causing a conflict for the SQL Server 2012 install, but switching the MySQL off doesn't seem to make any difference to the latter install - File 02 it still abends with the same error message.

Having thus drawn a blank so far, I am posting this to see if there is anyone in the forum who could offer their practical experience of the installation of SQL 2012 Express or could suggest problem resolution re same.

[x16wda]

I don't care for the recent SQL server installers, I think they're cumbersome and they can be misleading.  That said, if you run the "checker" (picture here) does it still report a problem?

Can you try running the installer as admin with UAC completely disabled?

Does it absolutely require SQL2012?  You could try 2008R2 (download link here) instead and see if that is sufficient.  (Then you could run the 2012 installer to upgrade if you find yourself with too much free time!  )

[x16wda]

PS- looks like an interesting program, hopefully you will get it working and write another excellent review of it! 

[wraith808]

I did a mini trial of it a while back... the developer replied and it apparently wasn't what I was looking for at the time.

As far as SQL Server Express, a couple of links that might be of help.

First, I'd download it from here or here.

Not sure if that's different from where you d/l'd the installation from, but that page doesn't look like one I've seen.

And a tutorial site that goes through the installation is here: http://www.soheib.co...stallation-tutorial/

[Vurbal]

If those links don't help here's something always worth remembering when you get seemingly nonsensical error messages. In many cases it's the result of poor logic by the programmers. Sometimes a program gets an error, checks for the scenarios the developers anticipated, gets through the next to last one and then falls through to the equivalent of, "If it wasn't any of those, this must be it."

For something like SQL Server it's always worth checking for any available updates - even non-critical ones.

[IainB]

...if you run the "checker" (picture here)
Can you try running the installer as admin with UAC completely disabled?
Does it absolutely require SQL2012?  You could try 2008R2 (download link here) instead and see if that is sufficient.  (Then you could run the 2012 installer to upgrade if you find yourself with too much free time!  )
____________________

-x16wda (March 26, 2014, 06:32 PM)

Thanks for the suggestions.
1. I'd never seen that checker. Maybe that is for the full SQL not the 2012 Express version?
2. I did run the installer as admin with UAC completely disabled - same result, sadlement.
3. During trial-and-error, I did try to install SQL 2008R2, but my system is apparently out of spec. for that install. I too had thought an upgrade from there might be an easier backdoor.   

[Shades]

Could it not be that Home Premium is the problem?

Currently I am running a trial of SQL Server2012 after running SQL 2012 Express for a while now on a Win 7 PC that only has a 2GHz Athlon II/2GB RAM in it.

Anyway, I do think that SQL Server products run best on Windows Server editions. And if you are planning to do that, please do consider Server 2012 R2 instead of 2008 R2, because it behaves way more nimble on my server box than 2008 R2 ever did.

[Ath]

For installation on a non-server version of Windows (like Win7 is) you either need the SQL Express edition, or the SQL Server Developer edition. The other SQL Server editions only allow to be installed on a 'proper' Windows Server OS. This has been enforced from at least SQL Server 2005 and maybe even earlier versions.
UAC hasn't been an issue for me in years, regarding SQL server installs.

[IainB]

Thanks for all the comments.
It seems that the SQL Server Installation Center GUI (per image linked to by @x16wda) would be installed during the installation that abends in my case, which is why I never got to see it.

Though @Shades suggests that Home Premium might be the problem, it can't be, because, as @Ath points out:

For installation on a non-server version of Windows (like Win7 is) you either need the SQL Express edition, or the SQL Server Developer edition.

- and it is the correct SQL Express edition that I am trying to install here, and which install is abending.

Nevertheless, the abend error gives the exact same message as is shown in the first image of the SQL Server 2012 Express Installation Tutorial that @wraith808 links to, and yet my system spec seems to meet the defined prerequisites for installation, so the installation should proceed without error. So the problem is unclear. Evidently something about my system is being detected and flagged "wrong" during the installation.

I shall see if I can find an installation log file that might throw more light on things.
I don't really want Tabbles if I cannot have it all run locally.

[Vurbal]

Though @Shades suggests that Home Premium might be the problem, it can't be, because, as @Ath points out:

For installation on a non-server version of Windows (like Win7 is) you either need the SQL Express edition, or the SQL Server Developer edition.

- and it is the correct SQL Express edition that I am trying to install here, and which install is abending.

-IainB (March 27, 2014, 04:21 AM)

I can verify from personal experience that the Express version will install on Win7 Home Premium x64.

Have you tried installing the original (pre SP1) version to see if that changes anything? That shouldn't make a difference, but obviously shouldn't doesn't always enter into it.

It looks like the original release had a version number of 11.0.2100.60 - http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=29062.

[IainB]

@Vurbal:
Thanks. I just downloaded and executed the file I identify as:
02 SQLEXPR_x64_ENU - v11.0.2100.60 (Express DB only 64-bit).exe
It abended with the same error message as before.
I think I might have already tried this during my trial-and-error, but had not made a note of the version number.

By the way, the newest version that I had already tried and that abended was:
02 SQLEXPR_x64_ENU - v11.0.3000.0 (Express DB only 64-bit).exe

[Shades]

There is no way you can provide us with the actual error message? To see where in the installation routine it fails?

According to this MSDN page .NET 3.5 is one of the requirements. Now I don't know which version you run, but it might be possible that you encounter problems because of incorrect versions or a mix-and-match that bums out the SQL 2012 Express installer.

If that is the case, there is a trick that might help:

• Download the full installer for the .NET you require, not the web installer!
• Stop the Windows Update service
• Use Explorer (in Admin mode) to go to 'C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET'
• Rename the folder 'Assembly'
• Start the Windows Update service
• Install .NET
• Retry installing SQL Server 2012 Express

[IainB]

@Shades:
This is the only information I can give about the error:




The MSDN page you link to is for Hardware and Software Requirements for Installing SQL Server 2012
It says that:

• .NET 3.5 SP1 is a requirement for SQL Server 2012 when you select Database Engine, Reporting Services, Master Data Services, Data Quality Services, Replication, or SQL Server Management Studio, and it is no longer installed by SQL Server Setup.
• .NET 4.0 is a requirement for SQL Server 2012. SQL Server installs .NET 4.0 during the feature installation step.

However, this apparently relates only to the SQL Server 2012 version - i.e., not SQL Express 2012 (also called SQL Server 2012 Express.

When searching for directions for installing SQL Express 2012 I kept getting confused by finding directions for installing SQL Server 2012, and misled myself into thinking they were the same thing.

My laptop meets the prerequisites for installing SQL Express 2012 - namely Windows 7 SP1.

[Shades]

I will take a look t the size of the installer I used for SQL Express. As I am testing the full product now,I don't recall the exact version number anymore from the installer. What I do remember though is that it was not much more than 1 GByte and I'm quite sure it didn't include SP1.

But if that installer does work, upgrading later to SP1 is likely less problematic than your current situation.

[IainB]

Notes re .NET Framework v3.5 (which is apparently not a prerequisite for SQL Express 2012):

Help please! - Unable to install MS SQL Express 2012 on laptop.

[wraith808]

Can you post your computer properties screen?  i.e. ControlPanel > All Control Panel Items > System?

[Vurbal]

Notes re .NET Framework v3.5 (which is apparently not a prerequisite for SQL Express 2012):
 (see attachment in previous post)

-IainB (March 28, 2014, 06:23 AM)

I was going to ask about your .NET setup yesterday until you mentioned you were trying to install the LocalDB version. There is a .NET requirement, but you're correct insofar as it's not for the core server component. It appears to be for the tools, and since they're not installed for that version it's not supposed to be relevant. I'd like to say that rules .NET problems out entirely but experience tells me there isn't enough evidence to definitively say that.

However it's not something I would focus on for the moment. What I would do, if it were me, is try installing the Advanced Tools version just to see if the same thing happens. Even if it doesn't install correctly, maybe it will error out differently and that could still tell us something. Like I alluded to the other day, sometimes errors which don't make sense just means you've encountered a condition the developers didn't anticipate and you're getting some sort of default error message.

This sort of thing is what good IT people get paid for. There's probably a simple answer - maybe not pleasant, but probably simple. At this point it's just not entirely clear what the question is.

It may not be worth the effort for trying out this one piece of software, but at the same time it's probably a sign of something on your computer which very well may cause other problems in the future. OTOH it may be an isolated problem, at least relative to anything else you do with your computer. Just something for you to think about while you're pondering how much of your time and effort this is worth.

[Shades]

This is the info from the installer with which I successfully installed SQL Server 2012 Express with all standard options on Windows 7 which does have .NET 4 already installed.


On a side note: Oracle states that the Oracle XE 10 version does not work on Windows 7 anymore. And the installer that I downloaded at that time indeed doesn't. However, I received through other ways a similar installer with the same name and all, but it is 5 bytes(!) bigger...and guess what, works like clockwork on Windows 7.

I learned thus, that it is unwise to think installers to be the same, even if they share the same name and apparently the same version, just because the vendor says so. For years now I make sure that I see the exact number of bytes from any file I encounter within my file manager. You'll spot differences far more quickly that way.

[Vurbal]

Just as a general note, whenever you're installing any Microsoft software it can't hurt to make sure to have various MS support packages updated first. Besides .NET, that's likely to include one or more Visual C++ packages. It may never become an issue, but it may occasionally save you a lot of grief.

I actually install all the VC++ runtimes during my initial OS setup and use Microsoft Update (via Portable Update) to keep them as up to date as possible.

[4wd]

Any chance the installer uses the normal Microsoft installer command line options?

Then maybe you can log the installation process:

eg. "SQLEXPR_x64_ENU - (Express DB only 64-bit).exe" /log c:\SQL.log

It may provide more information as to what it's failing on.

[IainB]

Computer Properties screen:




By the way, the file I designate as 02 SQLEXPR_x64_ENU - v11.0.3000.0 (Express DB only 64-bit).exe has an MD5 sum of 1da4cc5c1711595b91e8f347ded64c33.

I ran the command:
"C:\Workdata.012 (Software)\ARCHIVE\Microsoft software\SQL 2012 Express\64-bit\02 SQLEXPR_x64_ENU - v11.0.3000.0 (Express DB only 64-bit).exe" /log c:\SQL.log

EDIT: 2014-03-30 1139hrs
The result: Abended with the usual error message, and a log file is produced in C:\TEMP:
File: SqlSetup.log:

Code: Text [Select]

1. 03/30/2014 01:03:56.694 ======================================================================
2. 03/30/2014 01:03:56.698 Setup launched
3. 03/30/2014 01:03:56.703 Attempting to determine media source
4. 03/30/2014 01:03:56.704 Media source value not specified on command line argument.
5. 03/30/2014 01:03:56.705 Setup is launched from media directly so default the value to the current folder.
6. 03/30/2014 01:03:56.709 Media source: c:\750914361e488dc81484f630d63c\
7. 03/30/2014 01:03:56.713 Attempt to determine media layout based on file 'c:\750914361e488dc81484f630d63c\mediainfo.xml'.
8. 03/30/2014 01:03:56.758 Media layout is detected as: Core
9. 03/30/2014 01:03:56.760 Media is a slipstream package
10. 03/30/2014 01:03:56.763 Only patch related actions can run patch setup.exe, so continuing to run setup.exe from media.
11. 03/30/2014 01:03:56.784 Error: This OS is not supported
12. 03/30/2014 01:04:03.779 SQM key not found
13. 03/30/2014 01:04:03.807 Setup closed with exit code: 0x84C40034
14. 03/30/2014 01:04:03.808 ======================================================================

[4wd]

It looks like during a normal installation, the log files gets written here:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Setup Bootstrap\Log\<date>_<time>\??????????????.log

Any luck with that?

[x16wda]

This page looks like a newer version of the page you linked to a few posts above, and it seems to indicate you need .NET 4.0 even for Express installations:

.NET 3.5 SP1 is a requirement for SQL Server 2012 when you select Database Engine, Reporting Services, Master Data Services, Data Quality Services, Replication, or SQL Server Management Studio, and it is no longer installed by SQL Server Setup.
•   If you run Setup on a computer with the Windows Vista SP2 or Windows Server 2008 SP2 operating system, and you do not have .NET 3.5 SP1, SQL Server Setup requires you to download and install.NET 3.5 SP1 before you can continue with the SQL Server installation. The error message includes a link to the download center, or you can download .NET 3.5 SP1 from Windows Update. To avoid interruption during SQL Server Setup, you can download and install .NET 3.5 SP1 before you run SQL Server Setup.
•   If you run Setup on a computer with the Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 operating system, you must enable .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 before you install SQL Server 2012.
•   If you run Setup on a computer with the Windows Server 2012 or Windows 8 operating system, the SQL Server Setup automatically downloads and installs the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1. This process requires internet access.
If there is no internet access, it is required to download and install .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 before you run Setup to install any of the above mentioned components. For more information about the recommendations and guidance on how to acquire and enable .NET Framework 3.5 in Windows Server 2012 or Windows 8, see Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Deployment Considerations (http://msdn.microsof...ws/hardware/hh975396).
.NET 4.0 is a requirement for SQL Server 2012. SQL Server installs .NET 4.0 during the feature installation step.
•   If you are installing the SQL Server Express editions, ensure that an Internet connection is available on the computer. SQL Server Setup downloads and installs the .NET Framework 4 because it is not included in the SQL Server Express media.
•   SQL Server Express does not install .NET 4.0 on the Server Core mode of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 or Windows Server 2012. You must install .NET 4.0 before you install SQL Server Express on a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 or Windows Server 2012.

Powershell 2.0 also:

SQL Server 2012 does not install or enable Windows PowerShell 2.0; however Windows PowerShell 2.0 is an installation prerequisite for Database Engine components and SQL Server Management Studio. If Setup reports that Windows PowerShell 2.0 is not present, you can install or enable it by following the instructions on the Windows Management Framework page.

You can check the Powershell version from a powershell window:

PS C:\windows\system32> echo $PSVersionTable

Name                           Value
----                           -----
PSVersion                      3.0
WSManStackVersion              3.0
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1
CLRVersion                     4.0.30319.18449
BuildVersion                   6.2.9200.16628
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.2

I hate to suggest to anyone they install any extra .net, but maybe that'll help?

[IainB]

@4wd and others: I just found the log file, and inserted the details into my post above, for completeness. It was in C:\TEMP  ... (Doh!).
Sorry, I would have found it earlier using Everything search, but my tired mind had forgotten I had left the Enable Regex switch ON, and I only just now discovered that ...    
Amazing how a good night's sleep can unfuddle one's mind.

@x16wda: Thanks for the helpful comments. I found it all a bit confusing, but after reading all the references I could find, the situation seems to be that:

• Either .NET Framework 3.5 or 4.0 is a prerequisite for the Express install, but both are not necessary.
• Thus, if you don't have the prerequisite .NET Framework 3.5, then .NET Framework 4.0 is a prerequisite for the Express install. This (.NET 4.0) is fortunately already included in Windows 7 SP1 (e.g. my configuration) by default.
• Powershell is not defined a prerequisite for the Express install (as far as I am aware) and is already in Windows 7 SP1 (e.g. my configuration) by default anyway.

It sometimes seem to me that if MS had deliberately wanted to make the conditional logic for installing their "FREE" proggies so tortuous, then they probably couldn't have done much better than seems to have been achieved in the case of this Express install. Then again, maybe it was just a screwed up afterthought (i.e., not originally planned) to offer the FREE Express install. It'll be great if/when I can get it working...    

[Shades]

Although Windows 7 comes standard with PowerShell, it still can be that the version on your system does not meet the demands of the SQL Server 2012 installer. It doesn't hurt to check and update if need be.

Providing Express as an afterthought I don't know. For years MS gives you Express versions of their development software and that has helped them a lot with snaring/trapping developers. A tactic the Oracle database guys took over and it worked for them too. So Microsoft can't and doesn't stay behind in this field of software.

However, they should have taken a better look at how Oracle did it. Their installer works with a lot less hassle, all dependencies are already integrated and when it is finished you have a nice web-interface to manage the test DB that has been setup for you.

On my system SQL Server 2012 Express installed only after missing dependencies were downloaded and installed. I found the management interface a lot less newbie friendly when comparing to the Oracle XE product. It's not difficult, especially for those who work with MMC consoles regularly.