Installing with settings.ini

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Installing with settings.ini

Ryan Slimmon

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Points: 5
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April 24, 2007 at 8:48 am

#175936

Hello,

I found one of the nice features of sql server is the ability to setup a templates.ini file with all your settings in it to install your instance of SQL Server. However, I'm getting issues doing this. I seem to always get the error:

"Invalid INI File. Please make sure this file exists, have access and has the correct entries."

Now, i've gone through the default template.ini file multiple times and looked on MSDN. I can't seem to find any help in trouble shooting this error message. Below is my current file (password blanked out of course):

; Ryan Slimmon - April 23, 2007

; Custom Software Solution Inc.

; This is the default template file for SQL Server Express installs, this should help us not having to go through the setup everytime.

;***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***

[Options]

; Leave this blank, the defaults for the server should be used

; USERNAME=User

; COMPANYNAME="Custom Software Solutions Inc."

ADDLOCAL=SQL_Engine,SQL_Data_Files

INSTANCENAME=SQLEXPRESS

SQLBROWSERAUTOSTART=1

SQLAUTOSTART=1

SECURITYMODE=SQL

SAPWD=***************

DISABLENETWORKPROTOCOLS=0

ERRORREPORTING=1

SQMREPORTING=1

ENABLERANU=1

ADDUSERASADMIN=1

SQLCOLLATION=SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS

Now I've tried setting all the settings I can think of, even the ones that say if they aren't specified, the server will use the default (i.e. The install directories). I've used the undocumented "LOGFILE" command and built a XML file and went through and did a GUI install to see if I'm missing anything and everything is there. The only setting I can't set is the "PIDKEY", which is my product key. For sql express, you don't need a product key and the template file says that it "not required" for the express edition.

Can anyone tell me what setting I'm missing to create a valid "settings" file? I'm at a loss and am ready to beat my head against a wall.

If this helps, i'm testing this on:

- WinXP SP2 (Fully Patched)

- Using SQL Express SP2 Install

- DotNet Framework 1.1 & 2.0

- Office XP is installed

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks,

Ryan