Installing sql express on a sql standard server installed machine

Hi, i have sql server 2005 standard installed on my machine. I want to work on express edition and learn about it but on the installation its gets stuck because a higher version is installed. If the express version is free why cant have both versions installed on my machine. Thank you.how are you running setup? it looks like you're trying to upgrade your existing installation, when you want to infact create a new instance of sql server.|||They don't co-exist well. Just curious, why not use the standard install to do your training?|||

I tried to create a new instance but didnt let me even there was a new instance.

The idea of trying to install express is its free. I am writting a windows form vb.net program which uses sql express because its free. I can use access files but if im right i heard that express is trying to be the new access. And i want to learn the differences for these systems. Any input?.

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You can't install express and standard on the same machine because they conflict with each other.

Basically anything you can do with the basic sql server engine (excluding replication publishing) you can do with SQL Server Express. The only limits that Express has are database size (up to 4gb) and hardware usage (memory and number of processors).

SSExpress doesn't support analysis services, integration services, notification services, or reporting services. In all other aspects, Express looks no different from Standard programmatically.

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Sorry to have to contradict here, but there is nothing that should prevent you from installing Express and Standard on the same computer, many people do this.

It is true that you can not "upgrade" from Standard to Express, since that is not an upgrade, but side by side is supported.

You should check the setup logs located at %Program Files%\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Setup Bootstrap\LOG\Files to find more specific information about what is going wrong during setup. The most common problems people have with setup seem to be releated to beta versions being on the computer; if you are running a pre-release version of Standard Edition, that would prevent you from installing Express RTM.

Hope this helps,

Mike Wachal
SQL Express

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So, what would be the easiest way to go from a 2k5 Standard to Express? I found Express after I installed the trial version of standard (which expired). I want to install Express in its stead. Is the easiest thing to do: 1) run a backup using Express linked to Standard, 2) remove Standard, 3) Install Express, 4) Restore Backup?

The only reason I have remove standard before install express is because I don't want to use a named instance, just the server name. Since the application I have in concern uses ODBC it doesn't make much difference but I'm thinking this way keeps everything cleaner.

Thanks in advance for any help.