I spent more than an hour and a half the other day doing nothing but problems trying to install Microsoft SQL Server Manager Express with my Windows 7. If you search for it, and find a package, such as this one, which is aptly titled “Download Microsoft SQL Server Express” – it doesn’t actually DO what it says it’s going to do! An up to date SQL Server Manager Express isn’t actually part of that package that gets downloaded.
I found a blog post that referred me to someone else’s ratrace with the same problem on a 64-bit system. 64-bit or 32-bit makes no difference – Microsoft’s downloads for the Management Studio just don’t include the actual software you need despite what their website says.
What worked for me, after my own hours of time wasted, was downloading and installing the Microsoft Visual Studio Web Developer Express package, which includes a download / install manager that has built into it MSSQL Manager Express.
I do wish I could bill Microsoft for time wasted!
Tags: windows