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Frequently Asked Questions

Installing MSDE on a Windows Virtual Private Server

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Last Updated: October 23, 2014 5:39 PM

The following only applies to Windows® Virtual Private Servers (VPS) not running Windows Server 2008. Windows Server 2008 does not support MSDE.

While the MSDE is pre-installed on the Windows Dedicated Servers by default, it is not pre-installed on our Virtual Private Servers (VPS). However, it is fairly easy to install and configure.

To Install MSDE on Windows Virtual Private Servers (VPS)

  1. Log in to the server using Remote Desktop.
  2. From the Start menu, go to Control Panel > Add Remove Programs.
  3. Select the listing for Parallels Plesk Panel and click Change.
  4. Expand the Database Management section and click X next to either Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition or Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine.
  5. Select Will be installed on local hard drive.
  6. Click Next and then click Install.

Once installed, the fields on the Databases page under Plesk Server are automatically populated. Note: The password is not the default Parallels Plesk Panel password.

To Find the Password in MySQL

  1. Log in to Parallels Plesk Panel as "admin" and select Server > Databases.
  2. On the Databases page, select the MySQL tab and fill in the appropriate fields. (localhost:8306, admin, Parallels Plesk Panel password).
  3. Open the MySQL RootWebAdmin tool.
  4. Browse to and open the file psa.misc.
  5. On the last page, locate the mssql_admin_passwd field to find the MSSQL sa password.

To Find the Password in MSSQL

  1. Log in to the MySQL RootWebAdmin.
  2. In the list of databases on the left, select the psa database.
  3. In the SQL field, located below the phpmyadmin logo in the upper left, type SELECT * FROM `misc` WHERE `param` ='mssql_admin_passwd';. The MSSQL sa password is returned.

To Reset the MSSQL sa Password (without knowing the current password)

  1. In the command line, change the directory to: C:Program FilesMicrosoft SQL Server80ToolsBinn.
  2. Type OSQL -S localhost –E.
  3. Type SP_PASSWORD NULL , 'newpassword','sa' (replace 'newpassword' with your database's new password).
  4. Type GO.
  5. Log in to Parallels Plesk Panel and go to Server > Databases > Microsoft SQL Server.
  6. Change the 'sa' password setting.