On Windows Server 2008 - I installed Visual Web Developer 2008 Express and SQL Server Express 2008 with Advanced.

I ported over several Websites from a Windows 2003 Web Server.

When I go into the V.W.D. Solution Explorer for a given website, I see the MDF files ported from 2003, but when I go into Database Explorer to work with the data,  I get a Package Load Failure and the database will not connect.  Instead it says, "Failure to create a user instance of SQL Server, due to a failure in starting the process for the use instance. The connection will be closed."

And when i try to create a new database, In Solution Explorer, when I right click on App_Data and select Add New Item / SQL Database, I get this error:  "Connections to SQL Server files (*.mdf) require SQL Server 2005 to function properly. Please verify the installation of the component or download it from Microsoft."

Thanks in advance,

Dan

 

 

Can you make sure that all the SQL Services have started on the server?

 IF you mean, go to SQL Configuration Manager, and Select SQL Server Services - I found both the Browser and the Agent to be disabled, and unable to Start.

Hmm..can you try to start them from Windows Services window.

 In Windows Services, I was able to change only SQLBrowser to automatic, and then Start.. but alas it did not help

If the services don't start, there is probably a message about it in event viewer.

Click Start -> Run

Type: eventvwr

Click ok

 

Check for events in there related to SQL Server.

 

 

eventvwr: SQLServerAgent could not be started (reason: Error creating a new session).

 eventvwr: Failed to generate a user instance of SQL Server due to a failure in starting the process for the user instance. The connection will be closed. [CLIENT: <local machine>]

Hi dancir,

Did you install Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition with SP1?

For Visual Studio 2008, we cannot work with SQL Server 2008 without SP1. So I would suggest you upgrade to Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition with SP1.

We can get it from:
http://www.microsoft.com/express/download/

Also we need make sure the SQL Server instance name is correct in VWD.

Please refer to the following steps in Visual Studio, which I think is same in VWD.

In Visual Studio, go to Tools -> Options -> Database Tools -> Database Connections, fill the SQL Server Instance Name with the name of SQL Server 2008 Express Edition instance.

There is another thread about the same issue you may refer to:
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sqlsetupandupgrade/thread/6503fe05-4d05-49e7-8c2a-b9778ab7e9b8/

If you are running with a 64 bit version of SQL Express this could be the answer. I've been hunting for an answer to this problem for a while now and I finally found it here:
http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlexpress/archive/2008/10/02/faq-error-creating-a-service-based-database-in-visual-studio-2008-sp1.aspx

In short, install 32 bit SQL Express or read the link for a long and dirty workaround. Good luck!