Simply running setup.exe for MSDE will not do the trick for you. you are
getting the message because when you do that without specifying an instance
name it tries to install a default instance and in your case i assume you
already have a default instance that is why. I also recommend that you use
the latest MSDE SP3a found in
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/downloads/2000/sp3.asp, download the files
necessary to install an MSDE SP3a instance. Please refer to section 3.7 of
the sp3Readme.htm for installation instructions, this is important as we
introduced new switches starting in SP3.

If you want to create an MSDE instance and you already have default you can
do this by using below example, add more parameters as needed. Note that
password parameter is required starting with MSDE SP3:

setup.exe instancename=TEST sapwd=foo /l*v c:\log.txt

Create a verbose log so that you can determine if installation was
successful or not. If it shows failure then look for 'value 3' in the log
and cut and paste 10 lines above and below and send to the newsgroup so we
can diagnose where it failed.

Good luck.

--
Kris Yumul [MS]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

"Richard Liddiment" <Richard (AT) cfp-software (DOT) co.uk> wrote