I have installed Visual Web Developer 2005 Express and SQLserver 2005 Express
(SQLserver Management Studio Express). To install SQLserver 2005 Express, I
had to delete the SQLserver 2000, because the file folder names for 2000 and
2005 Express are the same.

I am wondering how can I test a VWD project connecting directly to an old
SQLserver 2000 database? Can I have 2000 and 2005 Express databases on the
same computer? What are the general instructions for updating from
VS2003/SQLserver 2000 to VS2005/SQLserver 2005Express?

TIA,
Jeffrey

hi Jeffrey,
Jeffrey wrote:
actually SQL Server Express edition installs, by default, a named instance
named (excuse the word collision) SQLExpress, so that the fully qualified
instance name is (local)\SQLExpress or ComputerName\SQLExpress so no naming
collision should appear in "default" installations if you not choose to
install another "default" instance (or named instance as well)on a computer
already hosting a "default instace" (or another "named instance" with the
exact same name)..

the very same is true regarding file system folders as SQL Server 2005
editions use a folder convention like {Program Files}\Microsoft SQL
Server\MSSQL.X naming standard, where X is a number between 1 and n standing
for a "service number", including Database Relational Engine services, Full
Text, Analysis services, and so on...
so, starting by scratch, you usually have MSSQL.1 as the first Database
engine service installed, then you have FullText (if installed) as MSSQL.2,
and so on.. if you later install another instance with Relational Engine,
the X become the very next number available, becoming, in this example,
MSSQL.3..
on the other hand, SQL Server 2000 installs a default instance in {Program
Files}\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL and named instances in {Program
Files}\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL$InstanceName, so, again, no collision
should raise at file system level..

at the endo of the game, you can cave coexisting instances of SQL Server
2000 (all kind of editions) with SQL Server 2005 (all kind of editions) on
the same computer as long as they do not mismatch the instance name..
as regard the upgrade path, that's to say which kind of SQL Server 2000
edition can be upgraded at whih kind of SQL Server 2005 edition and how to,
please have a look at
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144267.aspx
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144245.aspx
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143393.aspx
--
Andrea Montanari (Microsoft MVP - SQL Server)
http://www.asql.biz http://italy.mvps.org
DbaMgr2k ver 0.21.0 - DbaMgr ver 0.65.0 and further SQL Tools
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regards..