Beginner needs help installing MSDE

Hi, I am trying to teach myself ASP.NET from the SAMS 24 Hrs book and I am trying to install MSDE for use with the web matrix project.

I think I succesfully installed it the first time I tried but entered a four digit SAPWD password not knowing it needed to be strong. I clicked on the data tab in the web matrix project as instructed to open the database and entered my user and password but it gave me some error message.

Now when I click the data tab it say I need to install MSDE on my computer and links me to www.asp.net.

Then when I try to install MSDE after it has downloaded, it gives me this error message. -- 'Setup failed to configure the server. Refer to the server error logs and setup error logs for more information.'--

I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling everything as well as everything else I can think of.

I would be forever grateful if someone could help me out with this.

Many Thanks

Mark
E-Mail: poolstar_uk@.hotmail.comTry this link. It might help.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B829386

Goodluck|||Many Thanks for the advice but I am still having no luck with it.

Any other ideas? I'm not sure my pc will live to see many more days!|||Are you using the Web Matrix server or The IIS ?|||I appreciate your replies, thanks.

I am using the web matrix server.

I have tried installing IIS but it is asking for my windows disk and I cannot find it. I've just moved house and there are boxes and bags everywhere.

Do you think I could use IIS if I could find the disk? Or do you have any ideas on using the web matrix project?|||Follow this tutorial. It's from this website.

http://www.asp.net/webmatrix/guidedtour/Appendices/installMsde.aspx

Perfect example and exact step-by-step of what you need to do. Also, please post what your error logs state if this still doesn't work. You can specify where your logs dump to when you install MSDE from the command line.

Hope this helps. Good luck.|||Thanks everyone for your help, problem solved.

Many Thanks|||Hi poolstar, actually I have the same problem as yours, can u tell me how u solved the problem, thanks a lot man. can u email me this through this email jie_jeep@.yahoo.com|||I am having the same problem but the tutorial did not help.

How do you specify where the log dumps to?

I am using an XP machine networked to another XP machine for internet purposes. My machine is the slave and does not have its own modem. I normally turn off the connection unless I want to be hooked to the internet.

The instructions I had read that time said to install with sapwd=matrixsa instancename=matrixsa but did not add securitymode=sql so I tried the install without it (with the lan connection active). MSDE did install but then had no red x or green arrow in the white circle on the icon in the system tray. When I clicked on the icon, it was looking for the master machine and there were no possible selections in the dropdown box.

I uninstalled, restarted and tried it again with the securitymode and began to get the error again saying that setup failed to configure the server. I have tried three more times, restarting each time, and consistently get this error. All of the successive times, the lan connection has been off.

Any suggestions? Could this be caused by the lack of a modem in this machine and/or having the lan connection active?

Thanks,
Beth