MS SQL Express - How to install on your Windows VPS

Installing MS SQL Express on your Windows VPS

Here are the steps to install MS SQL Express on your Windows VPS. It is a free software provided by Microsoft. For web edition, you will need licensing.

1. Download MS SQL Server Express 2014 from Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42299
2. Go to Start--Administrative Tools--Computer Management
3. Click on Local Users and Groups
4. Double-Click on Users
5. Right click on the screen and select "New User"
6. Enter a user name for the database engine to use (your choice) and fill in a strong password(at least 8 characters, capital, lower-case, number, and a symbol)
7. Un-check user must change password at login. Check User cannot change password and password never expires and then click create
8. For security, right click on the user and select "Properties"
9. Click on the "Member Of" tab and remove the user from the Users group by selecting Users and clicking remove
10. Click on the "Remote Desktop Services Profile". Check the box for "Deny this user permission". Click apply then OK.
11. Run the install file you downloaded
12. Select New Installation
13. Click next through the prompts to install "Setup Support Files"
14. For the MS SQL Feature selection, you will need "Database Engine Services", "Full-Text Search", "Client Tools Connectivity" and "Management Tools Basic and Complete". Other options are at your discretion
15. In the instance configuration screen, leave at the Default Instance or MSSQL Express and click next
16. In the service accounts screen, enter in the account you created above and the password
17. On the next screen, select Mixed Authentication mode and enter in a strong password for the SA user. Save this password
18. Click on "Add current user" at the bottom to add the Administrator if it is not already there to allowed users
19. Leave "Install the native mode default configuration" checked and click next through the remaining screens
20. Once installed, please submit a support ticket at http://support.hostek.com giving us the SA user password and request we integrate MS SQL Express with your control panel

These are the steps to install MS SQL Express on your VPS if you did not order it initially. It is important that you do let us know you installed it so we can integrate it with the control panel for ease of use.