[dba-SQLServer] Unable to open billing database

jwcolby jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Mon Apr 14 08:51:42 CDT 2008


OK, the emergency is off but the mystery remains.  I moved the database 
files off of the C: drive and onto a thumb drive and the Management 
Express can now mount the drives.

So it appears to have something to do with the directory it is in on 
Vista.  I know that the directory is read-only, and that prevented a zip 
file from being unzipped directly into a read-only directory.  Perhaps 
Management Express / SQL Server also has issues running a database file 
in a read-only directory?

jwcolby wrote:
> I have rather an emergency here.  I am trying to get at my billing 
> database which runs through an Access FE attached to tables in a SQL 
> Server database.  This was all working for many years on my old XP 
> machine.  The database was created in SQL Server Express AFAICR.
> 
> When my laptop died I received a new one from Dell, and I installed 
> Vista on it.  I also installed Visual Studio 2008 in preparation for 
> going there.  It apparently installed PARTS of SQL Server 2005 and SQL 
> Server Express.
> 
> Management studio was NOT installed, so first I tried to install SQL 
> Server 2005 but it told me that I could not install the user interface 
> because what I already had installed was newer than what I was trying to 
> install, however AFAICT Management Studio was NOT installed.  Needless 
> to say not having management studio is causing me problems doing 
> anything with SQL Server.
> 
> I subsequently downloaded and installed Management studio express which 
> DID install.  However (and here comes the problem) when I try to attach 
> the billing database I get a message saying:
> 
> 
> An exception occurred while executing a Transact-SQL statement or batch. 
> (Microsoft.SqlServer.Express.ConnectionInfo)
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Unable to open the physical file "C:\Colby 
> Consulting\C2DbBilling\C2DbBilling.mdf". Operating system error 5: 
> "5(Access is denied.)". (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 5120)
> 
> Unfortunately so much has changed that I have no clue where to start 
> troubleshooting this problem.  I googled the error but ended up with a 
> bunch of "SQL Server can't start" stuff, but SQL Server is running as is 
> Management Studio Express.
> 
> Any ideas where to start figuring this thing out.  My billing database 
> is locked up in SQL Server at the moment and I can't get at it.
> 
> 8-(
> 
> John W. Colby
> www.ColbyConsulting.com
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> 
> 

-- 
John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com



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