FIX: Cannot Run Unattended Install of SQL Server 7.0 on Windows 2000 with Strong Password Policy (276419)

SYMPTOMS

An unattended installation of SQL Server 7.0 on a Microsoft Windows 2000 server which is part of a domain having a strong password policy may fail with the following message:

Configure SQLServerAgent

The password does not meet the password policy requirements. Check the
minimum password length, password complexity and password history
requirements.

To continue, you need to manually click OK, which defeats the purpose of an unattended installation.

CAUSE

During the installation, a password is automatically generated by SQL Server for the SQLAgentCmdExec Windows 2000 user account. This is the same account that is used by SQL Server Agent for scheduled tasks created by users who are not members of the sysadmin role. The generated password may not meet the policy requirements of the domain, which causes the account creation step to fail.

RESOLUTION

A supported fix that corrects this problem is now available from Microsoft, but it has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to computers that are experiencing this specific problem. To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

   Version    File name     Platform
   ---------------------------------
   7.00.785   s70785i.exe   Intel
   7.00.785   s70785a.exe   Alpha