SYMPTOMS
When you try to install Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine on a computer that already has SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine installed, you receive the following error message.
The installation package could not be opened. Verify that the package exists and that you can access it, or contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer package.
NOTE: The previous version of Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine was called Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE).
RESOLUTION
You can either reinstall SQL 2000 Desktop Engine, or you can install another copy by using a named instance.
Reinstalling SQL 2000 Desktop Engine
If you want to reinstall SQL 2000 Desktop Engine, you can use a command line similar to the following. This example assumes that drive D is your CD-ROM drive.
D:\MSDE2000\setup.exe /f "D:\MSDE2000\Setup\sqlrun01.msi"
After the reinstallation is finished, note that the
SQL Server Manager icon in the SysTray has been removed. To reload the SQL Server, restart the computer.
Installing Another Copy of SQL 2000 Desktop Engine
If you choose to install another copy of SQL 2000 Desktop Engine, you must specify an instance name. To do so, use a command line switch similar to the following:
D:\MSDE2000\setup.exe INSTANCENAME="<any name>"
You must use the full ServerName\Instance name when you want to connect to this instance of SQL Server.
NOTE: MDAC 2.6 must be installed on each computer that will use an instance name to connect to SQL Server.
For additional information about connecting to an instance of SQL Server 2000, click the article number below
to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
274383 Cannot Connect to Instance of SQL Server 2000