Installing SQL Server 2008 on Win8.1

I. Download Installation Package

It is recommended to download from Microsoft official website to ensure the installation package is clean.

The SQL Server 2008 64-bit installation package can be downloaded from Baidu Netdisk. For other versions, please go to Microsoft official website or search on Google.

II. Installation

When opening the installation package on Win8.1, a compatibility error will be prompted: This program has compatibility issues, with 2 options: Get help online | Run program without getting help.

You can directly click "Run program without getting help". There's no need to run in XP or Win7 compatibility mode. Then follow any illustrated tutorial, click next, next... However, after installation is complete, do not open it yet. You need to install SP first, then you can open it.

III. Download and Install SP (SQL Server 2008 Service Pack)

SP corresponds to the version. For example, 2008 only needs SP3 installed, while 2008 R2 only needs SP1. For specific instructions, please see Using SQL Server in Windows 8 and later versions of Windows operating system.

The SP for 2008 is already available in the Baidu Netdisk link above. Other SPs need to be downloaded from the official website.

IV. Possible Issues

After SP is also installed, when opening SQL Server Management Studio, you may encounter issues where the server name is empty or (local) cannot connect. The error message is as follows:

A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: Named Pipes Provider, error: 40 - Could not open a connection to SQL Server) (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 2)

For help information, click: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft+SQL+Server&EvtSrc=MSSQLServer&EvtID=2&LinkId=20476

You need to manually enter the server name. The format is ComputerName\InstanceNameEnteredDuringInstallation, for example, on this machine it's ayqy\SQLEXPRESS.

If you're still blocked before the login dialog, it could also be that the services are not started. The initial states of several services are:

SQL Server Services
-------
SQL Server(SQLEXPRESS) Running Automatic LocalSystem
SQL Full-text Filter Daemon launcher(SQLEXPRESS) Running Manual NT AUTHORITY\LOCALSERVICE
SQL Server Reporting Service(SQLEXPRESS) Running Automatic LocalSystem
SQL Server Agent(SQLEXPRESS) Stopped Other NT AUTHORITY\NETWORKSERVICE
SQL Server Browser Stopped Other NT AUTHORITY\LOCALSERVICE

Open SQL Server Configuration Manager and manually start these services.