Before you install the database engine
A database install goes wrong far more often because of the machine than because of the software. A few checks beforehand save an afternoon.
Check these first
- Free disk space. The engine plus your data needs room, and the installer needs temporary space too.
- Administrator rights. The installer needs to create services and folders.
- No older instance already using the same name. A leftover instance confuses both you and the installer.
- A restart pending. Finish any pending restart before you begin.
Write down what you choose. The instance name, the account and the port are easy to forget and annoying to rediscover later. Keep a note beside the machine.
When the machine is ready, continue to installing the free database engine.