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All Forums  SQL Server 2000 Forums  MSDE (2000)  Adding a user to locked-down MSDE?

Author  Topic  shaunc Starting Member 28 Posts Posted - 2009-02-05 : 17:22:00 Hi all, I have a legacy application that comes bundled with MSDE. During installation, the app deploys MSDE and creates a login for itself. Then it does something I've never seen and didn't know was possible: it locks the MSDE instance down so completely, so thoroughly, that not even the local machine administrator account can connect. I've tried the usual (osql -E -S server -Q "sp_addlogin....") and I've tried through EM/SSMS, nothing will let me in. I've been tasked with installing a new instance of the legacy app on a new server, to support a new region. The problem is that once it's installed, I don't have any access to add a login. I can't connect to the MSDE instance at all. The app itself apparently uses a hard-coded login; of course, we don't know it, and the vendor no longer exists. Years ago, someone apparently managed to get into the MSDE instances and add a user with privileges to connect and read from the app's database. That way, we can access the MSDEs as linked servers from various other SQL instances in the enterprise. However, I'm not having any success. I've tried pausing the installation right after MSDE gets installed, and before the legacy app is installed. At this point I can connect, but if I add a user the app removes it, and if I change the sa password then the app won't finish installing. Am I out of luck?