I'm trying to install SQL Server Express 2008 and Reporting Services on a x64 Windows 7 Machine for development purposes.

I've installed SQL Server 2008 Express with the Microsoft Web Platform Installer

I had to manually enable the SQL Server Browser in the Sql Server Configuration Manager and tried to enable the SQL Server Agent but that simply doesn't work. Keeps throwing an RPC error: "The remote procedure call failed. [0x800706be]". The start mode is set to Disabled and I cannot change it.

Even though I selected the SQL Server Express with advanced services in the web platform installer I could not find any reference to SQL Server Reporting Services so I used the SQL Server Installation Center x64 application to "upgrade" to SQL Server Express 2008 with advanced services... this installed many things but still I couldn't find any reference to SQL Server Reporting Services other than an application called: "Reporting Services Configuration Manager"

This opens up a dialog called "Reporting Services Configuration Connection" which is asking for a server name (shows the name of my machine) and a Find button. When I click the find button I get: "Unable to connect to the Reporting Server WMI provider. Details: Invalid Namespace".

I found some references on the web to solve this problem, but they refer to a directory: "%ProgamFiles%\Microsoft SQL Server\MSRS10.SQL2008\Reporting Services\" which does not exist anywhere on my system. (The directories for SQL Server are there, but there is no Reporting Services directory anywhere).

What am I doing wrong here? Wasn't the web platform installer supposed to handle all this?

Thnx for any advice.

PS: Most google results refer to 2005 vs 2008 problems, but I never had 2005 installed on this system, it's a newly installed development machine.


I'd start by uninstalling whatever you have now. Then going back to the SQL Express Download website and installing it again. Changing features during an SQL 'upgrade' usually doesn't end well.

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  • I will try that, if it works I'll mark your answer as the reply of course :) – TimothyP Mar 20 '10 at 16:48

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