Disclaimer: Yes, I know Windows 8 is a pre-release and things won’t necessarily work. I still need to do this.
I’m trying to install SQL Server Express 2008 R2 on Windows 8 32-bit (via Virtual Box). When I run the installer, I get an error:
Database installer returned error code -2147024893 (The system cannot find the path specified.)
The web installer didn’t work either. WPI’s log file tells me:
DownloadManager Information: 0 : Install exit code for product 'SQL Server Express 2008 R2' is -2068774911
I tried running this in compatibility mode for Windows 7. I can run the installer, click through the setup screen, and finally I get this error:
There was an error generating the XML document.
Error code: 0x84B10001.
How do I get this working, or, how do I debug/triage this? I looked through the logs, but I’m not too sure what they said; it might’ve been a registry-write error. Running in admin mode just causes the installer to not load, or a nice BSOD:
The answer, ironically, is quite simple — I was installing 32-bit SQL Server on a 32-bit Windows 8. Instead, I moved to installing a 64-bit SQL Server on a 64-bit Windows 8.
Problem solved.