Does SQL Server save any metadata in registry or home folder?

I have my SQL Server installation on drive c: and the databases on another
drive. My c drive got corrupted and I am planning to restore it from an old
backup. This means drive c will not be up to date.

Is there anything that SQL Server saves in the registry or in its home
folder that changes frequently? I am hoping that nothing does which means
the old backup will be good enough.

Although I think the default databases are in the c drive, I will try to
get them back from a recent backup.

John DalbergHi

SQL Server does use the registry, but the locations of the user databases
are not held there. If you don't have any databases on the C drive then you
could just install the software again, service pack it, and then re-attach
the mdf and ldf files see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/224071/ for more
information. If you don't restore master then you will need to recreate the
logins and then reconcile the orphaned users
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/274188/. If you don't restore msdb you will
need to re-create jobs, dts packages etc.

If you do restore the C drive, then you could use the installation option
that allows you to rebuild the registry to specify new locations.

John

"John Dalberg" <nospam@.nospam.sss> wrote in message
news:20060115041931.065$4x@.newsreader.com...
>I have my SQL Server installation on drive c: and the databases on another
> drive. My c drive got corrupted and I am planning to restore it from an
> old
> backup. This means drive c will not be up to date.
> Is there anything that SQL Server saves in the registry or in its home
> folder that changes frequently? I am hoping that nothing does which means
> the old backup will be good enough.
> Although I think the default databases are in the c drive, I will try to
> get them back from a recent backup.
> John Dalberg

does backup database need to specify file name?

hi, we are using SQL Server 2000 SP4, i am very new. Since i normally use
DB2, when i backup a database, i only need to designate the backup folder and
it will automatically generate the image file by using the timestamp as the
file name. But on SQL server, only specify the backup folder gives me error :
ODBC SQLState: 42000, cannot open backup device (which is the directory
name), device error, can some one help me on this?
thanks
Yes, you need to specify a file name. It is easy to generate using some TSQL code, though. For
example:
DECLARE @.f varchar(8000)
SET @.f = 'C:\temp\pubs' + CONVERT(char(8), CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, 112) + '.bak'
BACKUP DATABASE pubs
TO DISK = @.f
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://www.solidqualitylearning.com/
Blog: http://solidqualitylearning.com/blogs/tibor/
"tulip" <tulip@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:43F3E954-4DA6-4D3F-8F76-88DF689BBADD@.microsoft.com...
> hi, we are using SQL Server 2000 SP4, i am very new. Since i normally use
> DB2, when i backup a database, i only need to designate the backup folder and
> it will automatically generate the image file by using the timestamp as the
> file name. But on SQL server, only specify the backup folder gives me error :
> ODBC SQLState: 42000, cannot open backup device (which is the directory
> name), device error, can some one help me on this?
> thanks
|||but the backup image has not timestamp on it, only year, month, day, so if i
have multiple copies on the same day, what is the best way to distinct them?
thank you
|||I only posted an example. Read in Books Online about the CONVERT function and use a suitable
formatting code (3:rd parameter).
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://www.solidqualitylearning.com/
Blog: http://solidqualitylearning.com/blogs/tibor/
"tulip" <tulip@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:9F07F525-8E2B-4984-BB97-D9810B6F730F@.microsoft.com...
> but the backup image has not timestamp on it, only year, month, day, so if i
> have multiple copies on the same day, what is the best way to distinct them?
> thank you
|||yes, i look at the third parameter, i try to use the one with time stamp
(e.g. 120), but they all contain space in the filename , which gives me error
,Cannot open backup device 'C:\2005-09-06 15:53:53.bak'. Device error or
device off-line. See the SQL Server error log for more details. how do you do
normally?
thanks
|||The character ":" is not allowed in a file name. That is the reason for your error message. Use
another style, or use REPLACE to change those characters to something else:
DECLARE @.f varchar(8000)
SET @.f = 'C:\temp\pubs ' + REPLACE(CONVERT(char(19), CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, 120) + '.bak', ':', '.')
select @.f
BACKUP DATABASE pubs
TO DISK = @.f
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://www.solidqualitylearning.com/
"tulip" <tulip@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:74896E89-E698-446E-9D34-65380179FDB3@.microsoft.com...
> yes, i look at the third parameter, i try to use the one with time stamp
> (e.g. 120), but they all contain space in the filename , which gives me error
> ,Cannot open backup device 'C:\2005-09-06 15:53:53.bak'. Device error or
> device off-line. See the SQL Server error log for more details. how do you do
> normally?
> thanks

does backup database need to specify file name?

hi, we are using SQL Server 2000 SP4, i am very new. Since i normally use
DB2, when i backup a database, i only need to designate the backup folder an
d
it will automatically generate the image file by using the timestamp as the
file name. But on SQL server, only specify the backup folder gives me error
:
ODBC SQLState: 42000, cannot open backup device (which is the directory
name), device error, can some one help me on this?
thanksYes, you need to specify a file name. It is easy to generate using some TSQL
code, though. For
example:
DECLARE @.f varchar(8000)
SET @.f = 'C:\temp\pubs' + CONVERT(char(8), CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, 112) + '.bak'
BACKUP DATABASE pubs
TO DISK = @.f
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://www.solidqualitylearning.com/
Blog: http://solidqualitylearning.com/blogs/tibor/
"tulip" <tulip@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:43F3E954-4DA6-4D3F-8F76-88DF689BBADD@.microsoft.com...
> hi, we are using SQL Server 2000 SP4, i am very new. Since i normally use
> DB2, when i backup a database, i only need to designate the backup folder
and
> it will automatically generate the image file by using the timestamp as th
e
> file name. But on SQL server, only specify the backup folder gives me erro
r :
> ODBC SQLState: 42000, cannot open backup device (which is the directory
> name), device error, can some one help me on this?
> thanks|||but the backup image has not timestamp on it, only year, month, day, so if i
have multiple copies on the same day, what is the best way to distinct them?
thank you|||I only posted an example. Read in Books Online about the CONVERT function an
d use a suitable
formatting code (3:rd parameter).
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://www.solidqualitylearning.com/
Blog: http://solidqualitylearning.com/blogs/tibor/
"tulip" <tulip@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:9F07F525-8E2B-4984-BB97-D9810B6F730F@.microsoft.com...
> but the backup image has not timestamp on it, only year, month, day, so if
i
> have multiple copies on the same day, what is the best way to distinct the
m?
> thank you|||yes, i look at the third parameter, i try to use the one with time stamp
(e.g. 120), but they all contain space in the filename , which gives me erro
r
,Cannot open backup device 'C:\2005-09-06 15:53:53.bak'. Device error or
device off-line. See the SQL Server error log for more details. how do you d
o
normally?
thanks|||The character ":" is not allowed in a file name. That is the reason for your
error message. Use
another style, or use REPLACE to change those characters to something else:
DECLARE @.f varchar(8000)
SET @.f = 'C:\temp\pubs ' + REPLACE(CONVERT(char(19), CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, 120)
+ '.bak', ':', '.')
select @.f
BACKUP DATABASE pubs
TO DISK = @.f
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://www.solidqualitylearning.com/
"tulip" <tulip@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:74896E89-E698-446E-9D34-65380179FDB3@.microsoft.com...
> yes, i look at the third parameter, i try to use the one with time stamp
> (e.g. 120), but they all contain space in the filename , which gives me er
ror
> ,Cannot open backup device 'C:\2005-09-06 15:53:53.bak'. Device error or
> device off-line. See the SQL Server error log for more details. how do you
do
> normally?
> thanks

does backup database need to specify file name?

hi, we are using SQL Server 2000 SP4, i am very new. Since i normally use
DB2, when i backup a database, i only need to designate the backup folder and
it will automatically generate the image file by using the timestamp as the
file name. But on SQL server, only specify the backup folder gives me error :
ODBC SQLState: 42000, cannot open backup device (which is the directory
name), device error, can some one help me on this?
thanksYes, you need to specify a file name. It is easy to generate using some TSQL code, though. For
example:
DECLARE @.f varchar(8000)
SET @.f = 'C:\temp\pubs' + CONVERT(char(8), CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, 112) + '.bak'
BACKUP DATABASE pubs
TO DISK = @.f
--
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://www.solidqualitylearning.com/
Blog: http://solidqualitylearning.com/blogs/tibor/
"tulip" <tulip@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:43F3E954-4DA6-4D3F-8F76-88DF689BBADD@.microsoft.com...
> hi, we are using SQL Server 2000 SP4, i am very new. Since i normally use
> DB2, when i backup a database, i only need to designate the backup folder and
> it will automatically generate the image file by using the timestamp as the
> file name. But on SQL server, only specify the backup folder gives me error :
> ODBC SQLState: 42000, cannot open backup device (which is the directory
> name), device error, can some one help me on this?
> thanks|||but the backup image has not timestamp on it, only year, month, day, so if i
have multiple copies on the same day, what is the best way to distinct them?
thank you|||I only posted an example. Read in Books Online about the CONVERT function and use a suitable
formatting code (3:rd parameter).
--
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://www.solidqualitylearning.com/
Blog: http://solidqualitylearning.com/blogs/tibor/
"tulip" <tulip@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:9F07F525-8E2B-4984-BB97-D9810B6F730F@.microsoft.com...
> but the backup image has not timestamp on it, only year, month, day, so if i
> have multiple copies on the same day, what is the best way to distinct them?
> thank you|||yes, i look at the third parameter, i try to use the one with time stamp
(e.g. 120), but they all contain space in the filename , which gives me error
,Cannot open backup device 'C:\2005-09-06 15:53:53.bak'. Device error or
device off-line. See the SQL Server error log for more details. how do you do
normally?
thanks|||The character ":" is not allowed in a file name. That is the reason for your error message. Use
another style, or use REPLACE to change those characters to something else:
DECLARE @.f varchar(8000)
SET @.f = 'C:\temp\pubs ' + REPLACE(CONVERT(char(19), CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, 120) + '.bak', ':', '.')
select @.f
BACKUP DATABASE pubs
TO DISK = @.f
--
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
http://www.solidqualitylearning.com/
"tulip" <tulip@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:74896E89-E698-446E-9D34-65380179FDB3@.microsoft.com...
> yes, i look at the third parameter, i try to use the one with time stamp
> (e.g. 120), but they all contain space in the filename , which gives me error
> ,Cannot open backup device 'C:\2005-09-06 15:53:53.bak'. Device error or
> device off-line. See the SQL Server error log for more details. how do you do
> normally?
> thanks

Docs files in FTDATA

Hi,
I have a SQL Server 2000 cluster, sp 3 in w2k.
When the catalog is reindexed, some documents appears in FTDATA folder. If I
delete the documents, then they reappear in the next indexing.
I'm thinking about to schedule a batch that cleanup this folder, because I
have the FTDATA in the Quorum drive, with no much free space.
Why this is? How can I avoid it?
qwalgrande
What do you mean by documents? Can you open these documents in Word or
notepad?
These documents will be extracted by the indexing process, but on my non
clustered system they are cleaned up.
Some files will remain which are used my mssearch to track where it is in
the indexing process. You shouldn't touch these files.
Hilary Cotter
Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
"qwalgrande" <qwalgrande*nospam*@.yahoo.es> wrote in message
news:6131ACD4-A717-48D6-AC63-4F2FE43B7CA5@.microsoft.com...
> Hi,
> I have a SQL Server 2000 cluster, sp 3 in w2k.
> When the catalog is reindexed, some documents appears in FTDATA folder. If
I
> delete the documents, then they reappear in the next indexing.
> I'm thinking about to schedule a batch that cleanup this folder, because I
> have the FTDATA in the Quorum drive, with no much free space.
> Why this is? How can I avoid it?
> --
> qwalgrande
|||one more point - exactly which subdirectory of ftdata do these files exist
in.
It could be possible that they are eithre configuration files or the actual
index/catalog files themselves.
Hilary Cotter
Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
"Hilary Cotter" <hilary.cotter@.gmail.com> wrote in message
news:%238ZUxJKoEHA.2340@.TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...[vbcol=seagreen]
> What do you mean by documents? Can you open these documents in Word or
> notepad?
> These documents will be extracted by the indexing process, but on my non
> clustered system they are cleaned up.
> Some files will remain which are used my mssearch to track where it is in
> the indexing process. You shouldn't touch these files.
> --
> Hilary Cotter
> Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
>
> "qwalgrande" <qwalgrande*nospam*@.yahoo.es> wrote in message
> news:6131ACD4-A717-48D6-AC63-4F2FE43B7CA5@.microsoft.com...
If[vbcol=seagreen]
> I
I
>
|||Hello, Hilary.
I will try to explain it better. These "documents" are the documents that I
had inserted in my indexed image column. In the population, the documents
"pass" for the folder and quickly disappear, but a few documents stay in the
folder and don't cleaned up.
The directory is FTDATA, no subdirectories. I have tried in a nonclustered
server too, whit the same result. Could you help me?
Thanks in advanced.
"Hilary Cotter" wrote:

> one more point - exactly which subdirectory of ftdata do these files exist
> in.
> It could be possible that they are eithre configuration files or the actual
> index/catalog files themselves.
> --
> Hilary Cotter
> Looking for a SQL Server replication book?
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602.html
>
> "Hilary Cotter" <hilary.cotter@.gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:%238ZUxJKoEHA.2340@.TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> If
> I
>
>
|||qwalgrande,
The behavior you are seeing is by design, except for the document files not
being deleted, I *believe* has be acknowledged as a bug by Microsoft and may
(or may not) be fixed in the next Service Pack (SP4) for SQL Sever 2000.
This issue was discovered about a year ago on this newsgroup and the
non-delete of the files acknowledged as a bug by Microsoft, but alas we were
not provided with an actual bug number for tracking purposes. Hopefully,
this will be addressed in the next Service Pack (SP4) for SQL Sever 2000.
Regards,
John
"qwalgrande" <qwalgrande*nospam*@.yahoo.es> wrote in message
news:054B35B9-15F1-4BDF-A193-D03638EA71CC@.microsoft.com...
> Hello, Hilary.
> I will try to explain it better. These "documents" are the documents that
I
> had inserted in my indexed image column. In the population, the documents
> "pass" for the folder and quickly disappear, but a few documents stay in
the[vbcol=seagreen]
> folder and don't cleaned up.
> The directory is FTDATA, no subdirectories. I have tried in a nonclustered
> server too, whit the same result. Could you help me?
> Thanks in advanced.
> "Hilary Cotter" wrote:
exist[vbcol=seagreen]
actual[vbcol=seagreen]
non[vbcol=seagreen]
in[vbcol=seagreen]
folder.[vbcol=seagreen]
because[vbcol=seagreen]