MSDE install common sense issues?

MSDE installs via a batch file using Microsoft's setup.
Once installed does it really make sense to uninstall it?
What if Visio is already installed before my install, or some other product
that uses MSDE, what happens to that install when my install runs?
Would I need the sa password of the prior install?
If I install my database into the default instance? And then someone
uninstalls the original app (prior to my install) that installed MSDE. Does
the installation uninstall MSDE even though my app uses it too?
Is it safer always to make my database run in its own instance?
Regards...
j
hi Jeff,
"Jeff" <joedirt@.datahook.com> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:%23nD5tx8XEHA.3520@.TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> MSDE installs via a batch file using Microsoft's setup.
> Once installed does it really make sense to uninstall it?
I don't understand this question... if you install an application, does it
make sense uninstalling it?...
if you need that MSDE instance, don't uninstall it..

> What if Visio is already installed before my install, or some other
product
> that uses MSDE, what happens to that install when my install runs?
I don't know if Visio install a separate MSDE instance (my Visio
installation did not) .. but you can install up to 16 different instances of
MSDE.. ok that number is quite prohibitive as regard resources, as you never
will have or desire 16 running instances of MSDE on the same box..
but if you have a "particular" instance you don't want to share with other
applications, than you can install a private instance for that app and using
a "common" instance for all other databases...

> Would I need the sa password of the prior install?
as long as that instance is up, you need it...

> If I install my database into the default instance? And then someone
> uninstalls the original app (prior to my install) that installed MSDE.
Does
> the installation uninstall MSDE even though my app uses it too?
this must be asked to the ISV providing that MSDE instance... as per MSDE
original EULA it shoul'd be that way, but now MSDE is free, and each
instance can be a shared one, as long as the ISV providing it does not
specify it's reserved for his/her app(s)

> Is it safer always to make my database run in its own instance?
it really depends... personally I do not, I only have separate instances for
test under different service pack levels, but on production servers I always
ask the end user before installing if he/se needs a separate named instance
when an existing MSDE/SQL Server instance is detected..
Andrea Montanari (Microsoft MVP - SQL Server)
http://www.asql.biz/DbaMgr.shtmhttp://italy.mvps.org
DbaMgr2k ver 0.8.0 - DbaMgr ver 0.54.0
(my vb6+sql-dmo little try to provide MS MSDE 1.0 and MSDE 2000 a visual
interface)
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