BUG: Upgrade Fails if SQL Server Pipe Is Not Set to Default

  - Microsoft SQL Server version 4.2

SYMPTOMS

SQL Server's setup fails during an upgrade with the errors:

   The SQL Server upgrade could not be successfully completed.
   Setup could not  connect to the SQL Server

CAUSE

If SQL Server is configured to listen on a pipe other than the default pipe of \\.\pipe\sql\query or is configured not to listen on any pipe at all, the SQL Server SETUP program will be unable to upgrade a SQL Server installation, because it will not be able to connect to SQL Server to run the install scripts.

WORKAROUND

You can manually set the listenon parameter back to the default pipe using REGEDT32.EXE, which is located in your \winnt\system32 directory.

WARNING: Do not use Regedt32 unless you are familiar with it, as a mistake could render your system inoperable.

The instructions are:

1. From an operating system prompt, type:

         start regedt32
   

2. Navigate to the following key:

         hkey_local_machine\software\microsoft\sqlserver\server
   

3. Double-click on the listenon variable to edit it and add a value or modify the pipe value to:

         ssnmpntw,\\.\pipe\sql\query
   

   After the listenon value has been changed to listen to the default SQL Server pipe, the upgrade process can be ran.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in SQL Server version 4.21. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.