Symptoms: During the Server Configuration Wizard (SCW), SQL fails to install. On our form, the following text will display: The database install has been canceled or failed to complete.
If you are installing SQL Server 2005 Express independently of our SCW, you may get a #1603 error and the form may look similar to the image below:
Cause: When SQL Server Setup tries to install MSXML 6.0 SP2, it detects that the version of MSXML 6.0 is already installed on the computer. Therefore, the validation process indicates that the current version of MSXML 6.0 should not be replaced. This stops the installation of both MSXML 6.0 and SQL Server 2005. This most commonly occurs on machines running Windows XP SP3.
Solution: To work around this issue, use the Windows Installer CleanUp utility to remove references to MSXML 6.0 Service Pack 2. To do this, follow these steps: