Just installed SQL Server Management Studio with Tools including LocalDB. Went through entire setup without ever seeing an option to set the sa password nor setup any other users/logins with sysadmin rights. So now I can't actually do anything in SSMS. Permission is denied to create new database, change the sa password, etc. Pretty useless until I can either log in as sa or setup my user with sysadmin rights. What am I missing here?
During setup you should have seen a screen that offered you to choose mixed authentication for the database engine and also add Windows users to the sysadmin server role. Here's what it looked like:
Chances are you blew past it clicking Next > Next > Next. It's ok, we've all done that.
The easiest fix, I think, is to connect using SSMS via PSExec.exe. This will allow you to connect as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM, which has inherent sysadmin rights to SQL Server. You launch it with these options:
PsExec -s -i "C:\...path to ssms...\Ssms.exe"
This will run SSMS as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM using Windows Auth. You will be prompted to connect to a server, just enter .\SQLEXPRESS (make sure the service is running):
Then you can right-click your instance and change the authentication mode to mixed (Properties > Security), reset the sa password under Security > Logins, and add your Windows login as a sysadmin.
You can also see this answer if that doesn't get you everything:
https://stackoverflow.com/a/12164306/61305
Related
I am logged in to a Windows 7 computer as an admin. I am trying to connect to SQL Server 2012 on the same machine. The SA account is locked out. When I try Windows Authentication, the login fails.
How do I log in now? Is there an external tool to unlock the SA user? I used an external tool to change the SA password. I don't want to reinstall the software.
Read and follow the steps described in Connect to SQL Server When System Administrators Are Locked Out:
start the server in administrative mode with -m or -f
connect as a LUA elevated process (runas administrator)
create a login for youserlf and add it to sysadmin group
For unlocking sa, you just have to connect as a machine administrator to the server. The machine administrators are by default granted access to SQL Server. Once you connect as an administrator, you can run below query:
ALTER LOGIN sa WITH PASSWORD = 'new_password' UNLOCK
When SQL Server SA account is locked out and fails to login with Windows Authentication mode, you can use the third party tool Asunsoft SQL Password Geeker to change/reset SA password.
Asunsoft SQL Password Geeker can instantly reset SA user and other users passwords on SQL Server 2012/2008/2005/20014.
Important: Before you open this tool, firstly stop SQL Server services. And when SA password is successfully reset, do not forget to close this tool and restart SQL Server services.
Now run this tool and do as below:
Click Open File button.
Browse for the master.mdf file and import it into this tool.
Select the sa user and click Reset button.
Type a new sa password and click OK.
If you need more details just refer to How to Use SQL Password Geeker.
Probably you have no permissions to connect to SQL Server using Windows Authentication or Windows Authentication is not available.
Besides login SQL Server 2008 Express with local admin account when Windows Authentication mode is available, there are still other ways that can effective reset SQL Server SA password, such as command and SQL password recovery tool.
To some extent, command would be more difficult to reset SA password than SQL password recovery tool. For example, SQL Password Genius has simplified steps to add master.mdf file, select SA account and set a new password for it. So several clicks has been OK to reset SA password with SQL password recovery tool.
Details about how to reset SA password with command and tool are introduced here: http://www.isunshare.com/sql-password/four-effective-ways-to-change-sql-server-sa-password.html
How on earth do you reset the sa password? I know how to go into the dialogs and reset a password. That's now what I'm asking about. It runs a little deeper than just click, click, new password, done!
I have no idea what the SA password is. Nor does the previous user of this machine. The previous user says he never had SQL Express ever running on this machine.
This journey started when I tried to create a new database and was told I didn't have permissions to do so. Okay, I decided to just give myself the appropriate permissions. Nope, I can't give myself nor anyone else permissions.
I tried changing the password using SSMS. I get a message saying I don't have permissions to change it.
I tried using the following SQL script. Again, no permissions.
GO
ALTER LOGIN [sa] WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE=[master]
GO
USE [master]
GO
ALTER LOGIN [sa] WITH PASSWORD=N'NewPassword' MUST_CHANGE
GO
The database is SQL Server 2008 Express (10.0.2531.0).
SQL Server Management Studio is SSMS 2008.
OS is Windows 7 Enterprise
I'm a local admin, and a domain user. I created a local admin account for logging into SSMS
Machine is on a domain.
I have no problems connecting to our network database servers.
Any suggestions? This could be a simple fix. Thanks...
This should help: start SQL Server in single-user mode. This will allow local administrators to connect as a sysadmin fixed server role. A detailed description of how to do this can be found here.
people also can try to change password this way by the below SP
EXEC sp_password NULL, 'yourpassword', 'sa'
hope may help other. thanks
You could use: Reset-DbaAdmin Powershell cmdlet from https://dbatools.io.
This function allows administrators to regain access to local or remote SQL Servers by either resetting the sa password, adding sysadmin role to existing login, or adding a new login (SQL or Windows) and granting it sysadmin privileges.
This is accomplished by stopping the SQL services or SQL Clustered Resource Group, then restarting SQL via the command-line using the /mReset-DbaAdmin paramter which starts the server in Single-User mode, and only allows this script to connect.
Using Reset-DbaAdmin will restart your SQL Server.
Reset-DbaAdmin -SqlServer sqlcluster
The simplest method I've found so far is to run SQL Server Management Studio / SQL Express under the SYSTEM context with Sysinternals PSEXEC app. After installing (copying psexec.exe to your computer, running it and accepting the EULA), you can type the following to invoke a system-context instance:
psexec -s -i <path to ssms.exe/sqlservr.exe>
You can use the GUI and don't require single-user mode to effect changes. I had problems with an unknown client tying up the snigle-user connection and this saved me.
I am having quite a problem with SQL Server.
When I installed it, my account was not an administrator, now it is. Apparently, since it was not an administrator of the machine, it is not an administrator of SQL Server, as a consequence I cannot create databases on my machine.
Now, I am on Windows 8, so it seems like SQL Server Configuration Manager is not as accesible as it was before, I managed to run it (I THINK!) from the MMC by running the following command: sqlservermanager10.msc.
Now, can anyone help me configure my current user as an SQL Server admin so I can create databases properly?
Thank you!
if I understand you correctly, you want your account to have sysadmin rights on SQL Server. You can either do this via SQL Server Management studio, or the SQLCMD command line utility. You don't use the SQL Server Configuration Manager.
You need to login as an existing SA (or whichever the identity has the sysadmin role).
Using TSQL via SQLCMD
Run the following command (replacing domain\user with your details)
USE [master]
GO
CREATE LOGIN [domain\user] FROM WINDOWS WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE=[master]
GO
ALTER SERVER ROLE [sysadmin] ADD MEMBER [domain\user]
GO
Via the UI
In SQL Server Management Studio
Navigate to the Security node of the server, and R-Click & Select New Login
In the New Login dialog enter your domain user into the Window Authentication box
Then on the Right side select Server Roles and then make sure SysAdmin is selected
Then Ok that dialog and the windows account will have SA rights. This means then you can full administer the SQL Server.
It's not clear at all what's going on here, but it sounds to me like you haven't got any sysadmins if #Preet isn't correct.
The local Administrators group is not a member of the sysadmin role on recent versions of SQL Server (2005+, IIRC), and if I recall the installer complains if you try to configure it that way. Instead, when you install the instance you specify the users or groups who will be granted the sysadmin role on the instance.
If you did not do this (I think it adds the account doing the installation by default) or used an account or group which was later deleted, had the SID changed, or some similar event, then you have an instance with no sysadmin logins that can authenticate. You may be able to add one by switching the server to single user mode or minimal configuration mode (-f instead of -m).
If none of that works, then you'll have to save your database files, nuke the instance, install the instance again, re-attach your database files, and go from there.
The only other thing I can think that it might be is that the instance is somehow running as a user account that doesn't have permissions to create files in the default database or log directory, but that seems highly unlikely.
I have SQL Server 2012 installed as a standalone instance in Windows 8 Enterprise edition. It is running in Mixed-mode. The currently logged in account is a member of local MACHINE\Administrators and the local BUILTIN\Administrators group is in the sysadmin role. For good measure, the current user is also in a MACHINE\SQLAdmins group which is also in the sysadmin role.
When I launch SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) from the shortcut, I can't use Windows Authentication. I get the following error:
TITLE: Connect to Server
Cannot connect to INSTANCENAME.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Login failed for user 'MACHINE\user'. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 18456)
For help, click: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft%20SQL%20Server&EvtSrc=MSSQLServer&EvtID=18456&LinkId=20476
In fact, if I launch LinqPad from a shortcut, I can't connect to the server using a connection string which relies on Windows Authentication.
However, if I run SSMS or LinqPad with elevated privileges using RunAs Administrator, I can use Windows Authentication and the experience is as expected.
Alternatively, I can include the RunAs command into the SSMS shortcut like so.
C:\Windows\System32\runas.exe /USER:MACHINE\user "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Tools\Binn\ManagementStudio\Ssms.exe"
Surprisingly, double-clicking the shortcut will prompt for me to enter the password of the current user. However, once that re-authentication occurs, SSMS will allow Windows Authentication of the current user.
The question is, what user is SSMS running under when I double click the shortcut and ultimately, how can I just run LinqPad or SSMS or any other app that connects to the database with Windows Authentication without first elevating my privileges?
Are you by any chance supplying the credentials of the user who installed SQL Server when you use Run as?
See the second answer on this SO question:
In previous versions of SQL the BUILTIN\Administrators group was given
the sysadmin role. Local administrators are not given login privileges
by default in SQL 2008. Only the user performing the install is
defaulted sa privileges. During install you have the option to add
additional users, but you apparently did not.
You will need to login as sa and configure whatever windows logins are
required (such as the local administrator account).
I had the same thing happen, where my user account was a local admin, and yet unable to login until the guy who installed SQL Server added my windows account to the SQL Server logins manually.
In previous versions of SQL the BUILTIN\Administrators group was given the sysadmin role. Local administrators are not given login privileges by default in SQL 2008. Only the user performing the install is defaulted sa privileges. During install you have the option to add additional users, but you apparently did not.
This is rather embarrassing, but I accidentally deleted my Windows account from the list of SQL Server 2008 users and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to re-add myself now that I don't have login privileges.
The server is running on my machine and the only other Windows users with access are IUSR, NETWORK SERVICE and SYSTEM. Is there anything I can do short of re-installing?
I also recently deleted my windows account from my local development 2008 server. I was able to use SQL server's Single User Mode to recreate my login and add it to the sysadmin role. It took just a few minutes, and I didn't have to admit my terrible error to anyone.
From MSDN:
Starting SQL Server in single-user mode enables any member of the
computer's local Administrators group to connect to the instance of SQL
Server as a member of the sysadmin fixed server role.
Here's how I reinstated myself:
Exit out of SSMS
Stop any SQL related services. I had to stop Reporting Services. Other SQL services such as SQL Agent will also use up your one, valuable connection.
Stop the SQL service
Start the SQL service with the extra parameter -m. This will put the SQL into Single User Mode. This means that SQL will only accept one connection.
Use sqlcmd to connect to your server with the -E trusted connection option. SQL will accept you into the sysadmin role if you're a local administrator.
In the interactive session, create your login and add to the sysadmins role.
USE master
GO
CREATE LOGIN [domain\username] FROM WINDOWS WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE=[Master]
GO
EXEC sp_addsrvrolemember #loginame=N'domain\username', #rolename=N'sysadmin'
GO
Stop the SQL service, remove the -m parameter and restart the service. You should now be able to go back into SSMS and continue using the server normally.
If you get the message:
Login failed for user 'domain\username'. Reason: Server is in single user
mode. Only one administrator can connect at this time.
Then there is something using your single connection. You'll need to find that service or connection and stop it before you can log in. Check SQL Agent, SQL Reporting Services, SQL Analysis Services etc.
Luckily, this wasn't too hard to fix (not that it should have been hard...)!
This blog post explains the steps for starting SQL Server in Single User Mode, which (for some reason) allowed me to login as my Windows administrator account, add the account to the user list (with CREATE LOGIN), enable the SA user and set its password to something I actually knew, and finally login as SA and give the Windows account sysadmin privileges.
Edit 07/05/13: Try this link instead.
Often SQL Server is installed so that any any local administrator is a SQL Server sysadmin.
If this is your case you can run Management Studio as administrator and then add any other windows user as a login in the Security section.
This solution worked for me.