There was a need to put a SQL Server at work. Well, I think that there, I’ll take it and put it straight, because neither since 2000 nor with 2005 have I ever had any problems with the installation. Aha Not here it was! One remarkable bug was discovered, with which I struggled for a very long time and nevertheless won. The problem is that when you install the server, you cannot enable mixed authentication mode.
About how I overcame it, read under Habrakat.
So, the initial data I had were: Windows 2003 Server SP2 Standalone server, SQL Server 2008.
Run the installation, install the .NET Framework 3.5, the new installer (this is all included in the distribution)
We reach the step Database Engine Configuration and here we are waiting for a setup. If you turn on the mixed authentication mode, then no matter what password you try to specify, there will always be one answer:
The password you entered does not meet strong password requirements.

What I just did not try: 20, 40 characters of different registers, numbers, even asked 1Password to generate a password for me and such that 1Password itself said: “Fantastic” :) - DOES NOT HELP. In the end, after searching the expanses of his darling, a solution was found.
To make it work so that it didn’t work, it helped as always - dancing with a tambourine.
- To install, select the mode of Windows authentication
- Install the server
- Run SQL Server Management Studio
- Connect to the server under the admin admin record
- Enable mixed authentication mode

- Along the way, we see that sa is blocked. Unlock it, and at the same time and change the password and disable the check for strong passwords. I just have a server for development, so simplicity is needed and there is no need for high server security. Run the following SQL:
ALTER LOGIN sa ENABLE ;
GO
ALTER LOGIN sa
with password = 'qwe' unlock,
check_policy = off,
check_expiration = off
GO
- Let's make SQL server restart
- We start to enjoy life
It seems so ... Maybe someone will come in handy ...