SQL Server Tools General
When I first installed SQL Server Management Studio Express everything worked great
The next day, when I try to open SQL Server Management Studio Express I get the Startup Screen then all that happens is SQL Server Management Studio Express appears in the taskbar but no window appears
I think my problem has something to do with a SQL related product crashing one time when I shut down my computer
Does anyone know a solution to this problem
If you have any databases that you care about, you can do a few things to rescue those and then manually uninstall and reinstall. If you don't care about the databases, just follow step number four in the first option. It may be that the system is OK and you're just having problems with the GUI loading, so try this first:
1. Check to make sure the SQL Server Services are running.
2. Open the sqlcmd command at the operating system and back up your databases (Look in Books Online for the "backup database" command syntax).
3. Put the backups in a safe location so that you can restore them later.
4. Uninstall SQL Server manually following this process: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909967
5. And then reinstall SQL Server.
6. If this all works, you should be able to restore the database back to your system. You can read more about that in Books Online under the "restore database" command syntax.
The next method of rescue might not save the databases if the system shut down incorrectly.
1. Ensure that the SQL Server services are shut down.
2. Locate the MDF files that belong to your database and copy them to a safe place.
3. Uninstall SQL Server manually following this process: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909967
4. And then reinstall SQL Server Express.
5. If this all works, you should be able to "attach" the database back to your system. You can read more about that in Books Online under "attaching databases".
It should be noted that this is a really strange event, and a simple crash wouldn't normally bonk the system like that. My suspicion is that something happened in the registry on the unclean shutdown.
Buck Woody