I am truly astonished. I have experienced the EXACT SAME THING!! I am posting this message on JUNE 28, 2008. This thread began in NOVEMBER, 2007. Over SIX MONTHS have gone by, and still the company has not fixed this apparently ubiquitous problem. How do they stay in business?
For the record, I purchased Version 3 of NeatReceipts, and am running Windows Vista (Home Premium). I have installed and re-installed OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. I have disabled all security software, along with every other non-essential driver and service. I have tried Version 3, and I have tried the recently released Version 3 SP1. No dice. After reading these posts, and then carefully checking my computer, it is clear that the problem largely relates to MS SQL Server (2005) NOT INSTALLING. And I have tried installing SQL directly from its setup files. Still won't install.
I am a very proficient microcomputer user. I have done both client-side and server-side installations of many, many programs. I have run full scale version of MS SQL Server. Never have I experienced anything so frustrating and insoluble.
What is most baffling is HOW THE H*LL IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE COMPANY HAS NOT FIXED THIS PROBLEM with over 6 months of documented feedback and even another update release?!!
I will try the "winmgmt" routine suggested above, and then I will e-mail and call Tech Support directly. And then I will post my experience in this forum -- successful or unsuccessful. Based on all the above, I am not optimistic, but the promise of NeatReceipts' functionality makes just a little more effort justifiable.
Stay tuned sisters and brethren.
Mark Shneour
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Later the same day... 5:00 PM PDT
Well, sometimes persistence pays off. In my case, I could not manually start SQL Server because it DID NOT INSTALL in the first place. So, researching the issue, I discovered the following:
(1) MS SQL Server "Express" (2005) is NOT compatible with Windows Vista (and, I believe, later updates of XP). In fact, it won't even install. What version of SQL Express does NeatReceipts 3.x distribute? You guessed it -- the original 2005 release. Unbelievable that they have not figured this problem out after 6+ months of user comments/complaints.
(2) There are two updates of SQL Express which are compatible with Vista: SP1 and SP2. While SP2 will update SP1 on its own, it will NOT install with NeatReceipts 3.x resident. So, you need to stick with SP1.
So, here is what I did to solve my problem:
(1) Unistalled NeatReceipts, removed all directories and files, cleaned registry of any errant NeatReceipts keys (there weren't any), and hard-booted my computer.
(2) Downloaded from the www.microsoft.com site the latest versions of Windows Installer and .NET Framework (should be installed with Vista OS), and MS SQL Express SP1. Installed in that order. Hard-booted again.
(3) Installed NeatReceipts Version 3 SP1. Hard-booted again. (Confirmed by experimentation that while NeatReceipts attempts an install of the initial release of SQL Express, it does not overwrite anything critical from the SP1 install. So, there is no need to run the SP1 install again.)
(4) Set a system restore point in case something later crashed on me. Will likely do a full disk image just to be sure.
(5) The DAMNED THING WORKED!! No, seriously!
Here are the URL's where you can download the relevant files and documentation:
(1) Windows Installer 4.5: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=5A58B56F-60B6-4412-95B9-54D056D6F9F4&displaylang=en
(2) .NET Framework 2.0 (you shouldn't need this package, but here it is): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0856eacb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5&displaylang=en
(3) MS SQL Express SP1 (the big Kahuna): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=11350B1F-8F44-4DB6-B542-4A4B869C2FF1&displaylang=en
(4) MS SQL Express SP2 (Can't install with NeatReceipts 3.x, but works fine otherwise to upgrade SP1. Among other things, this release provides more sophisticated user rights management than the earlier versions.): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=d07219b2-1e23-49c8-8f0c-63fa18f26d3a&DisplayLang=en
That's all there is to it (other than the fact that I went through 24 hours of Hell, am going blind, and want to kill a few people).
Hope this solution helps a few of you. Maybe Tech Support will read it, and claim it as its own. Maybe they'll even FIX the problem, and provide their customers an installable product. You never know.
Mark Shneour (your faithful brother in frustration)
