Warning: it is essential that you install both Internet Information Service (IIS) and SQL Server 2005 in the order indicated, before installing Preactor. To not do so may cause problems with the Preactor installation.
Note: IIS is not available in any of the Windows home editions, Preactor can be installed on the home editions but reporting services will not be available. The installation of SQL Server 2005 Express Edition SP2 is still required.
Please note that with Windows Vista it is not necessary to change your UAC (User Account Controls) settings to install Preactor or its prerequisites.
Recommendation:
It is recommended that after 'Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services SP2' has been installed successfully, that you should open up the 'Reporting Services Configuration Manager' (from the Window's desktop select 'All Programs>Microsoft SQL Server 2005>Configuration Tools>Reporting Services Configuration'), select the 'Encryption Keys' option listed on the left panel and make a 'Backup' of your encryption key.
Configuring Internet Information Services 7 (IIS7) on Windows Vista for use with Reporting Services:
Before beginning, please ensure that Windows Update has completed any operations and has been shut down. An active Update may cause problems with the configuration process.
1. Open the Control Panel window. Navigate to Programs>Programs and Features and click on the Turn Windows features on or off option in the tab on the left side of the window.
2. If you do not already have administrator privileges for the computer that you are currently using, Vista will prompt you to enter an administrator username and password.
3. In the new window, expand the Internet Information Services tab. Navigate to the Web Management Tools folder, and ensure the following option is checked:
- IIS Management Console
4. Expand the IIS 6 Management Compatibility sub folder and ensure that the following options are checked:
- IIS 6 WMI Compatibility
- IIS Metabase and IIS 6 configuration compatibility
5. Close the Web Management Tools folder and navigate to the World Wide Web Services folder. Expand the Application Development Features sub folder and ensure that the following options are checked:
- ASP.NET
- ISAPI Extensions
- ISAPI Filters
6. Close the Application Development Features sub folder. Expand the Common HTTP Features sub folder and ensure that the following options are checked:
- Default Document
- Directory Browsing
- HTTP Redirection
- Static Content
7. Close the Common HTTP Features sub folder. Expand the Security sub folder and ensure that the following options are checked:
- Windows Authentication
8. Click OK to confirm these settings. Vista may take a few minutes to configure your system.
Configuring Internet Information Services (IIS) on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 for use with Reporting Services:
Internet Information Services (IIS) is shipped as part of Microsoft Windows Professional and Windows Server 2003 editions. If IIS was not installed on your computer when Windows was installed it can be added by going to Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs>Add/Remove Windows Components.
Unlike Windows Vista the settings applied to IIS with XP and Server 2003 are already set up for Reporting Services.
Installing Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008:
1. Open your internet browser and navigate to http://www.microsoft.com/sql/editions/express/default.mspx. Alternatively, navigate to http://download.preactor.com/. Log in using your forum user name and password. If you do not already have a forum user name and password, you will need to obtain one by completing the form on the left of the screen.
2. Choose SQL Server Express Edition with Advanced Services SP2 from the Download Links list to download. Save the executable file in an appropriate location.
3. Navigate to the saved executable file and double-click on it to start the SQL Server installation process. The installation program will install the necessary prerequisites. Click Next when this process has successfully completed. 
4. The install program will now perform a configuration check to ensure that your system will be able to run SQL Server effectively. It is imperative that the IIS Feature Requirement check is successfully completed. Click Next to continue. 
5. At the Registration Information screen, enter your name and company details. Ensure that the Hide advanced configuration options checkbox has been checked. Click Next to continue.
6. At the Feature Selection screen,click on the downward arrow situated between the red cross and the Reporting Services text. On the subsequent drop down menu, select Entire feature will be installed on the local hard drive. Reporting Services should be fully installed on your system. It is also recommended that you choose to fully install the Management Studio Express option for a greater level of control over your SQL database. However, this step is optional. Click next to continue.
7. At the Authentication Mode screen, you may choose either Windows Authenticaion Mode or Mixed Mode. It is recommended that you choose Windows Authentication Mode for simple installations. Click Next to continue once you have made your choice.
8. At the Configuration Options screen, ensure that the Enable User Instances option is checked. It is highly recommended that the Add user to the SQL Server Administrator role is checked, as this will give you administrator-level access to Report Manager. Without this option checked, further adjustment of the Report Manager access levels may be required. Click Next to continue once you have made a descision.
9. At the Report Server Installation Options screen, check the Install the default configuration option. If this option is grayed out and not selectable, then there may be a more serious problem with the installation process. If this is the case, it is recommended that you exit the installation process. 
10. At the Error and Usage Report Settings screen, make the appropriate choices for your needs and click Next to continue.
11. At the Ready to Install screen, ensure that Reporting Services is listed under The following components will be installed. If it is missing, Internet Information Services has not been properly configured, and you should exit the installation process. If it is present, click Install to install SQL Server 2005.
Configuring Report Manager
1. Open your internet browser and navigate to http://localhost/reports$sqlexpress/ . If you checked the Add user to the SQL Server Administrator role option on the Configuration Options screen of the SQL Server 2005 install, you should see the following screen:
If you see is screen instead, then you do not currently have full access privileges to Report Manager.
If you wish to obtain these for yourself and any other user currently without access, complete the following steps.
2. Right-click on the shortcut for your Internet browser. Click Run as administrator from the popup menu. When prompted, enter the user name and password of an account that has full administrator privleges attached to it.
3. Navigate to http://localhost/reports$sqlexpress/. You should see the following screen:
4. Select the Site Settings option at the top right of the page, and then click on the Configure site-wide security option at the bottom left of the page.
5. To enter the details of a user who is to be given full access to Report Manager, click on the New Role Assignment button. Enter a name or group into the Group or user name text box and check the System Administrator option below. Entering builtin\users into the text box will grant all users full access. Click OK when you have finished.
Warning: it is recommended that you ignore the Protected mode is currently turned off for the Local intranet zone.Click here to open security settings option that may appear in a yellow bar at the top of Internet Explorer. Activating the Protected mode prevents full access to the Report Manager. If you require the Protected mode to be turned on, it is possible to restore access to the Report Manager by selecting Tools>Internet Options>Security>Trusted Sites and clicking on the Sites button. In the popup menu, enter http://localhost/reports$sqlexpress/ into the text box and click Add.
