SQL Server Registry Hacks Top 10

*WARNING* all these tips need edits to be made to the registry. DO NOT TRY THIS ON A LIVE SYSTEM!! ALSO these are 6.5 specific unless otherwise noted.

Unless you now exactly what you are doing these are for info purposes only!

1. SA Password is stored in the registry. HKLM(or HKCU)SOFTWAREMICROSOFTMSSQLSERVERSQLEWREGISTERED SERVERS. Then View / Display Binary data.
   The password is offset 64 in the data, terminated by 0x00.

2. Rebuilding the 6.5 registry settings can be done with this command:
   
   cd mssqldll
   ..binnsetup /t RegistryRebuild = On

3. Performance Monitor counters not to be found? Check that Administrator has full control of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftMSSQLServer.
4. Alerts To stop frequent errors firing an alert add the number to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftMSSQLServerSQLExecutiveNonAlertableErrors. By default 1204 and 4002 are already there.
5. Version Using the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftMSSQLServerSetupProductSuite key you can determine the version of SQL Server you are running.
   
   SQL Server 6.x standard versions = No entry (There should be NO ProductSuite key)
   SQL 6.5 Enterprise Edition = Enterprise
   Small Business Server = SBS

6. SQLTrace To allow non administrators to view and save filters grant read access to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetControlSecurePipeServersWinreg
7. SQL Server Keys the keys SQL Server uses are as follows:
   Generic to all versions:
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesMSSQLServer
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftMSSQLServer

   Specific to 6.0

   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetServicesMSDTC
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesSQLExecutive

   Specific to 7.0

   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesSQLServerAgent
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftMicrosoft SQL Server 7
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftMSSQLServ65
8. SQL Executive has a limit on the number of active SQL Server connections running at any one time. Adding MaxDBProcesses Value Name to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE: SOFTWAREMicrosoftMSSQLServerSQLExecutive
   The value should be added as a Data Type of REG_DWORD. Possible values are from 10 to 255 (Decimal). The actual number of concurrent tasks allowed will be three less than the number you specify to allow for SQLExecutive overhead.

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