Sharepoint error "Unable to Connect to database STS_Config"

I assume you are using the SQL version included in WSS? You should have some sort of SQL Manager.... open it.... locate the sts_config database and see where the log files are pointed in the properties.

Yes i am using the version that comes with SBS 2003. It apears that the path is not the problem. The service will not start. After some research I followed the instructions here; http://support.microsoft.com/kb/829114  to reinstall sharepoint. I have done this once before some time ago and it worked fine after that. The problem is that it will not finish with the reinstall. The installation just stops and I get these errors in the event log

Event Type:      Error
Event Source:      W3SVC
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      1007
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            11:00:50 AM
User:            N/A
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
Cannot register the URL prefix 'http://*:80/' for site '3'. The necessary network binding may already be in use. The site has been deactivated.  The data field contains the error number.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: b7 00 07 80               ·..¿    




Event Type:      Error
Event Source:      Application Error
Event Category:      (100)
Event ID:      1000
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            11:01:41 AM
User:            N/A
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
Faulting application SETUP.EXE, version 5.2.2893.0, faulting module suitehelp.dll, version 5.2.2893.0, fault address 0x0004ae45.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 41 70 70 6c 69 63 61 74   Applicat
0008: 69 6f 6e 20 46 61 69 6c   ion Fail
0010: 75 72 65 20 20 53 45 54   ure  SET
0018: 55 50 2e 45 58 45 20 35   UP.EXE 5
0020: 2e 32 2e 32 38 39 33 2e   .2.2893.
0028: 30 20 69 6e 20 73 75 69   0 in sui
0030: 74 65 68 65 6c 70 2e 64   tehelp.d
0038: 6c 6c 20 35 2e 32 2e 32   ll 5.2.2
0040: 38 39 33 2e 30 20 61 74   893.0 at
0048: 20 6f 66 66 73 65 74 20    offset
0050: 30 30 30 34 61 65 34 35   0004ae45


Event Type:      Information
Event Source:      MsiInstaller
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      11708
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            11:00:13 AM
User:            CLAYHOME\administrator
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
Product: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 -- Installation failed.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 7b 39 31 31 34 30 34 30   {9114040
0008: 39 2d 37 30 30 30 2d 31   9-7000-1
0010: 31 44 33 2d 38 43 46 45   1D3-8CFE
0018: 2d 30 31 35 30 30 34 38   -0150048
0020: 33 38 33 43 39 7d         383C9}  



Event Type:      Error
Event Source:      MsiInstaller
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      1023
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            11:00:13 AM
User:            CLAYHOME\administrator
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
Product: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 - Update '{C5B36FA9-2FCC-4A8F-AB00-D7355F1810C9}' could not be installed. Error code 1642. Additional information is available in the log file C:\DOCUME~1\ADMINI~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\1\OHotfix\OHotfix(00001)_Msi.log.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 7b 39 31 31 34 30 34 30   {9114040
0008: 39 2d 37 30 30 30 2d 31   9-7000-1
0010: 31 44 33 2d 38 43 46 45   1D3-8CFE
0018: 2d 30 31 35 30 30 34 38   -0150048
0020: 33 38 33 43 39 7d 20 7b   383C9} {
0028: 43 35 42 33 36 46 41 39   C5B36FA9
0030: 2d 32 46 43 43 2d 34 41   -2FCC-4A
0038: 38 46 2d 41 42 30 30 2d   8F-AB00-
0040: 44 37 33 35 35 46 31 38   D7355F18
0048: 31 30 43 39 7d 20 31 36   10C9} 16
0050: 34 32                     42      

Event Type:      Error
Event Source:      MsiInstaller
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      1013
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            10:59:39 AM
User:            CLAYHOME\administrator
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
Product: Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine -- Setup failed to configure the server. Refer to the server error logs and setup error logs for more information.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 7b 36 35 36 35 37 43 35   {65657C5
0008: 39 2d 32 33 41 38 2d 34   9-23A8-4
0010: 39 37 34 2d 42 38 45 30   974-B8E0
0018: 2d 42 41 30 34 45 42 44   -BA04EBD
0020: 30 34 45 34 46 7d         04E4F}  

These errors are preceded by some WinMgmnt errors, not sure if they have anything to do with these errors:

Event Type:      Warning
Event Source:      WinMgmt
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      63
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            10:53:42 AM
User:            CLAYHOME\administrator
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
A provider, HealthMonPingProvider, has been registered in the WMI namespace, root\cimv2\MicrosoftHealthMonitor, to use the LocalSystem account.  This account is privileged and the provider may cause a security violation if it does not correctly impersonate user requests.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


Event Type:      Warning
Event Source:      WinMgmt
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      63
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            10:53:42 AM
User:            CLAYHOME\administrator
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
A provider, PortConnectProvider, has been registered in the WMI namespace, root\cimv2\MicrosoftHealthMonitor, to use the LocalSystem account.  This account is privileged and the provider may cause a security violation if it does not correctly impersonate user requests.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


Event Type:      Warning
Event Source:      WinMgmt
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      63
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            10:53:42 AM
User:            CLAYHOME\administrator
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
A provider, MicrosoftComPlus_AppStats, has been registered in the WMI namespace, root\cimv2\MicrosoftHealthMonitor, to use the LocalSystem account.  This account is privileged and the provider may cause a security violation if it does not correctly impersonate user requests.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


Event Type:      Warning
Event Source:      WinMgmt
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      63
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            10:53:42 AM
User:            CLAYHOME\administrator
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
A provider, MicrosoftComPlus_AppName, has been registered in the WMI namespace, root\cimv2\MicrosoftHealthMonitor, to use the LocalSystem account.  This account is privileged and the provider may cause a security violation if it does not correctly impersonate user requests.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


Event Type:      Warning
Event Source:      WinMgmt
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      63
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            10:53:41 AM
User:            CLAYHOME\administrator
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
A provider, HTTPProvider, has been registered in the WMI namespace, root\cimv2\MicrosoftHealthMonitor, to use the LocalSystem account.  This account is privileged and the provider may cause a security violation if it does not correctly impersonate user requests.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


Event Type:      Warning
Event Source:      WinMgmt
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      63
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            10:53:40 AM
User:            CLAYHOME\administrator
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
A provider, MicrosoftHM_MethProvider, has been registered in the WMI namespace, root\cimv2\MicrosoftHealthMonitor, to use the LocalSystem account.  This account is privileged and the provider may cause a security violation if it does not correctly impersonate user requests.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


Event Type:      Warning
Event Source:      WinMgmt
Event Category:      None
Event ID:      63
Date:            3/26/2010
Time:            10:53:40 AM
User:            CLAYHOME\administrator
Computer:      CLAYDC
Description:
A provider, MicrosoftHM_InstProvider, has been registered in the WMI namespace, root\cimv2\MicrosoftHealthMonitor, to use the LocalSystem account.  This account is privileged and the provider may cause a security violation if it does not correctly impersonate user requests.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


Here is the error log for the sharepoint log.

2010-03-26 10:57:38.38 server    Microsoft SQL Server  2000 - 8.00.884 (Intel X86)
      Nov 29 2003 20:52:47
      Copyright (c) 1988-2003 Microsoft Corporation
      Desktop Engine (Windows) on Windows NT 5.2 (Build 3790: Service Pack 2)

2010-03-26 10:57:38.38 server    Copyright (C) 1988-2002 Microsoft Corporation.
2010-03-26 10:57:38.38 server    All rights reserved.
2010-03-26 10:57:38.38 server    Server Process ID is 7096.
2010-03-26 10:57:38.38 server    Logging SQL Server messages in file 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL$SHAREPOINT\LOG\ERRORLOG'.
2010-03-26 10:57:38.42 server    SQL Server is starting at priority class 'normal'(2 CPUs detected).
2010-03-26 10:57:38.74 server    SQL Server configured for thread mode processing.
2010-03-26 10:57:38.74 server    Using dynamic lock allocation. [500] Lock Blocks, [1000] Lock Owner Blocks.
2010-03-26 10:57:38.78 spid4     Warning ******************
2010-03-26 10:57:38.78 spid4     SQL Server started in single user mode. Updates allowed to system catalogs.
2010-03-26 10:57:38.83 spid4     Starting up database 'master'.
2010-03-26 10:57:39.27 server    Using 'SSNETLIB.DLL' version '8.0.880'.
2010-03-26 10:57:39.27 spid5     Starting up database 'model'.
2010-03-26 10:57:39.30 spid4     Server name is 'CLAYDC\SHAREPOINT'.
2010-03-26 10:57:39.30 spid4     Skipping startup of clean database id 5
2010-03-26 10:57:39.30 spid4     Skipping startup of clean database id 6
2010-03-26 10:57:39.30 spid4     Starting up database 'msdb'.
2010-03-26 10:57:39.34 server    SQL server listening on Shared Memory.
2010-03-26 10:57:39.34 server    SQL Server is ready for client connections
2010-03-26 10:57:39.63 spid5     Clearing tempdb database.
2010-03-26 10:57:40.53 spid5     Starting up database 'tempdb'.
2010-03-26 10:57:40.66 spid4     Recovery complete.
2010-03-26 10:57:43.97 spid4     SQL global counter collection task is created.
2010-03-26 10:57:44.00 spid4     Warning: override, autoexec procedures skipped.
2010-03-26 10:59:25.35 spid4     SQL Server is terminating due to 'stop' request from Service Control Manager.

Thanks for any help you can provide

I have sharepoint installed again (I think). I got the sharepoint Admin to open, I also installed sql 2005 express. I attached the sharepoint database (StS_Config)file in SQL Expess. When I go to the Share point administartor at the set configureation database server page I enter:

<ServerName>\SQLExpress for the Database server and
STS_Config for the SQL Server Database name
And select Widows Authentication

after that I get this error message:
CREATE DATABASE permission denied in database 'master'. (Error code: 262).

I have tryed a few things with permission in SQL but I am really not sure what to do. My experence with  both SQL and sharepoint is very limited. I was using the Administartor account when I attempted this.

As this has really changed from my orignial post, if you are unable to help me any further can you let me know so that I may repost this question.  Thanks.