How do I find my SQL login information?

how to choose: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144284.aspx
how to change: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms188670.aspx

however, this will not allow you to create logins, you need at least 1 working login that has sysadm fixed server role (usually sa) to do so.
if there was no info left, you might try to check any configuration files of the applications, they might have used the "default" sa account. possibly blank password

anything else will be either:
* installing a new instance, stop the old one, and reattach the database files from the old instance to the new instance
* trying to crack the passwords ... but that is a hard line to cross, normally...

Is it possible to reinstall Sql Server Management Studio so that you can change the settings? In the process of the install, it will ask you which mode to use and will give you the option of using Mixed Mode and setting a password. Also, when the database is attached, you can go into "Security">"Logins"(right click to add one" and make sure that "BUILTIN\USERS" , "BUILTIN\ADMINISTRATORS" and "Authenticated Users" are added to the login list. That way, typically you wont have to add in users by name using Windows Authentication

I don't see SA as an item in Active Directory. Shouldn't there be an item in Users and Computers that would be the SQL account admin? It seems like I've accessed SQL on another server in our domain using a login from AD.

the "sql logins" are not in the active directory.
you might create logins in SQL Server that are based on Windows (active directory) accounts, but you cannot create accounts in windows and from outside make them work in sql server

SA just stand for SQL Administrator and is not in the Active Directory. Similar to my suggestion above, you could always reinstall the software using a different instance name (chosen during setup) and then move the database by stopping sql services and then attaching the data to the new instance.

I agree with Angellll you either need to create a new instance of sql or try to find a config file with the username / password in it on the server. Your best chance is to do an advanced search on the server searching .config files (possibly in the inetpup dir) content for sa, admin, root administrator etc.

I hope my lack of knowledge isn't too frustrating for you Darksquire, I appreciate your quick responses. I've not done an install of SQL myself (when I setup one 2008 server I did install the core SQL server as well, but I've never configured it solo), and I'm not sure that's the easiest thing to do for a newbie. I haven't been in this role too terribly long, so am still learning every week.

When I'm on the server, I go to all programs, and under SQL Server 2008, I find SQL Server Configuration Manager, which is the only thing that looks like it would be helpful in this case. There's a report generator, and two other SQL Server items (Error and Usage Reporting, and Installation Center), under the Configuration Tools folder. Those four items are the only things under SQL Server 2008. When I open the SQL Server Configuration Manager, I get a new window that looks similar to what I'm used to viewing in AD, except that it just shows Services, and then several items for network configuration.

I don't see anything that identifies itself as the server here. We have a currently running version of the ProCare software (v9) that is being replaced with the brand new version (v10), which is supposed to be capable of being installed alongside the old version.

We'll be creating new data, not importing the old database or anything. During the setup of ProCare, I've selected the advanced setup method, pointed to the SQL server at this site, and tried to continue the install, but it's failing the communication test using Windows Authentication, and when I put my domain admin credentials in for SQL Authentication, it fails too.

I'm sorry if I'm just being dense here, but I thought that there was a way to find the SQL Admin login name somehow. If I could remember that, I believe I set the password back in November when I first ran into another vendor install that required access to SQL, but it was on a different server with an older version of SQL on it.

Is there a place anywhere on the desktop, start menu, or otherwise that says "SQL Server Management Studio"? If there is, then that is where you need to go. By default, it should come up to a screen that says "Connect" with the option to login to the Management Studio using Windows Authentication OR SQL Authentication (dropdown box). If you can get into that, then you can change the things I was talking about. If SQL Server 2008 Native client is already installed, then there should be a place where the Management Studio is accessible also. I'll try to help if I can.

I don't find SQL Server Management Studio anywhere on the server in question. I checked the other server, with the older version of SQL, and was easily able to find where it's set to already be at Mixed Authentication, which is likely why it was so much easier to deal with last time. I've contacted ProCare's tech support, as they've also got an option to install the database tools directly onto one workstation, and have it shared to the other machines from there, but I'm not sure that I want to go that route either.

I wish I knew more about SQL, but as the only support at the mission, I've not had much opportunity (or need until now) to delve into SQL, having worked on a variety of other projects so far instead. As well as just regular help desk support, of course.

I'm not sure why this server would have been setup so differently from the other server, but it's been one of those tasks where untangling what was done previously has taken a much larger percentage of my time than I anticipated when I first signed up. :)

In ODBC Data Source Management, I do see SQL Server Native Client, SQL Server, and SQL Server Native Client 10.0 in drivers.

It just occurred to me, go into the SQL Server configuration Manager>SQL Server Services>SQL Server Browser(is it running?) If it is not running that would explain why you can't connect using the authentication that you are using.

Also, since it appears that you have the full version of SQL 2008 installed, it should have included the SQL Server Management Studio on the disk. If not, you can get the Express version from Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=08e52ac2-1d62-45f6-9a4a-4b76a8564a2b

Once this is installed you can see what is going on "behind the scenes" . Dumb question here "Is there a database already attached to SQL 2008 or just to the old version of SQL?"

As angelIII has alluded to already, I suspect it is more involved than that.  SQL Server Browser has nothing to do with connecting.

Experts, thanks for the many tips so far. I forgot that I had a meeting this afternoon with another organization, and have had to postpone the install. I'll give a bit more effort into this first thing in the morning and get back to you with an update as soon as I can.

So I've made...maybe...some progress. The ProCare software comes with its own database in MySQL, and I copied over the source files and installed it as a server side install on my server. When I opened the source files on the workstation that I intended to use as the primary data entry point, it found the license server (for the ProCare software) and gave me only the option to install the software as a client / workstation, which I assumed meant we'd had some success.

However, when I launched the software for the first time and tried to login and register the software, I got another error regarding connecting to the SQL Server. When I go into ODBC on the server, there are no User Data Sources defined. I've never administered SQL before, so this part of the problem is all new to me. When I attempted to add a new data source, I wasn't sure what information to enter.

I'm afraid this is a bit beyond me at this point. I'm currently waiting for their tech support to get back to me. What I don't understand is...we already have another version of this software up and running on the same server, and the same workstations I'm trying to install the new version on. Shouldn't there be an entry somewhere on the server for the current (older) database?

Do you have any idea what the error message said? I might be able to help in that manner

Here's the error I'm getting now that I've got the client installed -

SQL Server Connectivity Issue

! A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified)

? Verifty the server is up, that the 'SQL Server Browser' service is enabled and running, and SQL exceptions have been made in all applicable firewalls.

And when I checked services on the server, SQL Database Browser was disabled. Is there any reason that should be the case? I just changed type to manual and started it, to see what would happen, and have made more progress in the setup of the new ProCare software. Unless the old version of ProCare wasn't SQL based, which I suppose is possible, I'm not sure how it would have been working with this setup.

Thanks for the answers you provided, I was able to get through most of the issues with the guidance, and am now working with ProCare's tech support for the remaining issues. But gladly I've gotten past the connection issues, and appreciate the assistance and tips provided.