We have a unique situation where we need to recover a database that was originally hosted in a Microsoft SQL Server 4.2 on Windows NT 3.51.

The original server that hosted the application no longer exists, but we do have all of the data files that made up the database. The database was "retired" and subsequently the machine was shut down. At some point the hard drive was set aside while the machine was disposed of. We now have CD images of the hard drive's contents. We believe database was shut down normally and is not corrupted - we just have no means to recover the data.

Anybody have any ideas or willing to offer assistance?

Ultimately we would like to recover the database and migrate it to SQL Server 2000. We do have limited information about the schema and know that the database contained about a dozen tables and only about 70MB of data.

Bruce Luckcuck
Director, Applications & Support Services
Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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Bruce Luckcuck
Director, Applications & Support Services
Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Unique is the word. I thought there was a typographical error when I first read the topic of the post. I don't have any suggestions at the moment but I'll ask around.

regards
David Cameron

I posted the problem to another mailing list and got one suggestion back (so far). I'll post any others as they arrive.

You MIGHT be able to use "disk
reinit" and "disk refit" on a SQL 6.5sp5a server to "attach" the dbs to
SQL 6.5. The sort orders would have to match. Then run DBCCs and fix any
problems. Then use the upgrade wizard to migrate to 2000. If you could
find backup files instead of .dat files it would probably be easier.

regards
David Cameron

Further suggestion:

Depending on what is known / available, one might consider browsing the
Master.dat file to decipher what the running values of sysdevices,
sysusages, sysdatabases, and possibly syssegments, were. It may indeed be
possible to mount the database on a 6.x DBMS with the .dat file images
copied from the CD provided disk reinit and disk refit are used to add the
necessary rows to these system tables, e.g.(on a 6.x server). The, 4.2x code
page used was likely 850. If the CD images do contain dump devices populated
with User database dumps, Sql Server 4.2x dumps may be read by an existing
6.5 DBMS, and attempting to Load the user database from dump devices should
be a reasonable proposition. Assuming a <= 6.5 install; one "should" be
able to recreate the necessary devices and databases followed by Load
Database (for the user database, being sure to create the database devices
such that all device fragments are sized identically to those of the
original database, and are created in the same order as in the original
database - before attempting the load). Other than that, one possible source
for 4.2 install media may be: http://www.emsps.com/oldtools/mssql.htm

regards
David Cameron