SQL Server 2008: The INSTANCESHAREDWOWDIR command line value was not specified.
Filed Under (SQL Server 2008) by Just An Admin on 20-05-2009
When trying to install SQL 2008 Express on one of our Windows 2008 x64 servers, i was surpirsed by this error message when specifying another install drive:
The INSTANCESHAREDWOWDIR command line value was not specified. This value must be specified when the INSTANCESHAREDDIR value is specified.
After searching the internet it seems that is a flaw in the installation process when you run setup on a server that allready contains SQL Server 2005. You can work around this by starting the setup from the command line with teh following option:
Navigate to the directory where the SQL Server 2008 install files are located and run:
setup.exe /Action=Install /INSTALLSHAREDWOWDIR=xxxxxxxxxxxx
where xxxxxxxxxx marks the spot (install directory for you SQL Server 2008) . During the install you can even alter the destination directory to any other location and NOT receive the above mentioned error.
Update: You may read up on the specific command line option at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/955458


Cheers for the post it was a great help
thanx man
Спасибо дружище! Очень полезная инфа.