SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine and Windows Installer

The primary way to install the SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine is to use the Windows Installer service in Microsoft® Windows® 2000 and available for Windows NT® 4.0, Windows 95, and Windows 98. You can use the following methods to install the Desktop Engine using Windows Installer:

• Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000 provides a set of Windows Installer merge modules that can be used to install an instance of the Desktop Engine. These can be integrated into a standard Windows Installer setup procedure.
  
  
• An application setup program that calls Windows Installer directly can install an instance of the Desktop Engine.

The Desktop Engine also produces a number of return codes that indicate the success or failure of an attempt to install an instance of the Desktop Engine using Windows Installer.