SQL Server 2008: How to rebuild the system databases?


When I started blogging, way back in 2006 :-), the third post I made on the old Storage Engine blog was about rebuilding the msdb database in 2005 (see here). This no longer works in 2008 (fellow MVP Tibor Karaszi explains why here), and in fact the information in Books Online about how to rebuild any of the 2008 system databases is incorrect. It’s not something I’ve tried yet but people have already needed to do it (including Tibor!). So what to do?


Step in Bob Ward, a Principal Escalation Engineer with PSS, and a very good friend of mine. He’s just researched and published a comprehensive blog post giving the procedure for rebuilding the system databases in 2008 using setup.exe. Checkout his great post here.


Here’s hoping that you never need to do it!

One thought on “SQL Server 2008: How to rebuild the system databases?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Other articles

Imagine feeling confident enough to handle whatever your database throws at you.

With training and consulting from SQLskills, you’ll be able to solve big problems, elevate your team’s capacity, and take control of your data career.