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How to: Change the Service Startup Account for SQL Server (SQL Server Configuration Manager)

SQL Server 2005

New: 5 December 2005

You can change the Microsoft Windows account under which the SQL Server service runs. For more information, see Setting Up Windows Service Accounts.

ms345578.note(en-US,SQL.90).gifImportant:
When you change the service startup account for SQL Server, the service must be restarted for the change to take effect. When the service is restarted, all databases associated with that instance of SQL Server will be unavailable until the service successfully restarts. If you need to change the service startup account, make sure you do so during regularly scheduled maintenance or when the databases can be taken offline without interrupting daily operations.

  1. On the Start menu, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, point to Configuration Tools, and then click SQL Server Configuration Manager.

  2. In SQL Server Configuration Manager, click SQL Server 2005 Services.

  3. In the details pane, right-click the name of the SQL Server instance for which you want to change the service startup account, and then click Properties.

  4. In the SQL Server <instancename> Properties dialog box, click the Log On tab, and select a Log on as account type.

  5. After selecting the new service startup account, click OK.

    A message box asks whether you want to restart the SQL Server service.

  6. Click Yes, and then close SQL Server Configuration Manager.

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Changed SQL Services Acct - "Cannot Generate SSPI Context"
We want to rollout a new account to use for SQL Services. On a Dev server (SQL 2005 SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2), I changed the account through SQL Configuration Manager. After restarting the services, from my remote desktop, I get an error "Cannot Generate SSPI Context" when I try to connect with Windows Authentication. 'sa' connects fine remotely, and Windows authentication is fine if I log on to the server and open SQL there.

I've tried various combinations of changing services to LocalSystem, then back to the new account, rebooting between changes, doing steps in different sequence. Once or twice, it has then worked, but when I try later, I get the error again.

I just changed the Service account to LocalSystem, restarted, changed to my new SQL Service Account, restarted, and it worked - I could connect.

Then I rebooted the server and got the error again ?!?!?! Back to square 1

Is there a "best practice" list for changing SQL services to a new account ? MS documentation basically says just change in through Configuration Manager, nothing about "gotchas" or special steps.

dunncrew at hotmail dot com

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