I Don't Know Which Files to Download

Question

I'm looking at the , "Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Express" download site, and am completely snowed about which of the 11 files I need to download.  We're a one and a half person company that does pre-employment criminal background screening - I'm
the half person, i.e. the IT Guy - and the cost of the full version of MS SQL is way beyond our reach.  I'm hoping that "Express" will do the job, but I'm stopped short at the very outset from lack of knowledge of this product. 
Although I've been an IT person for 55 years, I'm totally new to Windows Server and SQL, so I'm floundering around trying to learn it.
I have a copy of a program called "DocsVault", an electronic filing cabinet, which uses SQL Server, and is the central storage for all of our clients' information, hence the heart of our operation. The version of DV that we
have includes SQL Server 2008, which I can't seem to make work in my Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation OS.  The DV system consists of a "DV Server" and three "DV Client" programs; the Client is used to access the database via
the DV Server.  It works fine when using the DV Client that I have installed locally on my 2012 R2 server, but can't connect from a DV Client installed on a Domain Joined Workstation.  Unfortunately my DocsVault Tech support had expired, and
a renewal is very expensive.
Previously we've had DV running on a single desktop PC, but have now acquired a server running Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation, in order to be multi user.
I'd be very grateful if someone could help me out.  Thank you.
Capt. Dinosaur

Answer 1

Thanks for your response, Shanky.  I found the error log files in the default location you specified above, but couldn't understand what they were trying to tell me; I might as well have been trying to read Chinese.  So I Opened Server Configuration
Manager and followed the above instructions to switch to "Local System".  When I clicked Start, the service started, but the minute I clicked OK to close the dialog, the service stopped.  Since there doesn't seem to be any way for me to
attach the error log file or copy/paste its contents, I'll type what I think (now there's any oxymoron <gein> for you) are the entries that are reporting the problem.  If you need more of the text, please let me know.
Server local connection provider is ready to accept connection on [
\\.\pipe\SQLLocal\SQLEXPRESS ].
Server local connection provider is ready to accept connection on [
\\.\pipe\MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS\sql\query ].
Dedicated administrator connection support was not started because it is disabled on this edition of SQL Servr.  If you want to use a dedicated administrator connection, restart SQL Server using the trace flag 7806.  This is an information message
only.  No user action is required.
SQL Server is now ready for client connections.  This is an informational message only.  No user action is required.
SQL Server is attempting to register a Service Principal Name (SPN) for the SQL Server service.  Kerberos authentication will not be possible until a SPN is registered for the SQL Server service. This is an informational message.  No user action
is required.
The SQL Server Network Interface successfully registered the Service Principal Name (SPN) [ MSSQLSvc/AVDC1.Averihire.local:SQLEXPRESS ] for the SQL Server service.
Error: 18456, Severity: 14, State: 5.
Login failed for user 'AVERIHIRE\AVDC1$'.  Reason: Could not find a login matching the name provided.  [CLIENT: <local machine>]
A new instance of the full-text filter daemon host process has been successfully started.
Error: 904, Severity 16, State: 2.
Database 4 cannot be autostarted during server shutdown or startup.
Error: 904, Severity: 16, State: 2.
Database 32767 cannot be autostarted duringserver shutdown or startup.
SQL Trace was stopped due to server shutdown.  Trace ID = '1'.  This is an informational message.  No user action is required.
The SQL Server Network Interface library could not deregister the Service Principal Name (SPN) [ MSSQLSvc/AVDC1.Averihire.local:SQLEXPRESS ] for the SQL Server service.  Error: 0x2af9, state: 61.  Administrator should deregister this SPN manually
to avoid client authentication errors.
I'd be grateful if you could interpret the above for me and/or explain the problem in simple terms.
As a result of the above, I checked out your article on the above error, and followed the link to the instructions for a full uninstall of SQL Express.  Unfortunately I couldn't get your article to go in my favorites (when I added it
to Favorites and then tried to follow the link, and also later, when I tried to access it again from the above link I got a strange page in TechNet Wiki asking me to create a LiveID User, which I dutifully did, but then only got a Microsoft Developer
Services Agreement page with no link to your article that I could find.
Many of the other links referenced ONLY SQL 2014; will that run properly on my Server 2012 R2 Foundation?  also I don't know if my DocsVault program would behave with SQL 2014; It came with SQL Express 2008, which wouldn't work on my server, and that's
why I've been trying to upgrade to 2012.  The DocsVault website indicates that my version will work with SQL 2012, but no mention was made of 2014.
Unless I can find a way to get a clean install of SQL 2012 Express before installing my DocsVault, I thought that, after a clean install of SQL 2012, I'd try reinstalling Docsvault with it's include SQL Server 2008 Express, and then install 2012 as an upgrade/update. 
I don't hold much hope, however, that the upgrade will install clean when the full version wouldn't.  I really need to get this problem resolved because DocsVault is a major part of our business.
Capt. Dinosaur