2003 Small Business Server Setup Woes

I recently received a 64bit server preinstalled with Microsoft Small Business Server Standard 2003. I completed the setup, creating a domain and so on, and during the final reboot after setup the power went out. I was able to restart it but it was behaving strangely as I was adding users and computers and finishing the rest of the to-do list and then I went home and returned the next day and researched the Event Viewer and behold, several services were erroring out after that restart when the power failed. IIS and Exchange were the key ones. I re-ran setup from the CDs, reinstalling all server components, and still, I get the error "#50070: Unable to connect to the database STS_Config on <server>\sharepoint. Check the Database connection information and make sure that the database server is running." every 5 seconds. I have googled this error and performed the service dependency "fix" referred to in all the posts I found, to no avail. I looked in services and saw that the MSSQL$SHAREPOINT service would not start, it was showing "started" but was in stopped state, and if I started it, it would run for a second and then quit. I thought I would be smart and repair SharePoint Services 2.0, using the CD, which said it completed successfully but did nothing to help this error. Then I tried to run a repair on Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (SHAREPOINT) in Add/Remove Programs, and it gave a fatal error. So I uninstalled it and tried to reinstall it from the CD, but that resulted in an installation of Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine listed with no (SHAREPOINT) next to it, and the service MSSQL$SHAREPOINT is now missing from services. As such, no shared collaborations in Exchange are working, and this pervasive (above) error recurs every 5 seconds in the Application section of Event Viewer. It has been suggested that I reinstall Windows SBS 2003 and start from scratch. I have active directory all set up, users and computers all joined and shares assigned, printers and routers all set up, and would prefer to fix this without rebuilding the entire network if possible, so if anyone can provide a path to resolution please let me know. I am a Lone Ranger system admin (not by choice at the moment) and appreciate any help.
Thanks!
johnny5

 

This advice comes from years of experience with previous version of SBS rather than the latest:

Wipe the system and start from scratch.

I have spent many a happy hour trying to fix a corupted install of Exchange / IIS / SQL systems where I've found myself identifying a problem, searching TechNet and the internet for a solution, fixing it, only for another problem to rear its ugly head. In the end not being able to get a stable system and reinstalling anyway.

Look at it this way, it is always going to be in the back of your mind that you have a corupt install. You'll end up watching the system waiting it to fall over again.

And having set it up once, you'll know where everything is and I'll bet you'll be surprised how quickly you'll get it all back up and running.

Your system is broken. Bit the bullet - wipe it and reinstall.

 

Well, my boss and I seem to have worked that bug out, by performing a maintenance reinstall from the CDs setup, and also by finding that the 2003 SBS is actually hosed out of the box, and needs a "critical update" to run altogether. These things have been taken care of, and it is running now, save for a few Exchange quirks that I am still learning about. I will be posting on Exchange in a bit here.
Thanks,
johnny5