When installing MSDE 2000 you may run into an error message stating that a strong sa password is needed.

You can bypass this message by running the MSDE setup program from the command line. For example:

C:\sql2ksp3\msde\setup.exe SECURITYMODE=SQL BLANKSAPWD=1

This sets up MSDE with a blank sa password.

A blank sa password is not recommended for security reasons. You should change the password after the MSDE installation is complete.