One thing that you will find installing the Sharepoint 2010 BETA Installation is that things have changed concerning Standalone versus Complete installation.
Standalone build is usually the one to go for when you want a single server developer type environment and also all the SQL permissioning is done for you.
However, Complete installation allows you to finely tune the accounts used in SQL, and I always find that the best route to go personally.
Got a bit of a shock though when at the Specify Configuration Database Settings and filing in the Database Server, Name, Username and Password the following when clicking NEXT:
The specified user MyServerName\MyLocalAccount is a local account. Local accounts should only be used in stand alone mode.
Oh dear, so how to get around that? Time to use another new feature in 2010 – Sharepoint 2010 Management Shell which uses – wow Powershell!! This is availble in the shortcuts for Sharepoint 2010 on Start Programs etc.
Ok, so when running this up, enter the commands as follows:
New-SPConfigurationDatabase
This then brings up the cmdlet for that command. You will need to enter the values for the DatabaseName, Server, Farm Credentials and a Passphrase.
Once these have been entered, please be patient as the config db is created – can take up to 5 minutes!
Once done, all you need to do is rerun the Products Configuration Wizard – you’ll notice straight away that you can join the existing farm based on the the values you entered.
One note. For New-SPConfigurationDatabase to work SQL must be running Service Pack 2 or 3 – also, take a look at this link for more information:
Hope this helps!