WSS is great and Search Server Express is great, put the two together and you have an awesome collaboration and search solution in one. 

But Search Server Express includes WSS so why install both of them?

Answer: If you don't already own a full SQL Server license then you Search Server Express provides MSDE which is limited to 4Gb of storage where as WSS include SSEE which is only limited by your local disk capacity (content database and concurrent user load effects on performance aside). So install both products and get (almost) unlimited WSS storage and Search Server Express MOSS like search capability.

I wanted to install this configuration for my church office as it represents good value for money.

They already had a W2K3 Server license + Windows CAL's but no SQL Server. So I installed the following:

• WSS SP1 in Basic mode – provides unlimited storage SSEE database in single server only solution (no 4Gb limit like Express or MSDE)
• Upgrade to Search Server Express – adds SQL Server 2005 Express for the SSP Content and Search db (this gives you MOSS search functionality for WSS sites, web sites and Network Shares)

Note: due to memory requirements of 2 SQL instances and WSS Web Application you will need to tweak some memory setting but if you have more than 50 users you will probably need a minimum of 4 Gb, preferably 8Gb, of memory which implies 64Bit Windows.

Problems with default WSS Install

There are a few strange WSS settings when you install in Basic Mode. Most notably:

• No domain accounts used
• "SharePoint – 80" IIS Web Site created (default IIS web site is also on port 80)
• Web application on "SharePoint – 80" default zone security is set to Kerberos

Problem: if you change the AAM from the server netbios name to a friendly DNS name and add the host header to IIS, users can't login to the site.
Solution: Change the security provider for the Web Application Default zone to NTLM

Next, upgrade to Search Server Express following these instructions http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc297193.aspx#UpgradeBasic

The SSE upgrade instruction state that:

By default, the Search Server 2008 upgrade wizard creates the default Search Center site on port 80. If there is an existing SharePoint site on that port, the Overwrite Default SharePoint Site screen appears. On this screen, click one of the following options:

• Yes, overwrite the existing site with a new default SharePoint site.
• No, do not overwrite the existing site. Create a new SharePoint site.
• No, do not create a default site.

Problem: I do not get this prompt and the Configuration Wizard fails trying to create the sample data.
Solution: Delete the "SharePoint – 80" then using Central Admin:

1. re-run the Configuration Wizard which will create a new "SharePoint – 80" web application
2. delete the default search site collection created in the root of the new "SharePoint – 80" web application
3. create a Collaboration site collection in the "SharePoint – 80" web application
4. change the AAM settings if you don't want to use the server name + add IIS host header to "SharePoint – 80"
5. configure the SSP search settings as required

Now you go to the Site Settings page of your new site on the "SharePoint – 80" web application and:

1. create a new sub site using the Enterprise Search template
2. set the site collection search settings to use the new search site

The last problem, if you used a host header, is that the crawler is blocked from accessing IIS regardless of the crawl account or Web Application Policy. Follow these steps to resolve http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896861