Some Microsoft applications (notably Windows Server Update Services aka WSUS and Windows Sharepoint Services WSS) utilise the Windows Internal Database.

This database can be accessed using either command line tools (such as OSQL and SQLCMD) or Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.  The Express version of Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio is free and can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center.  The easiest is just to Google for “Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express download” – one of the top results should link to a Microsoft webpage.  I recommend you only download this from Microsoft.

Once you have installed the Management Studio open it up.

NOTE: When working on Server 2008 and newer you will need to run Management Studio express as an administrator.  Right click on the icon and then select “Run as administrator”.  This is to ensure that UAC does not cause any problems.

Management Studio might show you the MICROSOFT##SSEE database in the dropdown list, however you won’t be able to connect to it. You must use a named pipe.  So paste this into the server field:

\\.\pipe\mssql$microsoft##ssee\sql\query

Then used Windows Authentication and voila you should now have access to the database.