Problems restoring large SQL Server 2005 database

I think the code below is what's failing. I got this by running sp_helptext sp_changedistributiondb & also looking at what sproc's call sp_verify_job_identifiers.

It looks like changedistributiondb is having trouble updating the distribution cleanup agent job when it runs sp_update_jobstep :

SELECT @command =  'EXEC dbo.sp_MSdistribution_cleanup @min_distretention = ' + 
                CONVERT(nvarchar(12), @new_min_distretention) + ', @max_distretention = ' +
                CONVERT(nvarchar(12), @max_distretention)
            EXEC @retcode = msdb.dbo.sp_update_jobstep @job_name = @agentname, @step_id = 1, 
                @command = @command

maybe this job has been deleted or there is something else strange going on, either way, you should be able to modify the job step manually.

EDIT: The cleanup agent runs on the server with the distribution database. It removes replication history and runs every 10 minutes by default. The job should look like this:

name: Agent history clean up: distribution
category: REPL-History Cleanup
steps: (1)Run Agent
database: distribution
**command:**EXEC dbo.sp_MShistory_cleanup @history_retention = 48

Are you trying to restore over the existing database on E:? If so SQL Server shouldn't need space on C: at all.

It sounds like you're either trying to restore another copy of the database onto C: (which you won't be able to do unless there's enough space) or the backup was taken of the database when its files were on C:, and so it's trying to recreate them on C:.

You can check this by doing a RESTORE FILELISTONLY on the backup and it will tell you the database files it will try to create (see Books Online here). If they're pointing at C:, you can make the restore create them on E: instead using the WITH MOVE syntax.

You can see an example of this in Books Online at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms186858.aspx#restoring_db_n_move_files

Hope this helps!