Sql-server – After adding data files to a file group Is there a way to distribute the data into the new files

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!

We have a Customer who has the unfortunate need to use this program.

Sage purposefully makes it difficult to get to your data because they see that as a "revenue opportunity". (I guess they want to have all of the "lock-in" power of a proprietary file format combined with all of the convenience and performance of using SQL Server 2005...)

Read your license agreement. Sage demands you pay them additional fees to get access to the data. Legally, your only way of accessing your data directly is via their "licensed" means. (It's completely bogus, and makes me think of Sage software as a bunch of dirty, underhanded jerks, personally.)

They do some mean things to make sure that you can't get and keep "sa" privilege to the database easily, but since you physically control the box you can get around that.

I'm not sure how much I should say on here for fear of getting Server Fault into trouble and / or getting a cease-and-desist order myself. Suffice it to say there's a mode that you can start SQL Server in that allows "sa" access regardless of credentials. That's your back door to get in.

Sage: You're a bunch of bozos and your business model sucks re: ACT!. I hope that free and open-source and cloud-based alternatives drive you out of business.