Sql-server – Cannot Attach Database to SQL Server Management Studio 2008 R2

You can't attach a SQL Server 2008 R2 database to a SQL Server 2008 or 2005 instance. You can only go up, not down; you can't make your 2008 R2 database compatible with previous versions. The solution is to remove your Express instance and replace it with a 2008 R2 instance, then you will be able to attach your database...

If the SIDs change on re-imaging then SQL Server will regard them as new Windows logins. They'll have to be dropped and re-added: as you are doing.

You can test for changed SIDs by using SUSER_SID('domain\somelogin').
The results should b e different before and after.

What you can do is to use a Windows Group instead. So the Windows group contains the 2 users. SIDs will change but you only have to drop and re-add the single group.

Now, you may be able to use a start-up stored procedure to test for SID differences using sys.server_principals and SUSER_SID. If different for a given name you can automate the DROP LOGIN, CREATE LOGIN, ALTER USER

Note: "logins" at the server level are expected to be static. SQL Server provides tools to remap a database-level user to a login via ALTER USER