If anybody is interested ... MS no longer issues any security patches for MS SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition, which is the version that most W7 users will have installed. Windows Update does not provide an update to the latest version on W7 , so the user will have to manually install the latest version. MS SQL Server 2008 is available (manual install) and receives patches for it from Windows Update. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/321185 It is possible that MS SQL Server 2005 was bundled by another MS Product at installation. There is conflicting information as to what MS programs use MS SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition. It is best to check if it is running in TM (see if processes in TM belong to it). You can stop the service to see if anything breaks. If it's not running, then it's clearly not being used, and is safe to remove. Users suggest installing V2008 first, then uninstall V2005, then reboot - otherwise it gets a bit messy. MS provides no recommended install/uninstall sequence. User Insights: It has been confirmed that Photo Gallery uses MS SQL Server Compact Edition. An MS Answers MVP advises that Office and MS Essentials do not use it. Visual C may use it (though not confirmed) and it appears that Outlook does not use it (not confirmed). This link includes Windows 8 and Windows 10 information... https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2681562
