So, I setup Windows in a VM with that old version of windows i had on the shelf for some time. (Thanks XEN HVM), Installed .NET 3.5 SP1 and the KB959209 , Setup MSSQL Express 2008
Things that got setup
SQL SERVER REPLICATION
FULL TEXT SEARCH
REPORTING SERVICES
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE DEV STUDIO
Management Tools
SQL Client Connectivity
ms sync framework
From the SQL SERVER CONFIGURATION MANAGER, i enabled TCP/IP from protocols for SQL express
Opened a hole in the firewall for both MSSQL\Binn\sqlservr.exe and \90\Shared\sqlbrowser.exe
and then from within Plesk i added the server
Server Host: mywin.server.com.\MSSQLExpress
Admin User: sa
Admin Pass: Same pass i entered in Mixed authentication for the sa user !
Done, Plesk thinks this is a great thing i have done and accepts the thing instantly
MS advises that i read Understanding Surface Area – In setup help Minimize SQL Server 2008 surface Area