in sql2000 that would not be needed because your image col is just a pointer in your table. That pointer points to a blob address which is like a varchar...

From Books online :

sp_pkeys

Returns primary key information for a single table in the current environment.

Syntax

sp_pkeys [ @table_name = ] 'name'

    [ , [ @table_owner = ] 'owner' ]

    [...

There is no "out of the box" data-encryption within sqlserver 2000.

you can however encrypt you code (e.g. create procedure , create view, ...) using the with encryption keyword.

Check Books online...

You may want to run sp_updatestats and dbcc updateusage() before you collect and interprete these statistics data ! 

(Check books online !)

Plan it in...

indeed, once you are sa, you are a "god" for sqlserver.

You cannot deny sa anything !

If you remove builti\administrators, make sure your sqlserver (and agent) service account is a local...

IMO your user has SA-authority !

The only way a non-sysadm user gets rights to a db...

Another downside of sp_rename for stored procs is that it does not alter the create-text !!!!

So when you script your db using SQLDMO or other stuff to readout the...

is this an sp4 instance ? (we plan to upgrade to sp4, just inventoring what to expect)

Using isqlw.exe (or osql.exe) (i cannot recall wich one is provided with msde) you can perform something like this :

create a script like this

-- allow serverlogin

 exec sp_grantlogin N'windowsdomain\windowsuser_A' --...

Thanks for your input.

That is indeed a section that is in my checklist

Well, lets just say it is a "must do" to get a feeling with your rdbms.

If you ignore execution plans, or the investigation regaring how and why your rdbms uses...

and owned by DBO or the current user

sql2000 ?

only make the wanted user or group member of the database-owner group in the database. Database owners can do anything they want in the db.

exec sp_addrolemember N'db_owner', N'youruser'

Grant the...

Check Information Schema Views in books online.

They are SQL-92 standard.

These views are preferable over the system-tables like sysobjects, sysusers, ... because they follow the standard.

Propriatary systemcatalogtables may change with each fix/servicepack/version.

I'ts always a nice adventure to predict an execution plan yourself and then compare it to the one sqlserver uses 

You'll learn a lot...