Q1.15: How can I tell the datetime my Server started?

Method #1

The normal way would be to look at the errorlog, but this is not always convenient or even possible. From a SQL session you find out the server startup time to within a few seconds using:

   select  "Server Start Time" = crdate 
   from    master..sysdatabases 
   where   name = "tempdb"

Method #2

Another useful query is:

   select * from sysengines

which gives the address and port number at which the server is listening.