I do very love how everyone has a story and a feeling towards this game

It has more a nostalgic value than an actual value i guess

Me too by the way

This game was my long waited dream to have the full code.... Deepest Condolences about your father.
Sadfully until there is no one who come up with a portable MSSQL your only lead is one of the Virtual machines that you need to setup with a very few modifications to yourself.. so even if you are playing with flatfile database the game itself requires MSSQL to be present and be able to connect to it... so currently only the virtualisation is a solution or DIY... Also just to know that the MMORPG servers/emulators are not famous from the ease-of-use-methods around here :S So you will need some fiddling around any of it... sorry...

But hey this one is not particulally hard, and worth the time you spend to the setup
OR you can try the homecoming servers...(Risking that if they will be shut down you will lose any progress you made including characters this whole thing is not particulaly *COUGH* legal... yet. it is still being debated... XD )
In the 40 GB it includes EVERYTHING

Literally. XD (Exept some def files) but it has tools, servers, clients...
No no dont worry

you can ask things like this thats why the forum exists
So... versions... Oh man this is a complicated thingy...
I24 and I25 is issue 24 and issue 25 patches.
So
I24 - We have a full fledged source code and this will be the full server as of NCSOFT shut down the entire COH servers in 2013 BUT it has some problems with auth server and its being rewritten, but it works-ish... This is the Homecoming project that almost everyone works on...
I25 Unofficial - We have the source now for this this was the server that was running in the last 7 years secretly. It has a full fledge working systems and an I25 patch that adds new classes removes restrictions and all... its a non official version but IMHO works better and more stable than the I24. But the I24 will be better at some point it will be a real NCSOFT like server, but you can use the I25 now if you want a COH experience.
(I25 Source is a bit missing a thing or two, but it has VERY few bugs only, everything works on that source...) These called SCORE servers. (Its an akronym dont ask XD google it) But i25 has a fully working systems, but it is hard to develop.
Here a document of the changes list in the Issue 25 It adds some vendors and classes too. But this is not the original ofc, but i dont think this is ruining anything i am using this
If you want you can give the I25 a shot. It is not so hard to setup... But if you prefer I24, that is good too

But you will need to wait until they rework the code and auth server ect...