Setting up Mirroring in SQL Express Edition
Express Edition doesn't include database mirroring, but you can do something similar with log shipping. Log shipping is a technique, not a feature - it's just a matter of frequently taking backups on your primary server, and then restoring them on the secondary.

The normal way of doing this requires SQL Server Agent to run the backup &amp; restore jobs - but again, that's not something Express Edition includes. You'll need some kind of job scheduler.

Kathrine Villyard has a post on doing this with PowerShell.

When it comes to failing over, the basic concepts are the same as failing over Standard Edition's log shipping. They'll be manual steps on Express Edition - but they're also manual on the big brother, too, so don't feel bad.