At least Saints' new manager George Burley had the satisfaction of not losing to the club he once managed, but it was small consolation.
Neither Southampton nor Derby, until recently Premiership outfits, managed a serious shot on target in the entire 90 minutes.
Southhampton's defence was well marshalled by Claus Lundekvam and former Derby favourite Danny Higginbotham, while there was an assured debut for Swedish full-back Alexander Ostlund.
At the other end, newcomer Darren Moore was an imposing figure in defence which meant that neither goalkeeper was troubled.
Andrew Surman lifted a shot over the bar early on for the home side while for Derby, defender Michael Johnson was taken off on a stretcher after 40 minutes before returning to the fray two minutes later.
The only moment of panic for either side came in the 43rd minute when Inigo Idiakez swung in a corner from the left which was cleared off the line and from the rebound Moore hit the underside of the bar.
Kenwyne Jones should have done better in the 53rd minute when played in by Matthew Oakley, but succeeded only in drilling low shot at Lee Camp.
There was another anxious moment for Derby in the 86th minute when substitute Morten Bisgaard drew a desperate save from Camp after a headed backpass had caused problems.
Then in injury time, a free-kick from Idiakez was held by the diving Bartosz Bialkowski.
Derby began the match with only inexperienced Danny Graham in attack and five players in midfield and struggled to put together any attacking moves until the second half, when they were the better of two disappointing sides.
Tomasz Hajto made a commanding return to Southhampton, less than two weeks after leaving the club on a free transfer, one of 15 players to depart St Mary's during the transfer window.