Failed to install Microsoft Sql server latest version.

Question

Failed to install Microsoft Sql server latest version.

Ranjan Majumder 0

I have bought a laptop named ASUS gaming TUF A15. I am trying to install SQL server latest version but failed every time. I contacted ASUS for this. They said this is a third-party application. they are not responsible for this. You need to connect Microsoft.

I am also attaching the screenshot.

Please help me that I can save my job. I am not able to practice.

Deepesh Dhake 1,165 Reputation points

2026-08-26T13:26:33.25+00:00

Can you attach the error details?
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-26T16:57:23.2633333+00:00

ASUS are correct in that it is not their fault. But your screenshot did not make it, so we do know why the installation failed.

In C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log there is one folder per installation attempt. The files of most interest are summary.txt and details.txt. Feel free to attach them here. (Please do not paste directly into a window!)
Ranjan Majumder 0 Reputation points

2026-08-31T13:34:41.0133333+00:00

This is the error
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-31T13:36:03.81+00:00

Did you intend to attach something? In that case, it did not make it. Please try again.
Ranjan Majumder 0 Reputation points

2026-08-31T13:38:02.1333333+00:00

Please check it
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-31T13:57:06.14+00:00

Bleech. I've seen people getting this error before, but I have never been able to understand it, and therefore I don't really have a suggestion for a solution.

There is a known issue where Windows 11 reports a disk-sector size which SQL Server cannot cope with. This is definitely not the reason for this failure, because the issue with the disc-sector size manifests itself much later in the install process. What possibly could have happened was that this caused your first attempt to install, and then you tried some random cleanup - quite understandably if you did - which messed things up, so now you are failing at an earlier stage. What you can do, though, is to check this article and check if your machine is subject to the disk-sector issue, and you could also apply the registry fix suggested in the article. However, it is not going to take you past this error.

Some people I've tried to help have had success when following this article to uninstall SQL Server: https://www.sql-easy.com/learn/how-to-uninstall-sql-server/ But I have an unnerving feeling that this is related to the MSI installer cache, and it will not help.

I'm sorry for not being able to help you better. But one challenge is that this problem requires quite different skills from using and running SQL Server.

One alternative is to run SQL Server in a virtual machine or in a container.

2 answers

Your answer

Deepesh Dhake 1,165 Reputation points

2026-08-26T13:26:33.25+00:00

Can you attach the error details?
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-26T16:57:23.2633333+00:00

ASUS are correct in that it is not their fault. But your screenshot did not make it, so we do know why the installation failed.

In C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log there is one folder per installation attempt. The files of most interest are summary.txt and details.txt. Feel free to attach them here. (Please do not paste directly into a window!)
Ranjan Majumder 0 Reputation points

2026-08-31T13:34:41.0133333+00:00

This is the error
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-31T13:36:03.81+00:00

Did you intend to attach something? In that case, it did not make it. Please try again.
Ranjan Majumder 0 Reputation points

2026-08-31T13:38:02.1333333+00:00

Please check it
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-31T13:57:06.14+00:00

Bleech. I've seen people getting this error before, but I have never been able to understand it, and therefore I don't really have a suggestion for a solution.

There is a known issue where Windows 11 reports a disk-sector size which SQL Server cannot cope with. This is definitely not the reason for this failure, because the issue with the disc-sector size manifests itself much later in the install process. What possibly could have happened was that this caused your first attempt to install, and then you tried some random cleanup - quite understandably if you did - which messed things up, so now you are failing at an earlier stage. What you can do, though, is to check this article and check if your machine is subject to the disk-sector issue, and you could also apply the registry fix suggested in the article. However, it is not going to take you past this error.

Some people I've tried to help have had success when following this article to uninstall SQL Server: https://www.sql-easy.com/learn/how-to-uninstall-sql-server/ But I have an unnerving feeling that this is related to the MSI installer cache, and it will not help.

I'm sorry for not being able to help you better. But one challenge is that this problem requires quite different skills from using and running SQL Server.

One alternative is to run SQL Server in a virtual machine or in a container.

Answer 1

Deepesh Dhake 1,165

Please open Command Prompt as administrator:

Check WMI:

winmgmt /verifyrepository

If it reports "inconsistent":

winmgmt /salvagerepository

If it's still inconsistent, please try:

net stop winmgmt
winmgmt /resetrepository
net start winmgmt

Please reboot, then run SQL setup again as administrator.

If step 1 says "consistent", WMI isn't the cause - in that case, could you share the error line from this file?

0 comments

Answer 2

Wait on the Database Engine recovery handle failed is a generic setup error that usually means the SQL Server service did not start during setup. On ASUS TUF A15 systems, the context points to a known issue where Windows can report disk sector sizes that SQL Server does not handle correctly, which can lead to messages about 256 misaligned log I/Os or LocalDB/engine startup failures.

Use this path:

Open the SQL Server error log from the failed install.
- For SQL Server 2022 Express, check: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL16.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\LOG\ERRORLOG
- If installing SQL Server 2025, the Q&A context indicates changing 16 to 17.
Look in ERRORLOG for messages like:
- There have been 256 misaligned log IOs...
- sector-size related errors
- Wait on the Database Engine recovery handle failed
If the log shows misaligned log I/O or sector-size errors, follow the Microsoft workaround article for disk sector size issues. The context specifically points to that article as the recommended fix for ASUS TUF A15 installation failures.
If LocalDB or database files were moved and the log shows a message like the file was formatted with one sector size and is now on a volume with a larger sector size, move the file to a volume with a sector size that is the same as or smaller than the original sector size.
Before retrying setup, make sure there is no pending restart. For SQL Server 2022 or later on newer Windows Server versions, the guidance is to restart Windows first if a restart is pending. Restarting is also called out in related installation guidance when changes need to take effect.
If setup media might be damaged, download the SQL Server image again and rerun setup. If installing from a network location, copy the media to a local drive and run setup from there.
If the installation still fails, collect setup logs for support:
- Download the log collection tool from https://aka.ms/vscollect
- Open an administrative command prompt
- Run collect.exe
- The tool creates vslogs.zip in %TEMP%
If the issue is specifically with SSMS rather than the Database Engine, and the error mentions ODBC Driver 17 or a reboot requirement, uninstall Microsoft ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server from Control Panel > Programs and Features, restart if prompted, and then install the latest SSMS again.

Important: avoid registry changes unless following the documented workaround exactly, and restart Windows afterward because changes may not take effect until after a reboot.