Trouble In Paradise: SQL Server 2016 Installation Issues

It was one of those days where you want to install some new toy and have fun but guess what?  The new toy is broken. My new toy, SQL Server 2016 RC3 would not install, and therefore, you’re stuck with SQL Server installation issues. Restarting Windows had no effect and attempting to bypass the Global Rules resulted in a failed SQL Server 2016 installation.  So where do you go when you have problems setting up your new toy?

SQL Server 2016 Installation: Ghost In The Machine?

I thought this may be a bug with SQL Server 2016’s setup. To test this I loaded the SQL Server 2014 iso and attempted an install. As it turned out 2014 had the same issue; yet, I had installed it from the same iso some time ago.

I found some posts suggesting that the issue is related to Visual Studio being installed and suggesting it be removed and then installed after SQL has completed. To me, this wasn’t the right answer.

The setup dialog points to a “View detailed report” link.

At first glance, the report is no more useful than the result reported by the setup dialog. The valuable piece of information on this report is the location of the setup logs.

The location of the setup logs is important because it contains a lot more detail than the reports give. Inside the log, the folder is the Detail.txt file, which led me to the error. After a quick web search on 0x240005 and SQL Server setup, I was no further.

Digging deeper, I decided to perform a Find in the report on the key phrase “Restart computer” and I came across a section for the Restart computer rule and found that Windows Update was to blame.

After a bit more searching I found a forum post that suggested a broken SQL Server 2016 installation or update may leave a registry key behind signaling that a reboot must happen to finish installing. After deleting the key SQL Server passed the Global Rules and was able to install successfully.

Thanks for reading! I hope that my trials with installing SQL Server 2016 will help you better understand the setup process and where to look when dealing with your own SQL Server installation issues. Now that SQL Server 2016 installation is complete, be sure to come back for more posts on SQL Server 2016.