Microsoft KB Archive/66709

PRB: SQL Server Fails to Start During Installation ID Number: Q66709

1.00 1.10 1.11 4.20 OS/2

Summary:

SYMPTOMS When SQL Server tries to start during installation, the following error message is displayed:

Unable to start SQL Server. CAUSE Either hardware or software problems were encountered while Setup was trying to start SQL Server.

RESOLUTION The following are several reasons why the SQL Server service may be unable to start during the installation process:

- There is not enough room on your hard disk for the OS/2 swap file (SWAPPER.DAT). Make sure you have at least 15 to 20 MB of free space on the hard disk where your SWAPPER.DAT file is  located. Starting up SQL Server may use 8 MB or more of disk space for the SWAPPER.DAT file.

- The NUMSERVICES parameter is set too low. On both Microsoft's OS/2 LAN Manager and IBM's LAN Server, you must set the NUMSERVICES parameter high enough to handle all of the services the server can run. This parameter is located in the IBMLAN.INI file for IBM LAN Server, and in the LANMAN.INI file for OS/2 LAN Manager.

- You may be experiencing a hardware problem: the SQLSERVR.EXE file may have been installed on a bad disk sector. Run the CHKDSK utility to determine if the problem might be hardware related. If it is a bad disk sector, run CHKDSK with the Fix option and completely reinstall SQL Server.

- The wrong CONFIG.SYS file may have been updated. During the installation, when SQL Server modifies the CONFIG.SYS file, it modifies the first CONFIG.* file it finds. Therefore, when SQL Server is being started, the PATH in the CONFIG.SYS file may not have been set properly. Consequently, you will not be allowed to start the SQL Server service unless you are located in the C:\SQL\BINP subdirectory. Note: This problem should not be related to the sharing of IPC$. This problem would show up during the first part of the installation process, during the checking of the system configuration.

Additional reference words: 1.00 1.10 1.11 4.20