MSSQL$MICROSOFT service won´t start automatically after a Win server 2022 restart

Question

I have a client with a Win Server 2022 (10.0.20348) and a SQL server. It turns out that SQL service will not start automatically after a restart. Now, while a restart on a server does not happen every day, I would like to know if there's a way to fix that so next time there's an update (or any programmed restart) the service does not have to be manually started.

I followed this guide which has a workaround, but wanted to ask here anyway because that post is more than 8 years old:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/34797295/sql-server-service-doesnt-start-anymore-automatically-if-i-make-a-windows-resta

Thank you very much in advance!

Answer 1

Which version of SQL Server do you have?

Changing the start up to Automatic (Delayed) would be my first recommendation. Although for SQL 2022 that should not be necessary, because it is installed with delayed start by default. But if you have an older version of SQL Server, this can very well be the solution.

You can check C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQLnn.MICROSOFT\MSSQL\LOG to see if there is an ERRORLOG created when Windows starts. If so, that would indicate that SQL Server starts but then stops for some reason. Check the errorlog what the reason may be. (Note that the actual path depends on the installation, so the path above may not be correct.)

I know that in the past, I had to change my SQL Server instances to have delayed start. My machine is a desktop with quite a few instances, and a bunch of other things to start on system boot, so it is not really a surprise that Windows is not able to start every service within the allotted 30 seconds.

Answer 2

Hi，Matias G. Keib

while a restart on a server does not happen every day

Do you mean that sometimes after the server is restarted, the SQL Server service can successfully start automatically?

My suggestion is to first check the server's event log, then look at the SQL Server Error log that Erland mentioned. Both logs can provide detailed information about the SQL Server startup process. Additionally, is your server running within a domain? What account is your SQL Server service starting with? Without knowing the details of your log files, it is advised to set the startup type to Automatic (Delayed Start), and also make sure that your service account has the permissions shown in the article (you can modify these in the Local Policies).

Best Regards,

Mikey Qiao

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