SQL Server (Maximizer) will not start

Question

I moved to a new computer and went from Windows 10 to 11. The SQL Sever (Maximizer) will not start. Is this a Win 11 issue? Maximizer does not support my program because it's a Legacy program.

Answer 1

It could very well be a known issues with Windows 11 reporting a disk sector size that SQL Server cannot cope with for some disks.

To find out if this is the issue, you should check the SQL Server errorlog, which is located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL15.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\LOG\ERRORLOG. Note that the exact path depends on the version of SQL Server andhow it was installed.

If you find a message towards the end of the log about 256 misaligned reads, you are indeed victim to this issue, and Microsoft has published an article with workarounds.

Note: You talk about Maximizer, which I guess is some third-party software, but which I'm not acquainted with. My answer was posted in the light of a general SQL Server user. Maximizer may do things differently, and you may have to contact the vendor for support.

Answer 2

Hi @Edward Melia

Windows 11 uses different block sizes for disc alignment (32k) which aren't supported by SQL Server.

BUT there is a workaround: Troubleshoot errors related to system disk sector size greater than 4 KB.

Best regards,

Cosmog Hong

---

If the answer is the right solution, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our Documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.