Cancel initial SQL Server setup installation and re-run 2nd attempt concerns or safe ?

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Cancel initial SQL Server setup installation and re-run 2nd attempt concerns or safe ?

techresearch7777777 1,981

Hello, Am trying to install SQL Server 2019 on Windows Server 2019 and the SQL setup installer is near the very end.

But it currently lists "SqlEngineConfigAction_install_confignonrc_Cpu64" and has not yet successfully completed as provided screenshot.

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It's been hanging stuck at the same spot for days now and found out the reason is one of this server's disk letter drives SQL installer is trying to write to is not accessible.

The other team who handles the disk drives made adjustment and now that disk letter drive is now accessible but it's still hanging at same spot and not completing.

Looks like have no choice but to click the [Cancel] button (usually SQL install takes about 10 minutes...not days).

Will it be safe to re-run this SQL setup installer on 2nd attempt in this situation?

Am wondering since it already wrote to some of the other disk letter drives like creating the Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server...etc... folders and probably registry settings could there be potential corruption to the SQL Server instance afterwards if it does succeed on 2nd try?

This server will serve as a main important Production SQL Server and have concerns of re-running the SQL setup installer on a 2nd attempt after initial attempt needed to be Canceled.

Thanks in advance.

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Answer 1

Erland Sommarskog 129.1K MVP Volunteer Moderator

I don't have any experience of this situation, so it is difficult to give advice. But I would see if there is anything in Programs and Feature to uninstall. If there is not, I would try again without attempting to do any manual cleanup. If Setup now fails, I would consider starting over with Windows rather than going on a Registry craze. And this is based on that you say that this will be a production server. For a test/dev server, you may accept to limp along on something which is not perfect.

Also, if this to be production, may I guess that there is a cluster involved?

techresearch7777777 1,981 Reputation points

2023-05-26T22:55:38.94+00:00

Thanks very much Erland for your quick and expert assessment as always.

This will be Prod (but not clustered) but still I agree not good to take chance in Registry craze like you mentioned and also thank you for confirming.

That's what I was thinking also...better be safe than sorry to have this VM be re-built from scratch and ensuring all disk letter drives are accessible so SQL Setup install should succeed on initial attempt with no issues.

Will click [Cancel] button and retry SQL Setup install 2nd attempt without touching anything else and will keep you posted.

Thanks.
Erland Sommarskog 129.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2023-05-27T08:48:22.9466667+00:00

I didn't ask if it's a VM, but I suspected so. If you start over, take a snapshot before you start the installation. (Just don't forget to delete it, if installation is successful!)

Answer 2

ZoeHui-MSFT 41,536

Hi @techresearch7777777,

From my opinion, I think it doesn't matter.

If we fail in the installation process, we also need to re-run the setup after solving the issue.

Regards，

Zoe Hui

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.

techresearch7777777 1,981 Reputation points

2023-06-01T21:20:20.7166667+00:00

Just an update...when I clicked on the [Cancel] button the Cancel process ended up hanging for over a day.

I then had to terminate the process via Windows Task Manager (then afterwards even Task Manager was hanging so I had to reboot server)

When I tried to re-run the SQL Setup install it gave error message at the section where it asks for SQL Server instance name or default instance which the default was already filled in and greyed out and was unable to click onto the next screen in setup.

So sounds like it partially installed SQL Server.

I've asked the other team to rebuild the VM from scratch since this will be a very important large Prod server and don't want to take any chances.

Thanks everyone for the replies.
Erland Sommarskog 129.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2023-06-01T21:22:00.7+00:00

Good call to ditch the VM!

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Cancel initial SQL Server setup installation and re-run 2nd attempt concerns or safe ?

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