Unable to install SQL Server. Exit code (Decimal): -2061893607

Question

I get a very kindly worded error message when attempting to install SQL Server 2022, Express Edition.

It states, "Unable to install SQL Server (setup.exe). Exit code (Decimal): -2061893607 Error description: Could not find the Database Engine startup handle."Attached is the error log.

• ErrorLog.txt

The error pop-up sends me to a page titled, "Configure the Windows Firewall to allow SQL Server access"

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/sql-server/install/configure-the-windows-firewall-to-allow-sql-server-access?view=sql-server-ver16

I was able to complete the PowerShell commands to open TCP port 1433 and UDP port 1434 for SQL Server, in that no errors were displayed.

I reran the installation with the same error.

What else can I try? Seems I just need to open the ports for the firewall.

Answer 1

The message Wait on the Database Engine recovery handle failed is a generic error that means that SQL Server did not start when Setup wanted to run configuration steps. To understand why it did not start, you need to look in the SQL Server errorlog, which you find in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL16.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\LOG\ERRORLOG.

If you see a message about 256 misaligned reads, you are running into a known issue where Windows 11 for some disk drives reports a sector size that SQL Server does not cope with. Microsoft has published an article with workarounds for the problem.

If you don't see the message about misaligned reads, feel free to upload the errorlog here, so we can look at it. You will need to rename to ERRORLOG.txt for the forum software to accept it.

As Olaf says, the message about the firewall is just a warning. It has no relation to your installation failure.