Issue in the Installing the SQL Server

Question

Issue in the Installing the SQL Server

Dhivya Krishnan 0

Hi Team,

I'm using the Window 11 OS and the Processor - Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-10110U CPU @ 2.10GHz, 2592 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s).

When i tried to install Microsoft SQL I was getting this error, please help me to resolve the issue.

User's image

Dhivya Krishnan 0 Reputation points

2026-07-30T17:44:54.1633333+00:00

Hi,

Hi All,

When i checked the logs in the path - C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\SSEI\LogFiles in the file "SSEI-Expr_20260730140611", im getting this error

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key Microsoft SQL Server to file D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260730_140631\Registry_SOFTWARE_Microsoft_Microsoft SQL Server.reg_

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key Uninstall to file D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260730_140631\Registry_SOFTWARE_Microsoft_Windows_CurrentVersion_Uninstall.reg_

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Unable to open hklm registry key SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSSQLServer, error The system cannot find the file specified.

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key Microsoft SQL Server to file D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260730_140631\Registry_SOFTWARE_Wow6432Node_Microsoft_Microsoft SQL Server.reg_

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key Uninstall to file D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260730_140631\Registry_SOFTWARE_Wow6432Node_Microsoft_Windows_CurrentVersion_Uninstall.reg_

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key MSSQLServer to file D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260730_140631\Registry_SOFTWARE_Wow6432Node_Microsoft_MSSQLServer.reg_

(07) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Error opening installation log file. Verify that the specified log file location exists and that you can write to it.

Please help me to resolve it...

Thanks and Regards,

Dhivya R K
Erland Sommarskog 135.9K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-30T21:37:54.1666667+00:00

So why is want to write log files to the D: drive? Do you have a D: drive? Did you explicitly specify D: when you started the installation? Have you redefined ProgramFilesDir somewhere?

I can't say where the error is, but there is all indication that your machine/setup does not follow the regular template - and in most cases, that would be because you have been poking around yourself. We might be able to help you, but we need to know more details.
Dhivya Krishnan 0 Reputation points

2026-07-31T07:32:28.77+00:00

Hi @Erland Sommarskog ,

I have mentioned in any form to be in D: drive...

D Drive exists

Shortly will attach all the screenshots.

Thanks for your response.

4 answers

Your answer

Dhivya Krishnan 0 Reputation points

2026-07-30T17:44:54.1633333+00:00

Hi,

Hi All,

When i checked the logs in the path - C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\SSEI\LogFiles in the file "SSEI-Expr_20260730140611", im getting this error

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key Microsoft SQL Server to file D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260730_140631\Registry_SOFTWARE_Microsoft_Microsoft SQL Server.reg_

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key Uninstall to file D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260730_140631\Registry_SOFTWARE_Microsoft_Windows_CurrentVersion_Uninstall.reg_

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Unable to open hklm registry key SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSSQLServer, error The system cannot find the file specified.

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key Microsoft SQL Server to file D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260730_140631\Registry_SOFTWARE_Wow6432Node_Microsoft_Microsoft SQL Server.reg_

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key Uninstall to file D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260730_140631\Registry_SOFTWARE_Wow6432Node_Microsoft_Windows_CurrentVersion_Uninstall.reg_

(05) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key MSSQLServer to file D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260730_140631\Registry_SOFTWARE_Wow6432Node_Microsoft_MSSQLServer.reg_

(07) 2026-07-30 14:19:34 Error opening installation log file. Verify that the specified log file location exists and that you can write to it.

Please help me to resolve it...

Thanks and Regards,

Dhivya R K
Erland Sommarskog 135.9K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-30T21:37:54.1666667+00:00

So why is want to write log files to the D: drive? Do you have a D: drive? Did you explicitly specify D: when you started the installation? Have you redefined ProgramFilesDir somewhere?

I can't say where the error is, but there is all indication that your machine/setup does not follow the regular template - and in most cases, that would be because you have been poking around yourself. We might be able to help you, but we need to know more details.
Dhivya Krishnan 0 Reputation points

2026-07-31T07:32:28.77+00:00

Hi @Erland Sommarskog ,

I have mentioned in any form to be in D: drive...

D Drive exists

Shortly will attach all the screenshots.

Thanks for your response.

Answer 1

1. Uninstalled OLE

2. Uninstalled SQL

3. I downloaded everything will be shown

4. Rebooting the system,

5. Moved to C: drive

6. Installing msoledbsql as Adminstrator

7. OLE DB Driver installation is completed

8. Now will begin the installation of SQL2025-SSEI-StdDev.

9. Will use “Download Media” on these option Basic / Custom / Download Media

10. Choosen only these feature

If I cancel(Multiple) it, it will throws error

When I checked the logs in the path “D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260731_143622” I found the issue was

(18) 2026-07-31 14:36:53 SQLArcOnboard: IsItAzureVM cannot reach IMDS, exception System.Net.Http.HttpRequestException: An error occurred while sending the request. ---> System.Net.WebException: Unable to connect to the remote server ---> System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond 169.254.169.254:80

at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.InternalEndConnect(IAsyncResult asyncResult)

at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.EndConnect(IAsyncResult asyncResult)

at System.Net.ServicePoint.ConnectSocketInternal(Boolean connectFailure, Socket s4, Socket s6, Socket& socket, IPAddress& address, ConnectSocketState state, IAsyncResult asyncResult, Exception& exception)

--- End of inner exception stack trace ---

at System.Net.HttpWebRequest.EndGetResponse(IAsyncResult asyncResult)

at System.Net.Http.HttpClientHandler.GetResponseCallback(IAsyncResult ar)

--- End of inner exception stack trace ---

at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()

at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)

at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.InstallWizard.AzureDetailsHelper.<IsItAzureVM>d__5.MoveNext()

(16) 2026-07-31 14:36:53 Slp: -- PidInfoProvider : NormalizePid is normalizing input pid

(16) 2026-07-31 14:36:53 Slp: -- PidInfoProvider : NormalizePid found a pid containing dashes, assuming pid is normalized, output pid

Answer 2

The real error in your log is the last line: setup can't write to its log folder on the D: drive.

Please try, in order:

Confirm the D: drive exists and has free space. If it's missing, full, or read-only, that's your cause.

Test write access - open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

 echo test > "D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\test.txt"

Fails then it's a D: access/space issue (the root cause).

Succeeds then D: is fine; likely admin rights.

Run setup as Administrator, or point it to a writable path:

setup.exe /INSTALLPATH="C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server"

Answer 3

Deepesh Dhake 735

Your setup is failing on the step that installs the OLE DB Driver 18 (Install_msoledbsql18_Cpu64_Action). The most common cause is a newer version of that driver already being on the machine.

Please try this in order:

Uninstall existing OLE DB drivers - Control Panel then Programs and Features then remove any "Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server" (18 or 19), then reboot.

Run setup as Administrator (right-click then Run as administrator). SQL 2025 will reinstall its own driver cleanly.

If it still fails, check the real cause here:

   findstr /S /I /C:"msoledbsql" /C:"return value 3" "D:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20260729_165856\*.log"

Erland Sommarskog 135.9K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-30T21:39:52.9066667+00:00

Deepesh, I think the setup fails in the pre-stage before the real setup starts, and maybe you have also realised that you were in error. I'm inclined to delete this first response of yours as it is more confusing than helpful. Please let me know.
Dhivya Krishnan 0 Reputation points

2026-07-31T08:05:40.78+00:00

Currently i don't have OLE DB Driver or SQL... Please find the screenshot...

Now will freshly download and install only install in the C Drive, Now i will install "msoledbsql", "SQL2025-SSEI-StdDev and vs_SSMS as an Administator.

Please let me know whether we have to follow anything else.

Answer 4

The screenshot shows the SQL Server installer failing very early with "Unable to install SQL Server (setup.exe)". The log snippet also shows a write attempt to the SQL Server setup bootstrap log path. On Windows 11, the supported path depends on the SQL Server version, and the next step is to identify the exact setup failure from the setup logs.

Use this path first:

Open File Explorer.
Go to: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\170\Setup Bootstrap\Log
Open the latest dated folder.
Check Summary.txt and Detail.txt / Details.txt.

If the failure is "Wait on the Database Engine recovery handle failed" or similar:

Open the SQL Server error log at: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL16.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\LOG\ERRORLOG or for Express: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL16.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\LOG\ERRORLOG
Look for a message about "256 misaligned log IOs" or misaligned reads.
If that message exists, the failure matches the known Windows 11 disk sector size issue described in Microsoft guidance.

If the setup media is damaged or corrupted, use these fixes:

Download the SQL Server image again from the original location, then rerun Setup.
If installing from a network location, copy the installation files to a local drive and run Setup from there.
If the log or error mentions Setup.rll, rename this file and rerun Setup: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\1XX\Setup Bootstrap\SQLXXX\resources\1033\Setup.rll Rename it to setup.rll.old.
If using a localized SQL Server version, verify the operating system language settings are compatible. Different language versions of SQL Server instances on the same computer aren’t supported.

Also verify version support on Windows 11:

SQL Server 2025: supported on Windows 11
SQL Server 2022: supported on Windows 11
SQL Server 2019: supported on Windows 11
SQL Server 2017: supported on Windows 11
SQL Server 2016 and earlier: not supported on Windows 11

The processor shown is not the problem based on the provided information.

The most useful next action is to inspect Summary.txt and the SQL ERRORLOG for the exact failure point. If the error log contains the misaligned IO / sector size message, follow the disk sector size troubleshooting guidance. If not, the failure is more likely corrupted setup media or another setup-specific issue shown in Summary.txt.

References: