Problem getting SQL Server Express Service to Start

I have had SQL Server 2005 (Full Version) installed along with SQL Server Express and suddenly SQL Express quit starting and will not start manually. I have reinstalled VS 2005 (Team Edition for Software Dev) and tried to reinstall SQL Express but the installation fails when it tries to start the service. Any suggestions?

Keith

If it had been working for a while but stopped, and it logs on with an account other than local I would check to see if the account's password has expired. If that isn't the case, when you try to start it are there any messages in the Event Logs?|||

You should also check the SQL Error logs in addition to the Event logs. Let us know what they say.

Regards,

Mike Wachal
SQL Express team

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Please mark your thread as Answered when you get your solution.

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I get the following in the SQL Server Express Log:

SQL Trace ID 1 was started by login "sa".

2006-04-17 16:16:32.77 spid5s Starting up database 'mssqlsystemresource'.

2006-04-17 16:16:33.14 spid5s Error: 15209, Severity: 16, State: 1.

2006-04-17 16:16:33.14 spid5s An error occurred during encryption.

2006-04-17 16:16:33.16 spid5s SQL Trace was stopped due to server shutdown.

Any thoughts?

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Thanks Keith,

Just to be clear, are you getting this error while installing or just when trying to start the server?

Regards,

Mike Wachal
SQL Express team

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Please mark your thread as Answered when you get your solution.

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When the server quit starting and repairing visual studio didn't help, I removed the following registry entries:

Under the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\Instance Names\SQL, the string named SQLEXPRESS with data MSSQL.1 and

the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1

so that sql express would install under the same instance name. I then reinstalled sqlexpress and during the installation it was unable to start the service and reported the encryption error in the sql server log.

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Do not delete registry entries. Use the setup program to uninstall/reinstall the SQL Server Express product.

Normally, SQL Server setup creates the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\Security

If the Security key is not present, the creation of the service master key will fail with the error that you've encountered. The key was probably not created because you partially deleted the registry entries for this product.

You can attempt to create the key manually (don't create anything under it), to see if this will allow the installation to complete. If it works, I suggest to backup your databases, then uninstall and reinstall SQL Server Express again, because the correct installation will create this key and it will also apply the proper access restrictions on it.

Thanks
Laurentiu

|||The Add/Remove Programs utility in the control panel will not let me uninstall SQLEXPRESS. It says that the product has already been uninstalled. When I try to add SQLEXPRESS it states the the instance name is already in use and won't install. This lead me to make the registry changes mentioned earlier. I have repaired the registry. Is there any way to delete the entry for the SQLEXPRESS instance from the list of installed instances in the the Add/Remove programs list that appears when I select "Change" under Microsoft SQL Server 2005?|||

Try posting this question on the Setup forum: SQL Server Setup & Upgrade.

Thanks
Laurentiu