Thursday 12 August 2010

SQL Server Install Error: Rule “Restart Computer” failed.

So, we get this error when we go to install a new instance of SQL 2008 on a dedicated Windows Server 2008 Standard x64 box:

image

Rule Check Result

Rule “Restart computer” failed.

A computer restart is required. You must restart this computer before installing SQL Server.

But, we _just_ restarted it because of that error?!?

A quick search turned up the following:

The Forum post suggest that we look at the following registry key:

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\PendingFileRenameOperations

Sure enough, when we look into the registry, we find the culprit:

image

We deleted the content in that key since whatever the HP driver was trying to do it was failing at it miserably.

image

Of course, we Exported the Session Manager key _before_ deleting the content!

When we click the Re-run button in the SQL Server 2008 Setup window we were greeted with:

image

Restart Computer: Passed

We were good to go on installing that needed instance.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

6 comments:

Evelyn López, age: 25. said...

What do you mean by "we Exported the Session Manager key _before_ deleting" ? well, by "exported".
To Where?
I am having this issue, but I'm just a newbie.
Can you explain this to me?

Evelyn López, age: 25. said...

Ok,
forget about my last comment.
I did what you say and I passed the check!
Thanks a lot for sharing this solution.
My gmail in case you want to give some feedback:

evelyn.lrz@gmail.com

Philip Elder Cluster MVP said...

Evelyn,

By default, we export the key we will be making changes to _before_ we make those changes. Just in case.

Philip

Amit Pandey said...

thanks great its working f9
i really thankful to u..........

Azad said...

Can you help me?
I got the error: Restart Computer failed: while installing SQL sever-2012 in Windows server-2012 standard edition. I got your post and trying to find out the session manager Key. but could not find it??
C/Windows/system32/.?? to find the path??

Sreejith said...

Great ....Solved my issue