SQL Server 2008 does not autostart

[Bob]

I recently recovered from a crash with what I hope is minor registry damage.

SQL Server does not startup with the computer and the Service has
disappeared from Administrative Tools->Services.

If I start SQL Server from sqlservr.exe then the service starts, recovers
databases and can be accessed normally both locally and remotely. The
databases themselves seem to be OK.

The obvious thing to to would be to reinstall SQL Server and re-attach the
databases or whatever. This does seem a bit like cracking a walnut with
jackhammer. Is there an easier way?
--
Bob

[Erland Sommarskog]

I would think that Running Setup is indeed the way to go. There is a
Repair option somewhere as I recall.

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esq...@sommarskog.se

Links for SQL Server Books Online:
SQL 2008: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/cc514207.aspx
SQL 2005: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sqlserver/bb895970.aspx
SQL 2000: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx

[Bob]

i finally tried this but after a very contorted process it complains that the
SQL server service is not installed. A singularly futile exercise. There must
be an easier way.

As i say the service will start from the command prompt.
--
Bob

"Erland Sommarskog" wrote:

> .
>

[Erland Sommarskog]

Bob (bmo...@swiftkenya.com(nospamm)) writes:
> i finally tried this but after a very contorted process it complains
> that the SQL server service is not installed. A singularly futile
> exercise. There must be an easier way.

If the machine is that broken, I can't think of any easier way than
running Setup. Sure, all that is needed is probably to repair some
registry keys, but to find out which probably takes longer time than
running Setup. And you will still have errors that causes confusion
further on.

Before you run Setup, make a copy the system databases so you can put them
back if Setup overwrites them. (User databases should be safe, but copying
them as well is not a bad idea.)

Admittedly, there is a risk that Setup is tripped by the existing partial
installation. But try it before you try anything else.

[Bob]

Repair, as I said, complained about the problem it was supposed to fix. Of
course, uninstall and reinstall followed by re-attaching the databases worked.

My point is that this is an enormously involved process for performing what
should be a simple job of re-installing a system service. If there isn't a
procedure then there ought to be!
--
Bob

"Erland Sommarskog" wrote:

> .
>

[Erland Sommarskog]

Bob (bmo...@swiftkenya.com(nospamm)) writes:
> Repair, as I said, complained about the problem it was supposed to fix.
> Of course, uninstall and reinstall followed by re-attaching the
> databases worked.
>
> My point is that this is an enormously involved process for performing
> what should be a simple job of re-installing a system service. If there
> isn't a procedure then there ought to be!

As I understood, your computer experienced a failure, and of the registry
was corrupted. Providing a repair function that can handle all possible
forms of damaged installations certainly sounds non-trivial to me.

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esq...@sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/downloads/books.mspx
Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx