Last week, I encountered an error while installing a standalone instance of SQL Server 2014. Despite following all the prerequisites and not receiving any warnings or errors during the installation process, I received the following error at the end:
Wait on the Database Engine recovery handle failed. Check the SQL Server error log for potential causes.
This error left me puzzled as I had taken all the necessary precautions before installing SQL Server. After conducting extensive research, I discovered multiple solutions to fix this issue. In this article, I will explain one of the options that helped me resolve the error without having to uninstall the failed installation of SQL Server.
Option 2: Fixing the Issue Using the “sa” Account
Here is the step-by-step process I followed to fix the error:
- Launch the SQL Server setup to initiate the installation process. Fill in all the required details and proceed to the last page of the setup window.
- Click on the “Install” button to start the SQL Server installation.
- During the installation, an error message will appear. Click “OK” to acknowledge the error.
- After the installation fails, open the Windows Services console by running the “services.msc” command.
- Despite the installation failure, you will notice that the SQL Server services have been created in the Windows Services console.
- Start the SQL Server services. If you encounter permission issues, check the service account associated with the SQL Server service.
- Change the service account to either “Local System” or a valid domain account.
- Start the SQL Server service again. This time, it should start successfully.
- Launch SQL Server Management Studio and try to connect to the SQL Server instance using a Windows account. If the connection fails, try using the “sa” account.
- If you are able to connect using the “sa” account, assign a password to the account for security reasons.
By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the “Wait on the Database Engine Recovery Handle Failed” error in SQL Server without having to uninstall the failed installation.
Remember, it is important to assign a password to the “sa” account to ensure the security of your database instance.
Hopefully, this tip will help you overcome this issue and successfully install SQL Server.