Installing SQL Server 2012 - Wait on the Database Engine recovery handle failed

I am installing SQL Server 2012 SP1 on a new Windows 8.1 machine.

During installation I get this error: (Screenshots similar to this question)


TITLE: Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1 Setup


The following error has occurred:


Wait on the Database Engine recovery handle failed. Check the SQL Server error log for potential causes.


For help, click: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?LinkID=20476&ProdName=Microsoft%20SQL%20Server&EvtSrc=setup.rll&EvtID=50000&ProdVer=11.0.3128.0&EvtType=0xD15B4EB2%25400x4BDAF9BA%25401306%254026

When I Click OK - it continues installation, but doesn't actually install the Database Engine Services, Reporting Services - Native, Data Quality Services or Full-Text and Semantic Extractions. This rest is checked-off as green.

I have tried various solutions (like playing with the 'login as' options under SQL Server in Configuration Manager ; shutting down the Firewall etc) , but nothing has worked yet. Your help appreciated.

Full log below:

```
Overall summary:
Final result: Failed: see details below
Exit code (Decimal): -2061893606
Start time: 2014-12-17 00:10:05
End time: 2014-12-17 00:44:12
Requested action: Install

Setup completed with required actions for features.
Troubleshooting information for those features:
Next step for RS: Use the following information to resolve the error, uninstall this feature, and then run the setup process again.
Next step for SQLEngine: Use the following information to resolve the error, uninstall this feature, and then run the setup process again.
Next step for DQ: Use the following information to resolve the error, uninstall this feature, and then run the setup process again.
Next step for FullText: Use the following information to resolve the error, uninstall this feature, and then run the setup proce

Following can be the reason behind the error message. The process of troubleshooting such errors is mentioned in article Could Not find database engine startup handle error during Installation

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The account which user selected on Server Configuration page window ( during installation) is somehow not able to bring SQL Server database engine services online. Either is lacks privilege or it is corrupted. During installation of database engine services SQL Server tries to bring online database services as a internal process but due to startup account either corrupt or not having appropriate privileges it fails to do so and ultimately installation fails.

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Other reason is when installation fails first time due to some reason and user uninstall failed installation from add remove program, the un-installation leaves account in broken state so any further attempt to install flashes this error message.

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The reason can be also that SQL Server installation was successful in installing SQL Server and its services but due to some other limitation in system or other system related errors SQL Server is not able to come online. The same has been discussed in section 'Looking at SQL Server errorlog'

Please try below solution

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Uninstall SQL Server completely from add remove program. Make sure no previous failed installation fragments are present on your system. Please use this link for uninstalling existing instance of SQL Server

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Start a fresh installation. Locate Setup.exe file in SQL Server installable. It would be something like below. Always Right click on Setup file and select Run As Administrator to launch the setup.

• After launching the setup and providing necessary details you would reach to Server Configuration page as below. When you reach this page please select startup account for Database Engine services as NT Authority\SYSTEM which is also called as Local System account. Please see screenshot

• I hope this will resolve your issue. After installation completes change Service account of SQL Server to some low privileged domain account you can use this link for configuring service account for SQL Server

If above still does not helps can you find SQL Server logs at location

Drive:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.n\MSSQL\LOG\ERRORLOG and ERRORLOG.n files.And post the contents in question.

Where Drive is system drive on which you installed SQL Server. It can be system drive C or any user drive (D,E,F...) . MSSQLn here means version number of SQL Server

n=10 for SQL Server 2008/2008 R2

n= 11 for SQL Server 20012

n=12 for SQL Server 2014.

For more details about this issue please read this link

EDIT: IMPORTANT NOTE

Please don't install SQL Server 2012 with SP1 with slipstream method there was issue in slipstreaming process with SP1 which caused setup to fail. Only install SQL Server 2012 you can uncheck the SP1 setup during installation. The issue was removed with SP2 slip stream

Edit: Following are from logs you provided


Error: 5172, Severity: 16, State: 15. 2014-12-20 22:37:58.01 spid5s

The header for file 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL
Server\MSSQL11.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA\MSDBData.mdf' is not a valid
database file header. The PageAudit property is incorrect.


2014-12-20 22:37:58.25 spid9s Starting up database 'model'.


2014-12-20 22:37:58.29 spid9s Error: 5172, Severity: 16, State:
15.


2014-12-20 22:37:58.29 spid9s The header for file 'C:\Program
Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL11.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA\model.mdf'
is not a valid database file header. The PageAudit property is
incorrect.


2014-12-20 22:37:58.39 spid9s ex_raise2: Exception raised,
major=52, minor=43, state=8, severity=22, attempting to create symptom
dump


2014-12-20 22:37:58.60 spid9s Using 'dbghelp.dll' version '4.0.5'


2014-12-20 22:37:58.67 spid9s **Dump thread - spid = 0, EC =
0x0000000276576B90


2014-12-20 22:37:58.71 spid9s ***Stack Dump being sent to
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL
Server\MSSQL11.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\LOG\SQLDump0001.txt 2014-12-20
22:37:58.71 spid9s *
**** 2014-12-20 22:37:58.71 spid9s 2014-12-20 22:37:58.71 spid9s

BEGIN STACK DUMP: 2014-12-20 22:37:58.71 spid9s 12/20/14 22:37:58 spid 9

SQL Server is installed but due to corruption in MSDB, Model database it is not able to come online. If model database is not able to come online tempdb wont be created hence SQL Server would not come online. The error is also includes stack dump this is very strange SQL Server is getting installed and detecting corruption in system data files. There might be two possibilities

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The hardware( the underlying disk) on which master,model and msdb file resides is incorrectly formatted or corrupt. You need to get the Storage verified.

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This might be bug ( Which I dont believe, actually some external f

StackExchange Database Administrators Q#86358, answer score: 7