BUG: MSDB Database May Not Be Created During Installation

• Microsoft SQL Server version 6.5

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

During the installation of SQL Server 6.5, the MSDB database may not be created.

CAUSE

Installation of SQL Server is completed with SQL Server started in single user mode. Performing a default installation of SQL Server invokes the sp_sqlregister startup stored procedure. This procedure makes a loopback connection to the SQL Server. Occasionally, this connection succeeds and prevents the ISQL connection that creates MSDB from connecting. There are no errors in the SQL errorlog to indicate a failure. The following are the only indications of a failure:

• MSDB is missing.
• There is a "Login failed" error in the Instmsdb.out file.
• There is an "Unable to write to Mailslot" error in the Windows NT application event log.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, do either of the following:

• Use a modified Setup.inf file that enables trace flag 4022. This prevents the sp_sqlregister stored procedure from executing. You can also modify the Setup.inf file to remove the trace flag. This workaround requires you to copy all the files to the hard drive and run the installation from the hard drive after replacing the default Setup.inf with the modified one.

  -or-

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

• Using a .reg file, place the 4022 trace flag in the following registry location (note that this should all be on one line):

        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSSQLSERVER\MSSQLSERVER
        \Parameters
  

  With this method, you must remove trace flag 4022 from the registry either manually or by using the xp_regdelvalue stored procedure. This workaround allows the installation to be run from the SQL Server CD.

   ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/sql/public/

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in SQL Server version 6.5. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.