What to do when the SQL Server service does not start

by Jan 10, 2019

The executable process that is the SQL Server Database Engine is called the Database Engine service. The Database Engine service is an executable program that runs as a Windows service that can continuously operate without displaying any activity on the computer screen.

When a SQL Server instance will not start, and something seems to be wrong. For example, you may see the error messages “Windows could not start the SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER) on Local Computer. For more information, review the System Event Log.”, “The service failed to respond in a timely fashion.”, or “The service failed to start.”. There could be many reasons which can cause this problem.

The 16-page whitepaper “7 Reasons Your SQL Server Service Won’t Start discusses on the top seven reasons why the SQL Server Database Engine service can be unresponsive resulting in these error messages along with methods to resolve the issues. Each of these problems is easy to address if you know what to look for.

The author, Pinal Dave, is a SQL Server Performance Tuning Expert and an independent consultant. He has authored 11 SQL Server database books and 21 Pluralsight courses and has written over 4500 articles on database technology on his blog. Along with more than 16 years of hands-on experience, he holds a Masters of Science degree and several database certifications.

Click here to read the whitepaper.

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