How to fix Error installing SQL Server Database Engine Services Instance Features Invalid command line argument. Consult the Windows Installer SDK for detailed command line help.

Question

I tried installing MS SQL Server it throws up an error every time. I used installation center error.png

Please help me to install MS SQL ServerSummary_Yaswanth_20250206_140424.txt

Answer 1

First things first: what hardware do you have? If you have an ARM processor, beware that SQL Server does not support ARM. The rest of the answer assumes that you have a regular x64 processor.

My belief is that this is an error that occurs mainly in the situation when a user tried to install SQL Server and it failed with some error. The user might have tried some random cleanup and made renewed attempts. Because the cleanup was incomplete, Setup now fails with another error than it did originally.

Could this apply to you? Or did this happen on the first attempt? (If it does apply to you, don't feel bad. I think it is quite a natural path to take.)

Here is a link to an article that can help you to clean up properly: https://www.sql-easy.com/learn/how-to-uninstall-sql-server/. I have not tried it myself, but I learnt about it from a user who was in a similar situation as yours, and who was able to install SQL Server successfully after following the article.

If you are on Windows 11, be sure to read the article Troubleshoot errors related to system disk sector size greater than 4 KB before you try again. It discusses a known issue where Windows 11 reports a disk-sector size that SQL Server chokes on. This could be the cause for your original failure. Check out this article, and if needed apply the workarounds it proposes.

If you make a new attempt after cleanup, and it still fails, you find log files in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\160\Setup Bootstrap\Log with one folder per attempt. The files of most interest are summary.txt, detail.txt and any file with ERRORLOG in the name. (The latter only appears if Setup came as far as trying to start SQL Server). Feel free to attach these to the thread here.

Answer 2

Hi @Yaswanth Reddy Soma,

Try to repair a Failed SQL Server Installation

From your summary.txt, please check the component log file to see if the specified instance has been installed

Component log file: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\160\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20250203_111154\sql_engine_core_inst_Cpu64_1.log

According to this thread, it may help you: https://blog.sqlauthority.com/2019/07/30/sql-server-2019-installation-failure-invalid-command-line-argument-consult-the-windows-installer-sdk-for-detailed-command-line-help/

If the situation is true, please try to the command from command prompt:

msiexec

Someone also mentioned that he solved the issue by re-installed Windows

Regards，

Zoe Hui

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