Microsoft SQL Server does not start

Question

I have problem with start SQL Server 2008. I needed copy database from one computer to seced. I copy only catalog DATA from my actually working server and past this catalog to my new fresh installed SQL Server 2008. After this when I started SQL Server it does not start.

My error log is:

2014年01月02日 11:54:18.02 Server Microsoft SQL Server 2008 (RTM) - 10.0.1600.22 (X64) 
 Jul 9 2008 14:17:44 
 Copyright (c) 1988-2008 Microsoft Corporation
 Express Edition (64-bit) on Windows NT 6.2 <X64> (Build 9200: )
2014年01月02日 11:54:18.02 Server (c) 2005 Microsoft Corporation.
2014年01月02日 11:54:18.02 Server All rights reserved.
2014年01月02日 11:54:18.02 Server Server process ID is 6684.
2014年01月02日 11:54:18.02 Server System Manufacturer: 'Hewlett-Packard', System Model: 'HP ENVY Sleekbook 4 PC'.
2014年01月02日 11:54:18.02 Server Authentication mode is WINDOWS-ONLY.
2014年01月02日 11:54:18.02 Server Logging SQL Server messages in file 'F:\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Log\ERRORLOG'.
2014年01月02日 11:54:18.02 Server This instance of SQL Server last reported using a process ID of 4124 at 2014年01月02日 10:53:57 (local) 2014年01月02日 09:53:57 (UTC). This is an informational message only; no user action is required.
2014年01月02日 11:54:18.02 Server Registry startup parameters: 
 -d F:\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA\master.mdf
 -e F:\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Log\ERRORLOG
 -l F:\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA\mastlog.ldf
2014年01月02日 11:54:18.03 Server SQL Server is starting at normal priority base (=7). This is an informational message only. No user action is required.
2014年01月02日 11:54:18.03 Server Detected 4 CPUs. This is an informational message; no user action is required.
2014年01月02日 11:54:18.06 Server Using dynamic lock allocation. Initial allocation of 2500 Lock blocks and 5000 Lock Owner blocks per node. This is an informational message only. No user action is required.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.23 Server Node configuration: node 0: CPU mask: 0x000000000000000f Active CPU mask: 0x000000000000000f. This message provides a description of the NUMA configuration for this computer. This is an informational message only. No user action is required.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.26 spid7s Starting up database 'master'.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.43 spid7s FILESTREAM: effective level = 0, configured level = 0, file system access share name = 'SQLEXPRESS'.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.44 spid7s SQL Trace ID 1 was started by login "sa".
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.46 spid7s Starting up database 'mssqlsystemresource'.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.48 spid7s The resource database build version is 10.00.1600. This is an informational message only. No user action is required.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.57 spid7s Error: 15466, Severity: 16, State: 1.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.57 spid7s An error occurred during decryption.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.62 spid10s Starting up database 'model'.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.62 spid7s Server name is 'MACIEK\SQLEXPRESS'. This is an informational message only. No user action is required.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.62 spid7s Informational: No full-text supported languages found.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.62 spid7s Starting up database 'msdb'.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.63 spid10s Error: 17204, Severity: 16, State: 1.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.63 spid10s FCB::Open failed: Could not open file E:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA\model.mdf for file number 1. OS error: 3(System nie może odnaleźć określonej ścieżki.).
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.63 spid10s Error: 5120, Severity: 16, State: 101.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.63 spid10s Unable to open the physical file "E:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA\model.mdf". Operating system error 3: "3(System nie może odnaleźć określonej ścieżki.)".
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.65 spid7s Error: 17204, Severity: 16, State: 1.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.65 spid7s FCB::Open failed: Could not open file E:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA\MSDBData.mdf for file number 1. OS error: 3(System nie może odnaleźć określonej ścieżki.).
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.65 spid7s Error: 5120, Severity: 16, State: 101.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.65 spid7s Unable to open the physical file "E:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA\MSDBData.mdf". Operating system error 3: "3(System nie może odnaleźć określonej ścieżki.)".
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.65 spid10s Error: 17207, Severity: 16, State: 1.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.65 spid10s FileMgr::StartLogFiles: Operating system error 2(Nie można odnaleźć określonego pliku.) occurred while creating or opening file 'E:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA\modellog.ldf'. Diagnose and correct the operating system error, and retry the operation.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.65 spid10s File activation failure. The physical file name "E:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA\modellog.ldf" may be incorrect.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.65 spid10s Error: 945, Severity: 14, State: 2.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.65 spid10s Database 'model' cannot be opened due to inaccessible files or insufficient memory or disk space. See the SQL Server errorlog for details.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.65 spid10s Could not create tempdb. You may not have enough disk space available. Free additional disk space by deleting other files on the tempdb drive and then restart SQL Server. Check for additional errors in the event log that may indicate why the tempdb files could not be initialized.
2014年01月02日 11:54:23.65 spid10s SQL Trace was stopped due to server shutdown. Trace ID = '1'. This is an informational message only; no user action is required.

Answer 1

I presume that on the source machine these were on the E drive and you just copied them over lock stock and barrel to the F drive on the destination?

One other option now you are in this situation is add startup parameter -T3608 to tell SQL Server not to start any database except master.

You can then use ALTER DATABASE ... MODIFY FILE to fix up the paths for model and msdb to the new location.

• Edward Dortland: +1, nice addition. It still leaves you with a master database of another server. (that could be bad, or not important which is impossible to say with the limited information we have now.)
• Kuba Miazek: yup -T3608 is handy :)

Answer 2

By copying the complete DATA directory, you most likely also copied the system databases, specifically your master database from your old server and overwritten the system databases of your second SQL Server.

When copying a USER database in general, the easiest method is to make a backup of that user db on the source server and restore that backup on the destination server.

there is no need to ever copy the master, model, msdb or tempdb files from one server to another just to migrate a user database.

To fix your server again:

• If you have VSS snapshot backups of your master mdf en ldf file, it might work to place these back on your second server.

OR

• Restoring the master database Restore master database

OR

• Rebuild the system databases Rebuild system databases

OR

• Reinstall the SQL Server

Answer 3

The error message on the log explains what's wrong:

Operating system error 3: "3(System nie może odnaleźć określonej ścieżki.)".

The message is some European language. (I'd hazard a guess for Polish, Czech or Slovak.) The English part, Operating system error 3 provides more helpful an explanation:

C:>net helpmsg 3
The system cannot find the path specified.

So Sql Server claims that it can't find neither data nor log files. Check that your system database files really are in directory

E:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA

Use Sql Server's Configuration Manager to check for any typos on the path too. Mind especially extra spaces in the path, which are easy to miss.