Consistency validation for SQL Server registry keys

I cannot get past this support rule when I attempt to install SQL Server 2008 RC0. When I attempt to drill into the failurethe popupstates "The SQL Server registry keys from a prior installation cannot be modified. To continue, see SQL Server Setup documentation about how to fix registry keys."

First off, why would the SQL Server 2008 RC0 install attempt to modify registry keys from a prior installation if I am attemptingto install it side-by-side with a prior install of SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition?

Second,can anyone point me to the SQL Server Setup documentation that walks me through how to go about fixing these registry keys?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

Wendell G

June 11th, 2008 10:15pm

Six hours later I was able to figure out the problem.

Iuse a workstationthat hadOutlook for Office 2007installed.As you may know Outlook for Office 2007 and Outlook for Office 2003 do not play well together on the same machine. Outlook for Office 2003 was uninstalledprior to uninstalling the Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2003 whichput me in "No Man's Land" as far as being able to uninstallthe Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2003.

Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2003places a SQL Server 2000 instance on your machine named "MICROSOFTBCM" which causes the Consistancy validation check to fail.

The workaround is to remove all traces of the MICROSOFTBCM SQL Server 2000 instance from your machine, which means a registry hack. Refer to KB article 290991. You will need to manually remove all traces of MICROSOFTBCM and MICROSOFT$BCM from your registry (except the legacy entries - you will know them when you see them). Backup your registry, remove the entries manually, and reboot your machine.This will remove theMICROSOFTBCM SQL Server 2000 instance from your machine and you will then be ableto installSQL Server 2008 RCO.

Wendell G.

Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
June 13th, 2008 1:57pm

I had the same error... I uninstalled my MS SQL Desktop Engine and the error went away. It had loaded keys for a UDDI or $UDDI DB
  • Proposed as answer by Gama_blind Tuesday, February 24, 2009 6:35 PM
February 19th, 2009 1:31am

As MOAIS says Uninstall MS SQL Desktop Engine and try again.

It Works for me.

Thx
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
February 24th, 2009 6:36pm

navigate to
%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log


search (in Detail_GlobalRules.txt) for lines containing
"could not fix registry key"


run regedt32.exe

set permissions of the registry keys


retry




October 30th, 2009 11:19am

Hi

I have hit a similar problem with Sql Server 2008 Express with Advance Services while uninstallation of 2008.
My requirement is to Uninstall 2008 and Install 2005 Express.



AclPermissionsFacet Checks if the SQL Server registry keys are consistent. Failed The SQL Server registry keys from a prior installation cannot be modified. To continue, see SQL Server Setup documentation about how to fix registry keys.

An extract from Detail_GlobalRules.txt

2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Could not fix registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\Replication.
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp:    at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.FixSqlRegistryKey.Program.ContainsInheritedAce(Byte[] securityDescriptor)
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp:    at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.FixSqlRegistryKey.Program.FixRegistryKey(String keyName)
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp:    at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.FixSqlRegistryKey.Program.FixRegistryKeyAndSubKeys(RegistryKey key)
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\Setup - OK.
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Could not fix registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\SQLServerAgent.
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp:    at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.FixSqlRegistryKey.Program.ContainsInheritedAce(Byte[] securityDescriptor)
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp:    at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.FixSqlRegistryKey.Program.FixRegistryKey(String keyName)
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp:    at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.FixSqlRegistryKey.Program.FixRegistryKeyAndSubKeys(RegistryKey key)
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\Tracking - OK.
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: ------------------------------------------------------------
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Release\x86\FixSqlRegistryKey_x86.exe exit code: 1
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Rule 'AclPermissionsFacet' detection result: AreSqlAclPermissionsCanonical= False
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Evaluating rule        : AclPermissionsFacet
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Rule running on machine: MUMVSHKSLFACT02
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Rule evaluation done   : Failed
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Rule evaluation message: The SQL Server registry keys from a prior installation cannot be modified. To continue, see SQL Server Setup documentation about how to fix registry keys.
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Send result to channel : RulesEngineNotificationChannel
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Initializing rule      : Long path names to files on SQL Server installation media
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Rule applied features  : ALL
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Rule is will be executed  : True
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Init rule target object: Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.SetupExtension.MediaPathLenghtFacet
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Rule 'MediaPathLength' setting INSTALLMEDIAPATH is not set the check passed
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Evaluating rule        : MediaPathLength
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Rule running on machine: MUMVSHKSLFACT02
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Rule evaluation done   : Succeeded
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Rule evaluation message: The SQL Server installation media is not too long.
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Send result to channel : RulesEngineNotificationChannel
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Saving results to datastore...
2009-12-21 14:38:11 Slp: Saved to directory.......C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20091221_143757\SystemConfigurationCheck_Report.htm

Kindly suggest me next step or any opinion to move forward.

Thanks in advance.
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
December 21st, 2009 3:59pm

- Enter Regedit
- Go to key "My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server"
- Right click > permissions
- Give "full control" to "everyone"
- Click Advanced
- Clean Inherit
- Select replace permissions ...
- Leave only the "everyone" "full control"
- Click apply

Try again, it worked for me.
  • Proposed as answer by zuben ube Friday, March 25, 2011 6:34 PM
March 13th, 2010 8:49pm

Thanks for the info....  used most of your steps and modified a few.  Finally got it to work.  Thanks!!!!
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
September 28th, 2010 9:25pm

- Enter Regedit
- Go to key "My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server"
- Right click > permissions
- Give "full control" to "everyone"
- Click Advanced
- Clean Inherit
- Select replace permissions ...
- Leave only the "everyone" "full control"
- Click apply

Try again, it worked for me.

HOORAY!!!  THIS FIXED IT!!!!
March 25th, 2011 6:35pm

While that also worked for me, I found that I have to do it again when i want to rerun the server installation centre to e.g. add a new instance. It may be a short-term workaround I'm not sure it actually fixes the issue...
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
November 25th, 2011 5:58am

Wow, can't believe it. This just worked on the first try.

THANKS!!!!

December 10th, 2011 1:14pm

Worked like magic! many thanks.
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
February 14th, 2012 4:06am

Still not working for me.. tried each of the suggestions posted without success.

November 13th, 2012 8:30am

Hi ThirdStep

So what is the scenario you are trying to achieve exactly ?

Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
November 15th, 2012 11:08pm

Added because this was one of the top results when I looked into a similar issue.

I received the same error, but actually had a slightly different problem.  Another article pointed me to the file:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\<date and time of install attempt>\Detail_GlobalRules.txt

(There's also an Summary_<computer name>_<date and time of install attempt>_GlobalRules.txt, and SystemConfigurationCheck_Report.htm; the .HTM file is the most user friendly, but also the least specific)

In the detail log, my error indicated that /x64/FixSqlRegistryKey_x86.exe wasn't a valid Win32 app.  And it wasn't - it was a zero length file.  I check for the same file under the x86 folder, and that was good.  Copying it to the x64 folder worked for me.

June 18th, 2013 7:08pm

THX MAAAAN!!! this is so useful!!  (Y)   
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
July 1st, 2013 7:22am

Thanks, this fixed my issue in server 2012. 
May 23rd, 2014 6:30am

You just need to go in Sql sever Configuration Manager and then stop SQL Express and then restart the Setup. that worked in my case. 
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
August 22nd, 2015 7:54am

This topic is archived. No further replies will be accepted.

Other recent topics Other recent topics