SQL Server Service fails to start due to misaligned IO and Large sector size

Summary

When installing Microsoft SQL Server on a new computer, the SQL service may fail to start. 

In Windows Event Viewer, you will see an error from the SQL Server service referencing a failing module: ntdll.dll. 

In the SQL Server error log, there is typically a warning about misaligned IO:

"There have been 256 misaligned log IOs which required falling back to synchronous IO. The current IO is on file C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL13.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\Template Data\master.mdf."

This issue occurs because the sector sizes on the hard drive hosting the database are too large for SQL Server to handle properly. 

You can verify the sector size by running the following command in an administrative Command Prompt:

fsutil fsinfo sectorinfo C:

Check the values for: 

• PhysicalBytesPerSectorForAtomicity 
• PhysicalBytesPerSectorForPerformance

If either of these values is greater than 4096, the issue is confirmed.

Solution

There is a workaround to resolve this by adding a new registry key under:

 HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\stornvme\Parameters\Device 

with the name ForcedPhysicalSectorSizeInBytes 

and setting it to 4095.

This can be done with the following PowerShell command:

New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\stornvme\Parameters\Device" 
-Name "ForcedPhysicalSectorSizeInBytes" -PropertyType MultiString -Force -Value "* 4095"

Further steps if Registry fix and restart do not resolve the issue:

1. Uninstall SQL Server installation from your system. 

2. Backup user databases 

   Make a backup copy of any user databases that were added to the server. 

3. Delete database files located under:

   C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL<XX>.<Name >

4. Restart the computer to clear any residual configurations.

5. Reinstall SQL Server 

Contacting SKF Technical Support Group

For further assistance please open a support case using the Technical Support group's self-help portal at www.skf.com/cm/tsg. Once your support case is submitted, a technician will contact you to begin working on your issue. For urgent issues we are available at these times by phone:

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