Troubleshooting: Microsoft SQL Server Installation Issues with SolidWorks

When attempting to install SolidWorks on a Windows computer, users might encounter a common issue: the installation of Microsoft SQL Server fails. This problem typically occurs during the SQL Server installation phase after SolidWorks begins its setup process. Users may receive several error messages indicating that SOLIDWORKS Electrical cannot connect to the SQL Server due to incorrect settings or strong password requirements.

Troubleshooting Microsoft SQL Server Installation Failure with SolidWorks

If the SQL Server fails to install while setting up SolidWorks, consider the following solutions:

1. Configure Electrical Options

To ensure that SOLIDWORKS Electrical can access a Microsoft SQL Server database for project data management, follow these steps:

• On the installation summary page, navigate to the Electrical Options section and click on Change.
• Set the collaborative server name to ablocalhost, and ensure that the checkbox for Install a new instance of SQL Server is checked.
• In the instance name field, add ‘ab’ before localhost, resulting in ablocalhost/abTEW_SQLEXPRESS.
• Modify the location field similarly by adding ab before SOLIDWORKS Electrical.
• Click back to the summary page and resume the installation.

2. Change Block Sizes

In some cases, the block sizes for disk alignment (currently set to 32k in Windows 11) may not be supported by SQL Server. Verify and modify the block size:

• Open Command Prompt and run:

  fsutil fsinfo sectorinfo <volume pathname>

• Check the values for PhysicalBytesPerSectorForAtomicity and PhysicalBytesPerSectorForPerformance.
• If the larger value exceeds 4KB, create a registry key using PowerShell with:

  New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:SYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesstornvmeParametersDevice" -Name "ForcedPhysicalSectorSizeInBytes" -PropertyType MultiString -Force -Value "* 4095"

• Reboot your computer and continue the installation.

3. Change the Instance Name

If you encounter an error stating that the instance name is already in use:

• Change the installation location or unselect some products to ease conflicts.
• Deselect SOLIDWORKS Electrical in the product section before resuming the installation.

4. Uncheck SW Electrical, SW Manage, and SW PDM Client

Disabling certain components during installation can help:

• In the Summary window, click on Change next to Products and uncheck SOLIDWORKS Electrical, SOLIDWORKS Manage, and SOLIDWORKS PDM Client.
• Return to the Summary and proceed with the installation.

By following these steps, users should be able to navigate through the installation process more smoothly and resolve the SQL Server installation issues commonly experienced with SolidWorks.

Additional Resources

• How to install and configure SQL Server Management Studio
• How to create SQL Stored Procedures via SQL Server
• SolidWorks crashing on Windows computer

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