As a good SQL Server DBA, I always keep updating my SQL Server on my all VMs with the latest service pack available. During my last installation of service pack 2 on SQL Server 2012, I got below error.
The User Data directory in the registry is not valid. Verify DefaultData key under the instance hive points to a valid directory.
I remember that I have played with some registry keys and now I realized that they are important keys. I looked into the logs based on MSDN articles and found below in Summary.txt file.
Detailed results:
Feature: Database Engine Services
Status: Failed: see logs for details
Reason for failure: An error occurred during the setup process of the feature.
Next Step: Use the following information to resolve the error, and then try the setup process again.
Component name: SQL Server Database Engine Services Instance Features
Component error code: 0x851A0043
Error description: The User Data directory in the registry is not valid. Verify DefaultData key under the instance hive points to a valid directory.
Then I looked in the Detail.txt and found below:
(01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 SQLEngine: --SqlEngineSetupPrivate: <strong>Validating path:E:\MSSQL\Data </strong> (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: Configuration action failed for feature SQL_Engine_Core_Inst during timing Validation and scenario Validation. (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: The User Data directory in the registry is not valid. Verify DefaultData key under the instance hive points to a valid directory. (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: The configuration failure category of current exception is ConfigurationValidationFailure (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: Configuration action failed for feature SQL_Engine_Core_Inst during timing Validation and scenario Validation. (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.SqlEngine.ValidationException: The User Data <strong>directory in the registry is not valid. Verify DefaultData key under the instance hive points to a valid directory.</strong> (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.SqlEngine.SqlEngineSetupPrivate.CheckIfDirectoryExistsGeneric(String sqlPath, SqlEngineErrorCodes invalidError) (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.SqlEngine.SqlEngineSetupPrivate.ValidateDataRegistryKeys(EffectiveProperties properties) (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.SqlEngine.SqlEngineSetupPrivate.Patch(ConfigActionTiming timing, Dictionary`2 actionData, PublicConfigurationBase spcb) (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.SqlConfigBase.SlpConfigAction.ExecuteAction(String actionId) (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.SqlConfigBase.SlpConfigAction.Execute(String actionId, TextWriter errorStream) (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: The following is an exception stack listing the exceptions in outermost to innermost order (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: Inner exceptions are being indented (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: Exception type: Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.SqlEngine.ValidationException (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: Message: (01) 2015-05-13 09:19:09 Slp: The User Data directory in the registry is not valid. Verify DefaultData key under the instance hive points to a valid directory.
I search for DefaultData key in registry and found at below location
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL11.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQLServer
As we can see, it is pointing to E:\MSSQL\Data and it was not valid. Later I played with various other keys and found below possible errors.
| Invalid Values in Registry | Error Message |
| DefaultData | The User Data directory in the registry is not valid. Verify DefaultData key under the instance hive points to a valid directory. |
| DefaultLog | The User Log directory in the registry is not valid. Verify DefaultLog key under the instance hive points to a valid directory. |
| SQLDataRoot | The Database Engine system data directory in the registry is not valid. |
SQLDataRoot in locating under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL11.MSSQLSERVER\Setup
The cause of all errors was invalid path, which I have messed up. Later I search on the Microsoft site and found that there is a connect item filed by someone
Moral of the story is never playing directly with the registry unless you are sure what they are. I was able to fix the error by correcting the value in DefaultData registry key.
Have you encountered such errors and were able to look at the logs?
Reference:Â Pinal Dave (https://blog.sqlauthority.com)
