Restore master to another instance and copy its files Second, see the ideas on this question for using the -m'Application Name' parameter to specify the application name.ģ. If another application always grabs the single user connection before you can, first disable the SQL Agent so it isn't starting. If you are able to get the instance started, follow the steps in the MSDN article you linked for restoring the master database, or this detailed walkthrough by Thomas LaRock. Other options allow you to specify the path for the master database, if that is the problem. Here is a full list of startup options for SQL server, including -m (single user mode) and -f (minimal configuration mode). Try to start the instance in single-user mode Perhaps you will find the problem isn't with the master database at all.Ģ. Don't do all of these (some of them are different techniques to accomplish the same purpose), but are worth considering:īrowse directly to the folder containing the SQL error logs and load the most recent ERRORLOG into notepad to get more detail on why the SQL instance will not start.

Here are a few avenues I would investigate.

Use of master database in sql server