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title: SQL Server Azure VM Deployment Fails with Drive Not Ready Error
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description: Resolves an issue that occurs when you try to deploy a SQL Server on Azure VM image in Azure Marketplace.
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ms.date: 04/02/2025
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title: SQL Server VMs Failing to Deploy or SQL Server Instance Not Coming Online
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description: Learn how to address a failure when you try to deploy a SQL Server on Azure VM image in Azure Marketplace, or when a manually-installed SQL Server instance fails to come online after an Azure VM is restarted or deallocated.
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ms.date: 04/08/2025
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ms.author: mathoma
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author: MashaMSFT
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ms.reviewer: mathoma, v-sidong
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ms.custom: sap:SQL Licensing, Installation and Patching
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---
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# "System Drive returned status not ready for use" error and Azure SQL Server VM deployment fails
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# SQL Server on Azure VM failing to deploy or SQL Server instance not coming online
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This article helps you resolve a failed deployment of a SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machine (VM) image in Azure Marketplace.
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This article helps you resolve the following scenarios:
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- a SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machine (VM) Azure Marketplace image failing to deploy.
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- a SQL Server instance failing to come online after an Azure VM is restarted or deallocated.
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_Applies to:_ SQL Server on Azure VMs
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@@ -18,24 +20,65 @@ _Applies to:_ SQL Server on Azure VMs
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## Symptoms
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When you try to deploy a SQL Server on Azure VM image in Azure Marketplace, the deployment fails with a status of `Conflict` and the following error:
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If you encounter this issue, you are likely to see:
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- SQL Server on Azure VM deployments failing when using an Azure Marketplace image.
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- SQL Server failing to come online after an Azure VM is restarted for manually installed instances of SQL Server.
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### SQL Server on Azure VM deployment fails
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When you try to deploy a SQL Server on Azure VM image from Azure Marketplace, the deployment fails with a status of `Conflict` and the following error:
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> System Drive returned status not ready for use.
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For example, if you're deploying an image from the Azure portal, you might see the following error for the deployment in the Activity log:
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:::image type="content" source="media/sql-deployment-fails-drive-not-ready/sql-deployment-error.png" alt-text="Screenshot of the deployment error in the Azure portal." lightbox="media/sql-deployment-fails-drive-not-ready/sql-deployment-error.png":::
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### SQL Server fails to come online after the VM is restarted
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You might see this issue after following this sequence of events:
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1. You deploy an Azure VM from the [impacted VM](#impacted-vms) list.
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1. You manually install an instance of SQL Server to the Azure VM.
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1. You configure your SQL Server `tempdb` database to use the local SSD ephemeral storage (typically, the `D:` drive).
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1. Your VM is restarted or deallocated.
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1. Your SQL Server instance fails to come online.
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If you encounter this issue, you might see the following error in the SQL Server error log:
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```output
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CREATE FILE encountered operating system error 3(The system cannot find the path specified.)
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while attempting to open or create the physical file 'D:\SQLTemp\tempdb.mdf'.
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Error: 17204, Severity: 16, State: 1. FCB::Open failed: Could not open
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file D:\SQLTemp\tempdb.mdf for file number 1. OS error:
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3(The system cannot find the path specified.).
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Error: 5120, Severity: 16, State: 101.
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Unable to open the physical file "D:\SQLTemp\tempdb.mdf". Operating system error 3:
Some file names listed could not be created. Check related errors.
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Could not create tempdb. You may not have enough disk space available.
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Free additional disk space by deleting other files on the tempdb drive and then restart SQL Server.
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Check for additional errors in the event log that may indicate why the
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tempdb files could not be initialized.
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```
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## Cause
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Some of the newest Azure VM sizes present a RAW Local SSD volume for ephemeral storage configured with the Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) interface. This configuration might cause the deployment of a SQL Server on Azure VM image to fail because it attempts to place `tempdb`data files on the local SSD volume.
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Some of the newest Azure VM sizes present a RAW local SSD volume for ephemeral storage configured with the Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) interface. This configuration results in failure because SQL Server attempts to place the `tempdb`database on the ephemeral storage and fails as the local SSD volume isn't available. Additionally, the ephemeral storage shows as RAW after the machine is deallocated.
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The deployment fails because the RAW Local SSD volume isn't formatted or initialized, which makes the ephemeral storage unavailable and prevents SQL Server from accessing it during the installation process of SQL Server during the deployment of the virtual machine.
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The RAW local SSD volume causes the SQL VM deployment to fail, and prevents manually installed SQL Server instances from coming online after the VM is restarted. In both cases, SQL Server is trying to initialize the `tempdb` database on the ephemeral storage, which is not available. The deployment fails because SQL Server is installed during the deployment of the Azure VM, and the ephemeral storage isn't available. Likewise, manually installed instances of SQL Server fail to come online after the VM is restarted because the ephemeral storage isn't available when SQL Server tries to create the `tempdb` database.
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## Resolution
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This issue occurs because of the selected Azure VM size. To solve the issue, use one of the following methods:
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- If possible, use another VM SKU, such as those listed in the [VM size best practices](/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/performance-guidelines-best-practices-vm-size#checklist).
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- If you can't use another VM SKU, deploy the VM using a Windows Server-only image, [format and initialize the temporary NVMe drive](/azure/virtual-machines/enable-nvme-temp-faqs#how-can-i-format-and-initialize-temp-nvme-disks-in-windows-when-i-create-a-vm-), and then manually install SQL Server. Additionally, make sure that the VM isn't configured using a [sector size greater than 4 KB](sql-installation-fails-sector-size-error-azure-vm.md#resolution) before installing SQL Server.
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- If you want to use a particular VM that is on the [impacted VMs](#impacted-vms) list, use a machine without the lowercase `d` in the name, which places `tempdb` on the same storage as the SQL Server data files. For example, use the `FXmsv2` VM size instead of the `FXmdsv2`. The latter has uninitialized ephemeral storage, as indicated by the `d` in the name.
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- If you can't use another VM SKU without a RAW local SSD, then deploy the VM using a Windows Server-only image, [format and initialize the temporary NVMe drive](/azure/virtual-machines/enable-nvme-temp-faqs#how-can-i-format-and-initialize-temp-nvme-disks-in-windows-when-i-create-a-vm-), and then manually install SQL Server. **You must reinitialize the disk before starting SQL Server every time the VM is restarted, or deallocated.**
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> [!NOTE]
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> Make sure the VM isn't configured using a [sector size greater than 4 KB](sql-installation-fails-sector-size-error-azure-vm.md#resolution) before installing SQL Server.
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## Impacted VMs
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@@ -48,6 +91,7 @@ This issue occurs with VMs that are deployed with an uninitialized temporary dri
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