SQL Install: Bypass the “Restart computer” setup support rule

Need to add a feature or something on SQL but you can’t because there is a restart pending? Well let me show you how.

Before proceeding you need to understand that you might just break something, there is a reason your computer wants to restart. If there was a SQL update and you are making changes before the restart you might just cause something detrimental, or you might not. But you are a SQL expert, so no issues there.

This is the issue in question.

There is only 1 way to bypass this:

Please note that using this method might potentially result in an unsupported installation – Thanks to David A Whitney Sr for pointing that one out

We will be using command prompt, you can also use PowerShell, but this is a normal CMD. The source of this is How to: Install SQL Server 2008 from the Command Prompt, which is always great reading.

Open Command prompt and navigate to your SQL Server media. Then you will run a command that looks something like this:

Note the /SkipRules=RebootRequiredCheck this will force SQL to bypass the check.

When running this you will get the SQL installation prompt come up and you proceed as normal.

Note: If the restart pending is an error you are encountering even after restarts there is a registry fix that will help, just search for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager online and you will find more information.