Error:

Windows could not start the SQL Server (RELYONDB) on local Computer. For more information, review the System Event Log. If this is a non-Microsoft service, contact the service vendor, and refer to service-specific error code 3417.

Snapshot:

Cause:

1. This usually occurs when the master.mdf or the mastlog.ldf gets corrupt.
2. SQL Files may be compressed.
3. Permission Denied to DATA folder of SQL server.

WORKAROUND 1:

Check event viewer for error log, based on the log recorded; perform the suitable work around mentioned below

WORKAROUND 2:

If  files in data folder are compressed

Go to the data folder selected all of the mdf files right clicked, advanced and unselect compression.

The file “C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\DATA\modellog.ldf” is compressed but does not reside in a read-only database or filegroup. The file must be decompressed.

Steps:

Go to the folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\DATA\ and select all the files

and right click advanced, uncheck, “Compress contents to save disk space”.

WORKAROUND 3:

1. Open the SQL Server Configuration Manager
2. Open SQL Server 2005 Network Configuration
3. Right click on Protocols for RELYONDB and selected Properties
4. Set Force Encryption to No
5. Open SQL Server 2005 Services
6. Start SQL Server (RELYONDB)

WORKAROUND 4:

Once you have that, check out the Security properties on the folder at C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\DATA to verify that the user has permissions to the folder. If they do not, you will either need to give the user permissions, or run SQL Express as a different user.

WORKAROUND 5:

Before performing this work around make sure u have all you data base backup [copy of mdf and ldf files.

Identify the path from where SQl server service is referring to MASTER.MDF & MastLog.LDF, normally it will be from DATA folder; this can be identified from error logs, in LOG folder

Rename master.mdf and mastlog.ldf in DATA directory of SQL service, By doing this all the DATABASES which were attached to that particular SQl instance will be detached, we have to attach/Restore all the  DATABASES again.

Go to  the path where SQL service  is installed , there you will find a folder ”Template Data” , copy the master.mdf and mastlog.ldf and replace it in “Data” folder Now start the MS SQL service and you are done, reattach all you data files from the required path.

In my case SQl service installed path was

“C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\”