When installing SQL server 2022 Express Edition, getting message "Oops: This version of installer is no longer supported. Please download again from the download site.

MUHAMMAD SHAFIQ 0 Reputation points
2026-09-12T09:19:00.9433333+00:00

When installing SQL server 2022 Express Edition, getting message "Oops: This version of installer is no longer supported. Please download again from the download site. I have repeated the same process 10+ time with the help of all available free sources. But the same result. I am on Windows 10 and already installed SQL server.

SQL Server | Other
SQL Server | Other

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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-12T09:19:18.0133333+00:00

    That message is consistent with the web installer being outdated or failing during finalization. A practical fix is to stop using the small online installer and install from fresh offline media instead.

    1. Download fresh SQL Server 2022 Express installation media again from the original Microsoft source.
    2. Prefer offline media instead of the web installer. The accepted offline ISO link for SQL Server 2022 Express is: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=2213259&clcid=0x409
    3. Save the media to a local drive and run Setup from that local drive. SQL Server setup can fail when launched remotely or from unsuitable media locations.
    4. Before retrying, restart Windows. If installing or upgrading SQL Server 2022 on newer Windows Server versions, pending restarts can block setup.
    5. If previous attempts left partial setup files, review the setup logs under: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\160\Setup Bootstrap\Log\
    6. If setup still fails with file, cabinet, bad image, or missing component errors, treat the media as corrupted and download it again.
    7. If the installer reports SQL Server is already installed, install only the missing feature needed, such as LocalDB. LocalDB is included with Express media, and SqlLocalDB.msi is available in the installation media under: <installation_media_root>\<LCID>_ENU_LP\x64\Setup\x64

    If the failure changes to a Database Engine startup error such as Wait on the Database Engine recovery handle failed, check the SQL Server error log at: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL16.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\LOG\ERRORLOG That error is generic and the error log is needed to identify the actual cause.

    References:

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  2. Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-09-12T10:48:36.3133333+00:00

    There seems to be a glitch. I get the same error on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. I found that if I click the link in the error message, I get further. That is, I get the screen where I can select Basic, Custom and Download Media. I selected Download Media and continued with that installer, I am able to complete the installation successfully.

    I have alerted some people I know at Microsoft about the message you got. While benign, it is not pretty.

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