Having a problem installing SQL Server 2008 and keep failing the pre-install check that tells you a reboot is required? Me too.

To Fix:

 

  • Open Regedit
  • Find the key “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager“
  • Rename the “PendingFileRenameOperations” value to “PendingFileRenameOperations2″
  • Do not restart the machine
  • Re-run the SQL Installation