How do I fix a "Performance counter registry hive consistency" when installing SQL Server R2 Express?

You can skip the Performance counter check in the setup altogether:

setup.exe /ACTION=install /SKIPRULES=PerfMonCounterNotCorruptedCheck

Use Rafael's solution: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en/sqlsetupandupgrade/thread/dddf0349-557b-48c7-bf82-6bd1adb5c694..

Added data from link to avoid link rot..

put this at any Console application:

string.Format("{0,3}", CultureInfo.InstalledUICulture.Parent.LCID.ToString("X")).Replace(" ", "0");

Watch the result. At mine it was "016".

Then you go to the registry at this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Perflib

and create another one with the name you got from the string.Format result.

In my case:

"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Perflib\016"

and copy the info that is on any other key in this Perflib to this key you just created. Run the instalation again.

Just run the script and get your 3 digit code. Then follow his simple and quick steps, and you're ready to go!

Cheers

I had this same problem. For me this solution worked for SQL Server 2008 R2 Express.

1. Create a shortcut for SQLEXPRWT_x64_ENU.exe (This is the name of thefile I used)
2. Right-click on the shortcut and click "Properties"
3. Look for a box under the shortcut tab that says "Target"
4. Inside of the target box, add to whatever is already in there thisline:

/Action=install /SKIPRULES=PerfMonCounterNotCorruptedCheck

Of course this does not fix the underlying issue but it is a workaround because this fix also works on the principle of skipping the Performance counter check in the setup. The difference is this method worked for me when doing it through the command line failed.