Cannot find service {0}. Parameter name: SQLWriter SQL Express 2008 R2 SP2

Question

Hi, installing SQL Express 2008 R2 SP2 onto Windows Server 2012 R2.   I had previously removed SQL Express 2012 due to failed install due to incompatibility with our SAN.   (I had uninstalled it via Programs & Features,
and also by following Shanky's tips. http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/24364.sql-server-troubleshooting-could-not-find-database-engine-startup-handle-error-during-installation.aspx).
This is what's in Detail log: 
014-10-07 13:12:00 Slp: Parameter 5 : SqlEngineConfigAction_install_confignonrc
2014-10-07 13:12:00 Slp: Parameter 6 : 0x50806C41
014-10-07 13:12:01 Slp: Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server to file C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20141007_122920\Registry_SOFTWARE_Microsoft_Microsoft SQL Server.reg_
2014-10-07 13:12:01 Slp: Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall to file C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20141007_122920\Registry_SOFTWARE_Microsoft_Windows_CurrentVersion_Uninstall.reg_
2014-10-07 13:12:01 Slp: Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSSQLServer to file C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20141007_122920\Registry_SOFTWARE_Microsoft_MSSQLServer.reg_
2014-10-07 13:12:01 Slp: Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server to file C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20141007_122920\Registry_SOFTWARE_Wow6432Node_Microsoft_Microsoft SQL
Server.reg_
2014-10-07 13:12:01 Slp: Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall to file C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20141007_122920\Registry_SOFTWARE_Wow6432Node_Microsoft_Windows_CurrentVersion_Uninstall.reg_
2014-10-07 13:12:01 Slp: Sco: Attempting to write hklm registry key SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\MSSQLServer to file C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20141007_122920\Registry_SOFTWARE_Wow6432Node_Microsoft_MSSQLServer.reg_
2014-10-07 13:12:02 Slp: Cannot find service {0}.
The SqlEngineConfigAction_install_confignonrc part is what is in the background before the
Cannot find service {0}. Parameter name: SQLWriter pops up.
And in Event Viewer:
Log Name:      Application
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-RestartManager
Date:          10/7/2014 1:11:48 PM
Event ID:      10010
Task Category: None
Level:         Warning
Keywords:     
User:          SYSTEM
Computer:     
Description:
Application 'C:\31f53f2e988a36f2c31e\x64\setup100.exe' (pid 688) cannot be restarted - Application SID does not match Conductor SID..
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-RestartManager" Guid="{0888E5EF-9B98-4695-979D-E92CE4247224}" />
    <EventID>10010</EventID>
    <Version>0</Version>
    <Level>3</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Opcode>0</Opcode>
    <Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2014-10-07T20:11:48.532980400Z" />
    <EventRecordID>4538</EventRecordID>
    <Correlation />
    <Execution ProcessID="732" ThreadID="2548" />
    <Channel>Application</Channel>
    <Computer></Computer>
    <Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
  </System>
  <UserData>
    <RmUnsupportedRestartEvent xmlns="http://www.microsoft.com/2005/08/Windows/Reliability/RestartManager/">
      <RmSessionId>0</RmSessionId>
      <Pid>688</Pid>
      <FullPath>C:\31f53f2e988a36f2c31e\x64\setup100.exe</FullPath>
      <DisplayName>Managed SQL Server Installer</DisplayName>
      <AppVersion>0</AppVersion>
      <AppType>5</AppType>
      <TSSessionId>2</TSSessionId>
      <Status>67108865</Status>
      <Reason>1</Reason>
    </RmUnsupportedRestartEvent>
  </UserData>
</Event>
Found one article saying you can get this if previous version not fully removed, and to do a repair of the previous version, but as I said I uninstalled it and followed all steps for cleanup, so nothing to repair. 

Answer 1

Here is the ERRORLOG file from C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Log.  At the bottom I am seeing the error you said before was a SAN issue.  I had hoped that issue was only with
SQL 2012, but it appears it is even with 2008?
If that is still the issue, I'm trying to understand if by the articles, if the SAN conflict is an OS issue or an SQL issue?   In other words, is it because the OS is Server 2012?   Or would this still occur if I install SQL
2008 on Server 2008 R2?    I don't know that they will be willing to upgrade the SAN, and I don't really want to fool with a .VHD (virtual disk) as a workaround speaks of.
If you're asking if I did this from your article:  select startup account for Database Engine services as NT Authority\SYSTEM 
, I don't recall what I did this last time.  I was doing that the last few days, but I think I didn't switch it to that once, just to see if I would have success.  I don't know if that was this last time or not when I switched it. 
Is there anywhere I can check that after the fact?
014-10-08 12:53:09.84 Server      Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 (SP2) - 10.50.4000.0 (X64)
 Jun 28 2012 08:36:30
 Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
 Express Edition (64-bit) on Windows NT 6.2 <X64> (Build 9200: )
2014-10-08 12:53:09.84 Server      (c) Microsoft Corporation.
2014-10-08 12:53:09.84 Server      All rights reserved.
2014-10-08 12:53:09.84 Server      Server process ID is 2640.
2014-10-08 12:53:09.84 Server      System Manufacturer: 'IBM', System Model: 'IBM System x -[7870AC1]-'.
2014-10-08 12:53:09.84 Server      Authentication mode is WINDOWS-ONLY.
2014-10-08 12:53:09.84 Server      Logging SQL Server messages in file 'c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Log\ERRORLOG'.
2014-10-08 12:53:09.84 Server      This instance of SQL Server last reported using a process ID of 2848 at 10/8/2014 10:56:44 AM (local) 10/8/2014 5:56:44 PM (UTC). This is an informational message only; no user action is required.
2014-10-08 12:53:09.84 Server      Registry startup parameters:
  -d c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA\master.mdf
  -e c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Log\ERRORLOG
  -l c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA\mastlog.ldf
2014-10-08 12:53:09.84 Server      Command Line Startup Parameters:
  -m SqlSetup
  -f
  -Q
  -q SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS
  -T 4022
  -T 4010
  -T 3659
  -T 3610
  -T 902
  -d c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Template Data\master.mdf
  -l c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Template Data\mastlog.ldf
2014-10-08 12:53:09.86 Server      Warning: The server instance was started using minimal configuration startup option (-f). Starting an instance of SQL Server with minimal configuration places the server in single-user mode automatically. 
After the server has been started with minimal configuration, you should change the appropriate server option value or values, stop, and then restart the server.
2014-10-08 12:53:09.86 Server      SQL Server is starting at normal priority base (=7). This is an informational message only. No user action is required.
2014-10-08 12:53:09.86 Server      Detected 16 CPUs. This is an informational message; no user action is required.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.00 Server      Perfmon counters for resource governor pools and groups failed to initialize and are disabled.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.01 Server      Using dynamic lock allocation.  Initial allocation of 2500 Lock blocks and 5000 Lock Owner blocks per node.  This is an informational message only.  No user action is required.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.01 Server      Lock partitioning is enabled.  This is an informational message only. No user action is required.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.03 Server      Node configuration: node 0: CPU mask: 0x00000000000000ff:0 Active CPU mask: 0x00000000000000ff:0. This message provides a description of the NUMA configuration for this computer. This is an informational
message only. No user action is required.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.05 Server      Support for distributed transactions was not enabled for this instance of the Database Engine because it was started using the minimal configuration option. This is an informational message only. No
user action is required.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.06 spid7s      Warning ******************
2014-10-08 12:53:10.06 spid7s      SQL Server started in single-user mode. This an informational message only. No user action is required.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.06 spid7s      Starting up database 'master'.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.08 spid7s      Error: 5178, Severity: 16, State: 1.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.08 spid7s      Cannot use file 'c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Template Data\master.mdf' because it was originally formatted with sector size 4096 and is now on a volume with sector
size 2097152. Move the file to a volume with a sector size that is the same as or smaller than the original sector size.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.09 spid7s      Error: 5178, Severity: 16, State: 1.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.09 spid7s      Cannot use file 'c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Template Data\master.mdf' because it was originally formatted with sector size 4096 and is now on a volume with sector
size 2097152. Move the file to a volume with a sector size that is the same as or smaller than the original sector size.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.09 spid7s      Error: 5178, Severity: 16, State: 1.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.09 spid7s      Cannot use file 'c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Template Data\mastlog.ldf' because it was originally formatted with sector size 4096 and is now on a volume with
sector size 2097152. Move the file to a volume with a sector size that is the same as or smaller than the original sector size.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.09 spid7s      Error: 5178, Severity: 16, State: 1.
2014-10-08 12:53:10.09 spid7s      Cannot use file 'c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Template Data\mastlog.ldf' because it was originally formatted with sector size 4096 and is now on a volume with
sector size 2097152. Move the file to a volume with a sector size that is the same as or smaller than the original sector size.