SQL Server 2025 Ent. on Windows Server 2025 Preview VM — Support & Quick Start

Known issue on the current image (as of 2026-09-15)

Built by the same SQL-on-Windows recipe as the SQL Server 2025 on Windows Server 2025 offer, on which the 2026-09-15 fact-check found NO working SQL login (sysadmin = disabled `sa` only; the portal administrator has no login). This preview offer was not itself tested — assume the same defect until we publish a tested build. (image build tested: not separately tested; the version the Marketplace publishes today is 2026.05.181, built from the same image definition as the SQL Server 2025 on Windows Server 2025 developer plan)

What you will see: If affected: `Login failed for user '<VM>\<admin>'` (error 18456) in SSMS/sqlcmd on the VM.

Workaround:

1. Use the single-user-mode rescue documented on the SQL Server 2025 on Windows Server 2025 support page (/support/sql2025-ws2025/#known-issue); it applies unchanged to any SQL Server on Windows VM whose administrator has no login.

Fix status: Fix in progress: image-factory PR #205 (draft) covers the sql2025-ws2025 profiles; this offer will be re-tested and rebuilt with the same change. Tracked as backlog #78. Track the fix.

Source: our 2026-09-15 image sweep of the newest published build. This notice is removed when a build that passes the same test is live on the Marketplace.