Good day @jkirshy
Load ssms by itself that will check for most issues.
SSMS has nothing to do with SQL Server installation. It is external CLIENT application just like any application we develop (except the fact that it is developed by Microsoft). Moreover, in most cases it is highly NOT recommended to install client applications on production server/ SSMS can be installed on you laptop and connect the server from there (for example).
By the way, Azure Data Studio has a lot of advantages over SSMS. First off all it is open source free application which also developed by Microsoft. Above all, it does not require any installation which mean you can use from your disk-on-key directly on the production server. Next advantage is that you can use it on any common operating system like windows, Linux, Mac...
If there is need to check the installation after it is done then starting point can be using the SQL Server Configuration Manager (a utility which is part of the SQL Server installation).
Good day @donsaundLS and welcome to the forums
As jkirshy said, we need more information in order to understand what was the issue
The information usually exists in the SQL Server Setup Log Files
The following document will help to find the file.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/install-windows/view-and-read-sql-server-setup-...
Please provide all the relevant information including full exact error messages and alerts which you get during the installation (best option is to upload the files after you clean any information which should not be published in public)
