Crisis compounded …a business is critically impacted and NOW like as in NOW need to use their Windows Backup to restore back to a known good point. You go through the 1-2 hour process and when the server reboots you get …a Black Screen of Death (KSOD) aka black screen a cursor and an unhealthy server OS that you cannot access.
When I hit this issue I immediately called a colleague who laser beamed onto the source of this issue. Even with that information of the general cause and fix in hand, I had a very difficult time finding the needed detailed information so I could apply it and quickly overcome the issue. My client needed to get back up and in business – my ass was now on the line!
…So I’m rectifying this info sprawl disconnect and putting it all in one place – here.
In the interest of helping other businesses get back up from this scenario as fast as possible, below is this assemblage blog post. This assembled information resolved my issue and can resolve yours as well. It really isn’t very complicated to execute and you will find yourself quickly de-stressed once you again see the Ctrl-Alt-Delete screen following the server’s startup.
This also can apply to SBS 2008 too; just remember to copy the directory mentioned below from an SBS 2008 source.
First – What, Why, When
- The reason you aren’t fully booting into the OS GUI is due to a previously installed Microsoft tool that you will later want to remove. This tool is the NTbackup & Restore Tool. It is installed as a individually downloadable KB (.msu) which means it doesn’t appear as a standalone Role, Feature, or Program. Unlike those things which you are commonly used to manipulating this tool has to be removed via the “Installed Updates” list …more on that later.
- This Microsoft Tool is interfering with a specific directory that is now incomplete and without it your recovery fails. You end up at a KSOD (Black Screen of Death).
Second – Help!
- The ‘kinda’ good news is that if you can get a copy of this directory from a known good installation of the same OS at another of your clients or from someone you trust to provide you the same …then you are ‘in like Flynn’
The reason for this is that a specific folder is omitted from the backups – c:\Windows\Registration – if this condition exists.
This condition is now noted in Update Rollup 3 for SBS 2011 – http://blogs.technet.com/b/sbs/archive/2012/06/13/update-rollup-3-for-wssg-bpa-is-now-available-via-microsoft-updates-along-with-its-installation-tool.aspx
The simple fix for this is as follows:
- Copy the contents of C:\Windows\Registration from a working SBS2011 server
- Boot into the Windows Repair/Recovery mode using SBS2011 Disc 1
- Open up a command prompt and browse to C:\Windows\Registration
- Copy the files (from a USB drive or something) over to the server
The server should now boot up
(see reference link to PowerBiz Solutions post by Boon Tee below)
Third – Cleanup
- once the OS is back up and running you’ve got some critically important work to do
- uninstall the NTbackup & Restore Tool by bringing up either Programs and Feature or the Widows Updates Windows and then selecting the ‘Installed Updates’ choice on the left column. Within the list of updates find and remove
“Update for Microsoft Windows Windows (KB974674)” - install, review, and take remediation steps from the Microsoft Windows Server Solutions BPA 1.3 – avoid aka ignore the direction to alter the webconfig as instructed with the EWS error (see references below for further information)
- run a full image backup immediately
(click above to enlarge)
References:
- SBS 2011 Build Wiki – V. Backup, Restore, and Disaster Recoveryhttp://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/1919.v-backup-restore-and-disaster-recovery.aspx
- Susan Bradley – remove that http://msmvps.com/blogs/bradley/archive/2011/12/25/remove-kb974674.aspx
- problem discussion in Microsoft Forums http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/smallbusinessserver/thread/be28b0a1-9cad-45aa-ad4c-b9e85e3128d2/?prof=required
- the fix – Fixing the Black Screen of Death (KSOD) on SBS 2011
http://blog.powerbiz.net.au/fixes/fixing-the-black-screen-of-death-ksod-on-sbs-2011/ - BTW – don’t do that with regards to the latest Windows Server Solutions BPA 1.3 – EWS can be broken
http://blogs.technet.com/b/sbs/archive/2012/06/13/update-rollup-3-for-wssg-bpa-is-now-available-via-microsoft-updates-along-with-its-installation-tool.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0&CommentPosted=true#commentmessage
Upwards in Business - Sisyphus meets IT 
Thank you so much for your blog entry. What you offered along with the following got me back up without having to do a complete reinstall of the OS or active directory (Server 2008 R2):
1) Followed your steps in “Second – Help!”
2) Next:
Start the server by using Windows Server 2008 R2 media.
Select Repair your computer.
Select Command Prompt.
At the command prompt, run the bcdedit command. Lists of items appear under Windows Boot Manager and under Windows Boot Loader.
Look for the values for the following items :
Under Windows Boot Manager, the Device item should be set to unknown.
Under Windows Boot Loader, theDevice and osdevice items should be set to unknown.
Run the following three commands to correct the settings, and then restart the computer:
bcdedit /set {default} device partition=c:
bcdedit /set {default} osdevice partition=c:
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} device partition=c:
NOTE: DID NOT HAVE TO DO THIS STEP, BUT ITS INCLUDED AS IT MIGHT HELP SOMEONE:
Or, locate X:\Sources\Recovery, and then run StartRep.exe to start a quick automated startup repair utility that corrects boot environment values.
3) System would boot without a KOSD but immediately shut down before I could
to log in. I went into safe mode and then rebooted and everything worked.4) fyi, at this time I have not performed the “Third – Cleanup” step outlined in the article.
Hope this helps.