Server 2012 Essentials - very slow to add new user

Eight month old Dell PowerEdge R320 rackmount server, running Windows Server 2012 Essentials. XEON E5-2400 processor, 16 GB RAM, 6 TB of SATA disks( RAID-1). "Shared resources' on this server are not all that extensive since there are only six
'shared folders' on this server ... And for certain I am NOT any sort of 'guru' as it would pertain to Windows Server 2012 Essentials, but it seems to me that the fact it takes over 35 minutes to add a single
new user to this server is a bit "unusual", to say the least... As I mentioned, there are only six "shared resource" folders on this server being served from the "DATA" disk that users can access with R/W rights, and all other
resources on this server are marked as 'no access' for our twelve (now thirteen) users. Does this not seem to be an inordinately long time to add a single new user..? I have just checked and found a few updates (maybe five) that were 'pending'
a reboot (which it is doing now, as I write this), and I will try adding a new user as a 'test' after this reboot, but - am I wrong? Doesn't this seem to be an extremely long time just to add a single new user..?

Hi,
Thanks for your post.
Please wait for the update installed and reboot, then try to add user to check the result.
Adding a new user did not need much time generally.
Regards.
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Similar Messages

Boot up of Windows Server 2012 Essentials seems slow (extended Please Wait screen) and there are errors in Health Report

Dear Sir or Madam,
I have been experimenting with the evaluation version of WS2012e trying to get the installation and subsequent build into an optimal set up, and once I have everything I want it to do mapped out, I'll set it up with the full version with using the key that
I bought.
However, I've noticed that the server seems to experience a delay during cold boot - it sits with a Please Wait screen for about 60-90 seconds before it presents the screen with an option to Log on. I have also discovered from running Health
Report, that there are some entries in the event logs which appear to coincide with start up times, and which seem to be interconnected to each other in the issues they are describing, and I have copied an example of one of those health reports below.
I assume that everything sorts itself out in due course, because the events say the process will be re-attempted and these errors don't repeat again after the system has booted up. I also have the server set to suspend when not in use with the Lights
Out add in, so it shouldn't need to cold boot often - but I wondered if there's a way to correct these errors so that they don't hold up the boot up process? I'm also concerned that these errors will cause me later problems with storage pools and
the like at a later date - the disk replication one seems particularly worrying. Alternatively, are these errors just a normal part of the start up process - the timing of when different processes start relative to each other - and can be safely ignored?
In trying to understand what the events describe, I thought that WE2012e acted as its own Domain Controller, and yet it seems from the event log entries that it is waiting for another server to respond to AD / DC requests (but there isn't another server
on my home network). The other thing I remember from when I first tried out WS2012e, is that it took control of DHCP or DNS from the router, and I found that frustrating when waking up my laptop and it wouldn't connect to the internet until the server
had fully booted up and re-asserted its network settings. Is this another symptom of the same problem? I remember seeing a posting at the SBS Diva's site about how to update the server so that it gave connected PCs a backup option for connecting
to the internet when the server wasn't available, and was going to try to find that again to see if that helped.
By way of background - there isn't another server in my home network. This is an attempt to do a clean install onto the same hardware that I ran the initial trial of WS2012e, now that the trial has expired, so I'm not trying to migrate from an existing
server. I moved all the data on the trial server off onto an external disk, with the intention of importing it back once I had the Storage Pools set up the way I wanted on the new build, and since I didn't want to keep anything else about the server
trial. Am I correct in thinking that I don't need to go down the Migration route during installation, and can go through a Clean install in this circumstance?
I'm running on an Asus P8-H77-i motherboard, with an i5-3470s CPU and 16MB RAM, and I have WS2012e installed on 256Mb SSD formatted under GPT with uEFI boot - the latter being the main reason for the reinstall, instead of just giving the Evaluation
version the new key on the original MBR set up. I've also enabled Intel Rapid Storage and Rapid Start - and successfully set aside the hibernate partition on the SSD - but discovered that this is about forcing a hibernate after suspend, allowing
the system to power down until its needed again, and then resuming from hibernate on the SSD rather than cold boot each time. That seems to work, but doesn't improve the cold boot times at all, which was what I was hoping for - ideally the way my
laptop will boot from cold in a few seconds into Windows 8.
Yours faithfully,
Avon
======
Health Report extract.
Critical Errors in Event Logs in Last 24 Hours
DFSR
Event ID: 3221226674
The DFS Replication service failed to contact domain controller to access
configuration information. Replication is stopped. The service will try again
during the next configuration polling cycle, which will occur in 60 minutes.
This event can be caused by TCP/IP connectivity, firewall, Active Directory
Domain Services, or DNS issues.
Additional Information:
Error: 160 (One or more arguments are not correct.)
Last occurrence: 26 May 2014 18:51:28
Total occurrence(s): 2
DNS
Event ID: 2147487661
The DNS server is waiting for Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) to signal that the initial synchronization of the directory has been completed. The DNS server service cannot start until the initial synchronization is complete because critical DNS
data might not yet be replicated onto this domain controller. If events in the AD DS event log indicate that there is a problem with DNS name resolution, consider adding the IP address of another DNS server for this domain to the DNS server list in the Internet
Protocol properties of this computer. This event will be logged every two minutes until AD DS has signaled that the initial synchronization has successfully completed.
Last occurrence: 26 May 2014 18:51:15
Total occurrence(s): 2
ADWS
Event ID: 3221226674
This computer is now hosting the specified directory instance, but Active Directory Web Services could not service it. Active Directory Web Services will retry this operation periodically.
Last occurrence: 26 May 2014 18:51:08
Total occurrence(s): 2
NTDS General
Event ID: 2147486534
The security of this directory server can be significantly enhanced by configuring the server to reject SASL (Negotiate,
Kerberos, NTLM, or Digest) LDAP binds that do not request signing (integrity verification) and LDAP simple binds that
are performed on a cleartext (non-SSL/TLS-encrypted) connection. Even if no clients are using such binds,
configuring the server to reject them will improve the security of this server.
Some clients may currently be relying on unsigned SASL binds or LDAP simple binds over a non-SSL/TLS connection,
and will stop working if this configuration change is made. To assist in identifying these clients, if such binds occur this
directory server will log a summary event once every 24 hours indicating how many such binds
occurred. You are encouraged to configure those clients to not use such binds. Once no such events are observed
for an extended period, it is recommended that you configure the server to reject such binds.
For more details and information on how to make this configuration change to the server, please see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=87923.
You can enable additional logging to log an event each time a client makes such a bind, including
information on which client made the bind. To do so, please raise the setting for the "LDAP Interface Events" event logging category
to level 2 or higher.
Last occurrence: 26 May 2014 18:51:00
Total occurrence(s): 2
=======

Hi KerguelanAvon,
Based on your description, it seems to be hard to narrow down the cause of this issue. Please refer to following operations and monitor the result. It may help us to go further, and then solve this issue.
1. Please refer to the following article and troubleshoot slow boot.
New Slow Logon, Slow Boot Troubleshooting Content
2. On your server 2012 essentials, please start a BPA scan and fix all that it can find, then monitor the result.
Regarding to those critical Errors in Health Report, please perform
Dcdiag on the server. Meanwhile, please refer to the following article and troubleshoot network connectivity, firewall setting and AD DS issue.
DFSR Event 1202 (DFS Replication)
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Justin Gu
Hi Justin,
I'm reading through the links you referred me to but it's taking a while. In the meantime I tried running BPA as you suggested. I'm sure when I ran it before, it didn't say much beyond 81 checks completed, and I couldn't find a way to get any
more detail.
Now it says
Problem:
The DNS client is not configured to point only to the internal IP address of the server.
Impact:
If the DNS client is not configured to point only to the internal IP address of the server, DNS name resolution can fail.
Resolution:
To resolve this problem:
1. From the client computer, open the Properties page for the network connection.
2. Make sure that DNS is configured to point only to the internal IP address of the server.
Except that it is.
Connection-specific DNS Suffix:
Description: Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter
Physical Address: ‎00-1B-B1-28-AE-63
DHCP Enabled: Yes
IPv4 Address: 192.168.1.133
IPv4 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained: 03 June 2014 21:56:49
Lease Expires: 05 June 2014 20:24:20
IPv4 Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1
IPv4 DHCP Server: 192.168.1.1
IPv4 DNS Server: 192.168.1.49
IPv4 WINS Server:
NetBIOS over Tcpip Enabled: Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address: fe80::80ef:48d5:9fde:f10e%14
IPv6 Default Gateway:
IPv6 DNS Server:
I'll try rebooting from the current windows 7 build over to windows 8 on my dual boot laptop, to see if that makes any difference, since it is the only other client PC connected to the server at the moment.
Thanks, Avon.

Migrating from Server 2003 to Server 2012 Essentials or new install?

We have a small network having downsized some years ago. Currently we have two 2003 servers and 6 workstations. Originally we were running Exchange on one of the servers, but now Exchange is remotely hosted. I have a new server that will be
running Essentials. I want to replace both of the old servers and just have the one new server. I am thinking that with such a small network, it will be easier just setting up the new server in a new domain rather than migrating. Does this make sense? Any
pitfalls to be aware of?
Thanks,
Mike

Hi Mike,
à
I am thinking that with such a small network, it will be easier just setting up the new server in a new domain rather than migrating.
Does this make sense?
Based on your description, setting up the new server or performing a migration, will depend on the target which
you want to achieve.
For migration, it will help you to migrate the settings and data from that old server to the new server. For
more details, please refer to following article and check if can help you.
Migrating
to Windows Server 2012 Essentials
If just set up the new server, as you mentioned, it may be easier than migrating. For more details, please refer
to following article and check if can help you.
Install Windows Server Essentials
If any update, please feel free to let me know.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Justin Gu
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help. If you have feedback for TechNet Support, contact [email protected]

Server 2012 Essentials Restore files not working

I have a brand new install of server 2012 essentials running on hyper-v. have connected 4 test computers using the essentials connect method, 7 Pro and 8.1. backups are working daily with no errors. thought I would test a restore and I am getting the
message, "Restore Files and Folders wizard has stopped working.
unfortunately this is the very first time I tried a restore so I can't say if any updates are the issue.
anyone else had similar issue?

2 errors
Log Name:      Application
Source:        .NET Runtime
Date:          2/19/2015 1:31:20 PM
Event ID:      1026
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Windows8Eval.xxxxxxxxxxx.com
Description:
Application: MountBackupWizard.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.Reflection.TargetInvocationException
Stack:
   at System.RuntimeMethodHandle.InvokeMethod(System.Object, System.Object[], System.Signature, Boolean)
   at System.Reflection.RuntimeMethodInfo.UnsafeInvokeInternal(System.Object, System.Object[], System.Object[])
   at System.Delegate.DynamicInvokeImpl(System.Object[])
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbackDo(ThreadMethodEntry)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbackHelper(System.Object)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallback(ThreadMethodEntry)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbacks()
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(System.Windows.Forms.Message ByRef)
   at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.DebuggableCallback(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr)
   at System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessageW(MSG ByRef)
   at System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessageW(MSG ByRef)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Application+ComponentManager.System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.IMsoComponentManager.FPushMessageLoop(IntPtr, Int32, Int32)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Application+ThreadContext.RunMessageLoopInner(Int32, System.Windows.Forms.ApplicationContext)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Application+ThreadContext.RunMessageLoop(Int32, System.Windows.Forms.ApplicationContext)
   at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.DataProtection.UI.Program.Main(System.String[])
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
    <Provider Name=".NET Runtime" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="0">1026</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2015-02-19T18:31:20.000000000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>1224</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>Application</Channel>
    <Computer>Windows8Eval.xxxxxxxxx.com</Computer>
    <Security />
</System>
<EventData>
    <Data>Application: MountBackupWizard.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.Reflection.TargetInvocationException
Stack:
   at System.RuntimeMethodHandle.InvokeMethod(System.Object, System.Object[], System.Signature, Boolean)
   at System.Reflection.RuntimeMethodInfo.UnsafeInvokeInternal(System.Object, System.Object[], System.Object[])
   at System.Delegate.DynamicInvokeImpl(System.Object[])
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbackDo(ThreadMethodEntry)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbackHelper(System.Object)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallback(ThreadMethodEntry)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbacks()
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(System.Windows.Forms.Message ByRef)
   at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.DebuggableCallback(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr)
   at System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessageW(MSG ByRef)
   at System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessageW(MSG ByRef)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Application+ComponentManager.System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.IMsoComponentManager.FPushMessageLoop(IntPtr, Int32, Int32)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Application+ThreadContext.RunMessageLoopInner(Int32, System.Windows.Forms.ApplicationContext)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Application+ThreadContext.RunMessageLoop(Int32, System.Windows.Forms.ApplicationContext)
   at Microsoft.WindowsServerSolutions.DataProtection.UI.Program.Main(System.String[])
</Data>
</EventData>
</Event>
2nd error
Log Name:      Application
Source:        Application Error
Date:          2/19/2015 1:31:21 PM
Event ID:      1000
Task Category: (100)
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      Windows8Eval.xxxxxxxxxxxx.com
Description:
Faulting application name: MountBackupWizard.exe, version: 6.3.9600.16384, time stamp: 0x5215cf3c
Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 6.3.9600.17415, time stamp: 0x54505737
Exception code: 0xe0434352
Fault offset: 0x0000000000008b9c
Faulting process id: 0xac
Faulting application start time: 0x01d04c723d6d8d89
Faulting application path: C:\Windows\System32\Essentials\MountBackupWizard.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\system32\KERNELBASE.dll
Report Id: 7fa0d5c8-b865-11e4-8258-080027e87958
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
<System>
    <Provider Name="Application Error" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="0">1000</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>100</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2015-02-19T18:31:21.000000000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>1225</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>Application</Channel>
    <Computer>Windows8Eval.xxxxxxxxxxx.com</Computer>
    <Security />
</System>
<EventData>
    <Data>MountBackupWizard.exe</Data>
    <Data>6.3.9600.16384</Data>
    <Data>5215cf3c</Data>
    <Data>KERNELBASE.dll</Data>
    <Data>6.3.9600.17415</Data>
    <Data>54505737</Data>
    <Data>e0434352</Data>
    <Data>0000000000008b9c</Data>
    <Data>ac</Data>
    <Data>01d04c723d6d8d89</Data>
    <Data>C:\Windows\System32\Essentials\MountBackupWizard.exe</Data>
    <Data>C:\Windows\system32\KERNELBASE.dll</Data>
    <Data>7fa0d5c8-b865-11e4-8258-080027e87958</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
</EventData>
</Event>

Cannot enable anywhere access in Server 2012 Essentials R2

Hi all,
I have recently installed & setup Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2 on Lenovo S20. Everything is going great except for Anywhere Access! I previously had Server Essentials 2012 running on a HP Microserver but the hardware desperately needed upgrading
& when R2 came out I grabbed my opportunity. I did not do a migration as I only needed to copy my data. I have everything else set up, i.e. AD DNS, DHCP etc etc & all required roles installed but when I access the dashboard Anywhere Access wizard the
server says it is switched off, so, I go to set up & skip domain name setup as I already have one setup through MS & skip router setup as my ports are already forwarded & the server handles all DNS & DHCP anyway. Click on next & tick anywhere
access ( have tried with VPN too) & next then click allow current users & groups etc & next again, then the setting up remote desktop box has the green bar scrolling across & that is as far as I get. I have tried multiple times & it never
goes any further, I have even left it for over 48 hours!! The only option left is to cancel which it does OK.
I have trawled the internet for answers but cannot find anything similar to my problem. As I say, everything else is OK, local computers connect & see the file structure OK. It is just this anywhere access problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated
as I do sometimes need to access certain files while away from my premises. I think I have mentioned everything but if you need any more info please ask. I am pretty new to servers & still have a lot to learn but am getting there slowly!!
Anthony

OK my friend has so far had no luck in finding a problem :(
I have looked at the logs suggested but I have to be honest they mean very little to me. I have a Dashboard.log & a SharedServiceHost-ManagementServiceConfig.log which it says was last updated on 7th Dec but I also have another of those logs which ends
in .2.log so it's full name is SharedServiceHost-ManagementServiceConfig.2.log is this right? That one has been updated today.
I have uploaded a logs.zip file to my Skydrive space if anybody would be good enough to have a look & tell me what I should be looking for? The link is: Logs.zip
Thanks for you advice so far

Running two instances of Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2 on the same domain

We have Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2 running as a domain controller -- and have installed another licensed copy of the same thing on the same domain. We want to use the 2nd server for running an LOB application and provide backup for the
AD services.
The 2nd server is a member of the domain. Can I do this and have the 2nd server provide AD failover services like they do with 2012 Standard?

Two things to consider. In the XP and 2003 era, the OS was not written in a security-first fashion. While XP did have LUA, almost nobody used them. Then came Vista and UAC, and those prompts were a major pain point because nobody wrote for security. Fast
forward 6 years and standard accounts are a normal best practice. Almost nobody in business recommends running daily tasks as administrator.
I mention all this to illustrate that, similar to admin accounts, what you used to get away with no longer applies. Running LOB apps on a DC is just bad. Many times, the app just doesn't work. But even if you could get it to work, it is a terrible idea.
If the stories of Home Depot, Target, and most recently Sony don't already give it away, I'll spell it out. We no longer live in an age where you can take shortcuts and expect to be safe. Large organizations make national news when they screw up. But small
businesses are targeted just as often and are at just as much risk. From "leaking" their client info to having their data held for ransom, the small business is abused regularly, but never makes national news because they are, by definition, small.
If you can take simple easy steps to help minimize that risk, such as keeping a domain controller free of other software and locked down, then it is almost unethical to do Otherwise in the modern computing era. The world ha changed. It is our responsibility
as I.T professionals to change with it. That's why we get to call ourselves "professionals" in relation to I.T.
So, what bad things? Risking the customer's very livelihood. I consider that pretty darn bad.

Where do I find Offer Remote Assistance on Server 2012 Essentials

Where the heck do I find the Offer Remote Assistance capability in Server 2012 R2 Essentials? (I'm guessing this a just plain Server 2012 thing, but in my case I'm specifically using Server 2012 R2 Essentials.)
From the server console, I want to be able to offer remote assistance to workstations joined to the Essentials domain.
I have the Remote Assistance Feature installed on the server, and I have the group policy configured and active for workstations to allow Remote Assistance. I just cannot find in the Server 2012 user interface (which is of course based on the Windows
8 interface which I have not used yet), where the Remote Assistance option is.
In Windows 7, and Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, which is of course built on top of Windows 2008, I could click Start, then All Programs, then Maintenance, and "Windows Remote Assistance" was a shortcut there.
In Server 2012 R2 Essentials I can't find it anywhere. Even when I display the full Start "Menu" list on the new Start screen I can't find it. "Remote Assistance" does not show up as an option when I try to search for it in
the Start screen search box.
Thank you.

Thanks everyone. I finally found it, but it's far less than obvious in any way. But first to address some of the other comments...
That's funny. The only way I've been able to find the tool on Win7 or Win8 has been to type "remote assistance" at the start menu, and then select the appropriate program.
I just rechecked 3 different Windows 7 PCs and both of my older Small Business Server 2011 Essentials servers (which of course are based on Server 2008). On all of them in the Start Menu, I can click Start, then All Programs, then I have a folder called
"Maintenance", then inside of that I have a "Windows Remote Assistance" shortcut along with several other shortcuts. Of course I know the interface changed in Windows 8 and Server 2012, but it seems odd they'd remove access to the tool
entirely without any way to get to it.
I just did this on my Windows Server 2012 Essentials, and it offered me the right selection, but then when I clicked that I got the message "Windows cannot find 'C:\Windows\system32\msra.exe'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again."
Funny that it obviously had the shortcut installed, but not the underlying program.
Wim.
I believe it may have been removed from the Server OS in 2012 in favour of using a Desktop to Offer Remote Assistance.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/hyperyash/archive/2013/01/18/remote-assistance-in-windows-8.aspx
It was 'put back' in R2 so it seems.
Anyway, i went to Server Manager, installed Remote Assistance. Rebooted.
Went to search and found remote assistance.
Yes, mine is specifically 2012 R2 Essentials. After some additional Google searching, it does appear that there is no direct "shortcut" to Remote Assistance in Windows 8, and thus I'm guessing in Server 2012 R2. Everything I find on Windows 8 indeed
says to "search" for "remote assistance" as you guys have suggested and select it from the search results. The problem is that on my 2012 R2 Essentials server, when I search for "remote assistance" I only get one result, as shown
in the first screen shot here, which if I click it takes me to the 2nd screen shot, which is of course not what I want. (That's the settings for the server itself to allow remote connection into the server from outside. I'm trying to go from the server
out to workstations.)
Then i had to go to 'get help' which may be a change from before.
Chose to help from an invite.
Go to advanced options.
Not sure if this is what you want, or need?
Yeah, I knew how to get to the Advanced settings within the basic Remote Assistance tool. The "Invite someone..." option is not showing up in my search results when I search for "remote assistance" as you can see in the above screen
shot.
If I remember correctly, the feature had already to be installed manually in Windows Server 2008 R2, so this is not a new behavior...
Correct, yes, on my SBS 2011 Essentials servers I did have to manually install the Remote Assistance "Feature". But as mentioned above, once I did install the feature, then the "Windows Remote Assistance" shortcut still showed up
under Start/All Programs/Maintenance. At the very least I would have expected it to show up in the search results, which you can see by the above screen shot, it doesn't.
SO HOW DID I SOLVE IT?
I found that if I actually search for "invite someone" then that option shows up in my search results and I can click on it and it launches the remote assistance tool as in Robert's message and screen shots above. I don't know why this
option doesn't show up when I search for just "remote assistance" as in Robert's screen shot above, but it doesn't.
In the end, creating the desktop shortcut for msra.exe /offerra seems to be the most efficient.

Windows Server 2012 Essentials (not R2) - all client computers offline

The server is Windows Server 2012 Essentials (not R2). I have had this problem ever since I first installed the Windows Server 2012 Essentials server in the summer of 2013 (before R2 was released). The Windows Server 2012 Essentials server shows offline
for all Devices under Dashboard. (Allow me to add that I just installed another site with Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2, and it was a breeze - all of the computers at the second install site are online.) I have one Windows 8.1 Pro client and the rest
are Windows 7 Pro clients. The problem occurs on ALL client computers.
I have removed computers from Devices in Dashboard on the server, rebooted the server, changed the client computer to a workgroup, rebooted the client computer, and reinstalled the connector software on the client computer. Same result. I
have tried this on a Windows 7 Pro client and a Windows 8.1 Pro client with the same results.
After running the connector on a client computer and waiting for the server to update its Devices status, if I look under Devices on the server Dashboard, the Windows 8.1 client computer will say online but within 24 hours it goes offline again. The
Windows 7 client computers never show online. Both computers stay offline - they NEVER show an online status (referring to the status under Devices in Dashboard).
I should make it clear that the clients can access the server shares with no problem. File synchronization works great. The clients can ping the server and the server can ping the clients. But client backups on the server fail.
One of the most troublesome things about this problem is that it prevents the client computers from being accessed remotely using the website setup by Anywhere Access. I can login to get remote access to the shared files on the server, but
the only computer that says "online" is the server. All of the other computers are "offline".
The server and clients are only using Windows firewall. The clients all use Microsoft Security Essentials for their anti-virus.
I used a troubleshooting tool that tells me that there are problems with port 6602 on the server, but the clients are all fine with port 6602. I know port 6602 is important for using Anywhere Access but I am still trying to find out more details on that.
I have checked all of the firewall settings related to port 6602 on the server, and the firewall settings look like the standard Windows settings for this port. I used netstat to find the PID associated with the port, and I looked up the PID to find the service.
That all looked standard, too.
I have been working on this problem since the summer of 2013!! Does anyone have ANY suggestions?!!
HELP!

Hi,
Just addition, please check if all necessary Windows updates are installed on those
“Offline” client computer.
When connect client computers to the Windows Server 2012 Essentials server by using the Connector software, there
will be LAUNCHPAD on the client computer. Was this LAUNCHPAD grayed out? Please check if can access Shared Folders via this LAUNCHPAD. Meanwhile, please ping the Windows Server 2012 Essentials via IP address and server name when client computers show as
Offline. Any find?
Get Connected in Windows Server Essentials
In addition, please follow the path on Server and client computer:
%programdata%\Microsoft\Windows Server\Logs. Did you check any relevant Server-side logs and
Client-side Logs if find more clues?
Windows
Server Essentials 2012/2012 R2 Log Files
If any update, please feel free to let us know.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Justin Gu
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help. If you have feedback for TechNet Support, contact [email protected]

Windows Server 2012 Essentials r2 installed in a hyper-v

I have a virtual host running Server 2012 r2 with Hyper-V enabled and I would like to install Windows Server 2012 Essentials r2 in a virtual environment. The installation starts from a cd and when doing so I receive an error message that says "A media
driver that your computer needs is missing....."
I have successfully install Server 2012 Essentials (not r2) in the same virtual host. Why am I getting this message?

Hi,
I’m glad to hear that you have resolved the issue and thanks for sharing your solution in the forum. This will help others who face the same scenario resolve the issue quickly. If there is
anything else I can do for you, please do not hesitate to let me know. I will be very happy to help.
Best Regards,
Andy Qi
Andy Qi
TechNet Community Support

Windows Server 2012 Essentials Connector version is more current than server

In trying to connect a new laptop to domain/server, it kept failing with a message indicating that other software was in the process of installing or that a reboot was pending. Since neither was the case, I downloaded the current version of the Connector
software from the Microsoft website to try. That didn't work either. It turns out that a pre-installed software component called Intel Smart Connect Tech was keeping the laptop from connecting. I uninstalled this software and installed the
connector software and it appeared to connect to the server. However, it is displayed in the Essentials Dashboard as Offline. The client (Laptop) displays a message saying "The Windows Server 2012 Essentials Connector version that is installed
on this computer is more recent that the sever. Contact the administrator to ensure the server is up to date". I tried uninstalling the Connector software from Control Panel, but I get a message "Could not delete key \software\microsoft\windows
server. Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel". I've tried both with domain admin and local admin credentials. So, I ignored the message and continued the connector install. It finished
and appeared to connect successfully. The connector version displayed in Control Panel\Programs and Features is correct. However, the registry entry is not updated and the version error pops up with each login and the Dashboard shows the client
as offline.

Hi C.R.Lowe,
Based on your description, I’m a little confused with this issue. Before going further, would you please let
me confirm something more? Thanks for your understanding.
When connect the client to Windows Server 2012 Essentials, did you mean that use
http://<servername>/Connect
and then select Download software for Windows option? More descriptions, please refer to the following article.
To connect a client computer to the
server
If I misunderstand, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
On current situation, please navigate to the registry path as the error message shows. And check
Version value and let me know. Meanwhile, please right click
Windows Server folder in Registry Editor and select “Permissions…”, then check if the account was assigned the correct permission to delete key.
In addition, please check if you have installed the
Update Rollup 1 for Windows Server 2012 Essentials
By the way, please check Event Viewer and some related logs if can find some more clues. If any update, please
feel free to let me know.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Justin Gu

Cannot upgrade server 2012 essentials to Server 2012 standard

using dism :
PS C:\Windows\system32> dism.exe /online /Set-Edition:ServerStandard /ProductKey:XXXXX-HF7PX-XXXXX-2XDPX-XXXXX /AcceptEula
Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 6.2.9200.16384
Image Version: 6.2.9200.16384
Error: 0x8a010001
The specified product key could not be validated.
Check that the specified product key is valid and that it matches the target edition.
The DISM log file can be found at C:\Windows\Logs\DISM\dism.log
PS C:\Windows\system32> DISM /online /Get-CurrentEdition
Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 6.2.9200.16384
Image Version: 6.2.9200.16384
Current edition is:
Current Edition : ServerSolution
The operation completed successfully.
Bought new key from Ebuyer.com

Hi,
Glad the issue was solved by yourself.
I think it should be an in-place license transition, transitioning from Windows Server 2012 Essentials to Windows Server 2012 Standard.
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj247582.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396
dism /online /set-edition:ServerStandard /accepteula /productkey:Product Key
Product Key is the product key for your copy of Windows Server 2012 Standard.
Regards.
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help. If you have feedback for TechNet Support, contact [email protected]

How can I upgrade Windows Server 2012 Essentials to Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials?

I have just installed Windows Server 2012 Essentials on my Home Network (from the installation DVD). I have done absolutely no configuration Installing Server 2012 was an oversight; I meant to install Server 2012 R2 Essentials.
I tried to correct by installing R2 from its DVD, hoping it would do an upgrade. That didn't work.
Is there a simple way to make it possible to install the correct OS?   For example, can I just demote the existing server and remove any roles that were installed, so that the R2 disk will install over top of the existing installation?
Alternatively, is it safe to just reformat the partition and install R2?
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn408635.aspx seems to imply that this is OK.
David Pike, P.Eng, MCITP

Hi Larry.   Thanks for the reply. It didn't work, but I don't believe you are wrong. Rather I think there is something weird in my system. I'm marking your reply as answer.
Some background: I'm repurposing an older PC (Compaq SR1614X) as a home server, to manage my home network, use as a gateway to my Azure server, and to help my Server 2012 training (on MVA). I've been messing with it for nearly two months,
on and off. From the start, I've had trouble installing the server 2012 software (see previous threads August-27 and August-16
), but when I got to the point that I could install Server 2012 Essentials, I thought I could upgrade to Server 2012 R2 Essentials exactly as you suggest. That was where you helped me a lot, i.e. you confirmed that my expectations were reasonable.
So when it didn't work, I spent most of yesterday trying various different procedures. I got tantalizingly close, but still no cigar.
I can install any Windows Client and Server 2012 Essentials, but the R2 Essentials installation never finishes; it goes into an "error 0x000000C4" boot loop. At first I wondered if it was because I was installing a server over a
server, but you confirmed that's not the issue. I later verified that I cannot install R2 over Windows 7 either, whereas R1 over Win7 is fine. I can only surmise one of two problems:
I have a bad installation disk
There is a hardware issue
I plan to eliminate (1) by creating a new disk from a new download. I have verified that the latest ISO file and the one I have been using have identical byte counts,
For (2), I had suspected that the problem was that the older system has no UEFI, but since R1 installs OK, I am discounting that. Today's effort: to eliminate the DVD drive, I will try booting from a Flash Drive. To eliminate
the hard drive, I will try installing to a different drive.
I am hoping you can help with one more thing. When I run setup.exe with the /noreboot option, I have a better chance of success. The option suppresses the first reboot only, but that one (after "Expanding the setup files") always
fails, so suppressing it gets me almost to the end of the install. Is there a way to modify setup.exe so the it always runs with the /noreboot option?

How to solve the error 0x80073701 in Server 2012 Essentials?

Good afternoon, I have a big problem when trying to add some roles or features on my Server 2012 Essentials get the error 0x80073701, in my case I am trying to install telnet client and server, but to see if the problem was with them already tried other
roles and features and also the error remains. I thought it was some evil update installed and uninstalled all and the error continues.
Tiago Pinheiro - MCP

Hi Tiago,
Would you please let me confirm whether the Windows Server 2012 Essentials is migrated from
Previous Versions or a clean install? Just a confirmation, thanks for your understanding.
On current situation, please use the following tool to check the integrity of the .NET Framework.
.NET Framework Setup Verification
Tool User's Guide
Please also use
Install-WindowsFeature PowerShell command and check if help you to install Roles and Features on the Windows Server 2012 Essentials successfully.
In addition, Please follow the path: C:\Windows\Logs\CBS and check CBS log file if find more clues.
à
get the error 0x80073701
By the way, the error seems that mean there are some system files are missing, which caused the installation
failure. If it’s not a production environment, maybe consider that run
sfc /scannow command to scan all protected system files and monitor the result.
Please Note: since it’s a Windows Server 2012 Essentials, the web configuration file may become corrupted when you run the SFC command. For more details, please refer to following KB.
The web configuration file may become corrupted when you
run the SFC command in Windows Server 2012 Essentials
If any update, please feel free to let me know.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Justin Gu
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help. If you have feedback for TechNet Support, contact
[email protected]

SQL Server 2012 Express SP1 will not install on Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2

I have been attempting to install SQL Server 2012 with SP1 Express Edition for about a two weeks and have been unsuccessful. My organization recently purchased a new Dell PowerEdge T320 Server (64 Bit) with Intel Xeon Proc.-E5-2420; 2.2Ghz, 32 Gb RAM,
1 Tb RAID 5 H/D, and Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials (preinstalled). The server will be configured as an on premises server. We are running a small church management application that requires SQL Server 2012 SP1 Express. Per the direction
of our application vendor, we downloaded the SQL Server 2012 SP1 Express file (SQLEXPRADV_x64_ENU.exe) from the Microsoft SQL Server Website. We ran the file "As Administrator" and the SQL Server 2012 Setup program began.
We selected New SQL Server Stand-Alone Installation, successfully installed the needed Product Updates, and accepted the MS SQL Server 2013 Express License terms.
When the Feature Selection Page appeared we checked only the "Data Base Eng Services". The
Instance Configuration Page was displayed and we inserted a "Named Instance= Shelby",then pressed next. On the
Server Configuration Page the only change was setting the "sql server browser = automatic". The Database Engine Configuration Page appeared
and we inserted the following settings:1] Server Configuration Tab; a) mixed mode, b)inserted SQL Server Admin pswd, c) added current user as administrator: 2] Data Directories Tab; default/no changes: 3] User Instanced Tab; default/no
changes: and 4] Filestream Tab; default/no changes. Next the
Reporting Services Configuration Page came up and the reporting services native mode was set to
"install and configure". The Error Reporting Page appeared and was left as the
"default". The SQL Server 2012 Setup program proceeded to Installation Progress Page and started to install. Just before the install program ended it displayed a message saying that there
were errors and the Database Eng Services did not succeed. I uninstalled SQL Server 2012 SP1 Express three (3) times, ran Windows Update after every uninstall, attempted to install the Database Engine and got the same results. Are there any patches or
special procedures for correctly installing SQL Server 2012 SP1 Express on my hardware configuration or Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Can you post the setup Summary and detail logs, which will help to figure out the problem? The details about the location can be found at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143702(v=sql.110).aspx
Satish Kartan www.sqlfood.com

Server Admin is very slow to respond

I have a brand new server that I'm doing a fresh install of OSX Snow Leopard on and I'm running into an interesting problem. For some reason, server admin is VERY slow to respond to any service changes... when I first load server admin, it takes 3 minutes to display the services. When I change a service, I get the spinning wheel in the right hand corner of the server admin pane for up to 10 minutes before I can click "save" ("save" is grayed out while the wheel on the server admin pane is spinning).
I've run OSX server from Tiger through Leopard and have never seen server admin be this slow.

You didn't need to reinstall.
I've confirmed this issue. Stop the firewall by launching the Terminal, and run:
sudo serveradmin stop ipfilter
Quit Server Admin if it's running (and unresponsive) and wait at least a couple minutes.
Re-launch SA and disable Stealth Mode for TCP/UDP.
Please submit a bug-report at
https://bugreport.apple.com
_But before you submit, please, be sure to read_:
http://www.afp548.com/article.php?story=20051102133234150

Server 2012 Essentials - very slow to add new user

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