William Stanek - Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage, Security, & Networking Pocket Consultant

Windows Server 2012 R2 provides improved guidance on the causes of unresponsive conditions. By including additional error-reporting details in the event logs, Windows Server 2012 R2 makes it easier to identify and resolve issues. To automatically recover from service failures, Windows Server 2012 R2 uses service recovery policies more extensively than its predecessors. When recovering a failed service, Windows Server 2012 R2 automatically handles both service and nonservice dependencies. Any necessary dependent services and system components are started prior to starting the failed service.

In earlier versions of Windows, an application crash or hang is marked as not responding, and it is up to the user to exit and then restart the application. Windows Server 2012 R2 attempts to resolve the issue of unresponsive applications by using Restart Manager. Restart Manager can shut down and restart unresponsive applications automatically. Thanks to Restart Manager, you might not have to intervene to try to resolve issues with frozen applications.

Failed installation and nonresponsive conditions of applications and drivers are also tracked through Action Center, and the built-in diagnostics display a warning message. By tapping or clicking the Action Center icon in the system tray, you can view recent messages. If you tap or click a message, Windows Server 2012 R2 opens the Message Details page in Action Center, which might provide a solution for the problem.

You also can view a list of current problems at any time by following these steps:

1.In Control Panel, under the System And Security heading, tap or click Review Your Computer’s Status.

2.In Action Center, a list of known problems is displayed. For some issues, you’ll be able to select a related View Message Details button to display a Message Details page. If a solution is available, tap or click the link provided to download the solution or visit a related website to get more information.

While you are working with Action Center, you can have Windows Server check for solutions to problems by tapping or clicking the Check For Solutions link on the Maintenance panel.

Windows Server 2012 R2 attempts to resolve issues related to running out of virtual memory by providing Resource Exhaustion Detection And Recovery. This feature monitors the systemwide virtual memory commit limit and alerts you if the computer is running low on virtual memory. To help you to correct this issue, it also identifies the processes consuming the largest amount of memory, enabling you to close any or all of these high resource-consuming applications directly from the Close Programs To Prevent Information Loss dialog box. The resource exhaustion alert is also logged in the system event log.

In early versions of Windows, corrupted system files are one of the most common causes of startup failure. Windows Server 2012 R2 includes built-in diagnostics to automatically detect corrupted system files during startup and guide you through automated or manual recovery. To resolve startup problems, Windows Server 2012 R2 uses the Startup Repair tool (StR), which is installed automatically and started when a system fails to boot. Once started, StR attempts to determine the cause of the startup failure by analyzing startup logs and error reports. Then StR attempts to fix the problem automatically. If StR is unable to resolve the problem, it restores the system to the last known working state and then provides diagnostic information and support options for further troubleshooting.

Hardware problems addressed by built-in diagnostics include error detection and disk failure detection. If a device is having problems, hardware diagnostics can detect error conditions and either repair the problem automatically or guide the user through a recovery process. With disk drives, hardware diagnostics can use fault reports provided by disk drives to detect potential failures and alert you before they happen. Hardware diagnostics can also help guide you through the backup process after alerting you that a disk might be failing.

Performance problems addressed by built-in diagnostics include slow application startup, slow boot, slow standby/resume, and slow shutdown. If a computer is experiencing degraded performance, performance diagnostics can detect the problem and provide possible solutions for resolving the problem. For advanced performance issues, you can track related performance and reliability data in the Performance Diagnostics console, which includes a performance monitor and a reliability monitor.

Memory problems addressed by built-in diagnostics include both memory leaks and failing memory. A memory leak occurs if an application or a system component doesn’t completely free areas of physical memory after it is done with them. If you suspect that a computer has a memory problem that is not being automatically detected, you can run Windows Memory Diagnostics manually during startup by selecting the related option. If the Windows Memory Diagnostics option is not provided during startup, you can run the program by following these steps:

1.Start Windows Memory Diagnostics. One way to do this is to enter mdsched.exein the App Search box, and then press Enter.

2.Choose whether to restart the computer now and run the tool immediately or schedule the tool to check for problems at the next restart.

3.Windows Memory Diagnostics runs automatically after the computer restarts, by using the standard test mix and performing two test passes by default.

You can change the run options by using the F1 key. Three different levels of memory testing can be performed, including Basic, Standard, and Extended. Use a basic test to quickly check the memory. Use the standard test to perform a standard test of the memory. Use the extended test when you want to perform more extensive testing. Set the number of test passes by using the Pass Count option.

To detect system crashes possibly caused by failing memory, memory diagnostics work with the Microsoft Online Crash Analysis tool. If a computer crashes because of failing memory, and memory diagnostics detect this, you are prompted to schedule a memory test the next time the computer is restarted.

If Windows Server 2012 R2 fails to start, the server typically will go into recovery mode during the next startup. After preparing automated recovery and attempting to diagnose the server, you’ll see an Automatic Repair screen. From this screen, you can select Restart to shut down and start the computer again or Advanced Options to display additional options that might help you repair the server.

If you elect to restart the computer, Windows will do a full restart, which can sometimes resolve the problem. If you choose Advanced Options, you’ll have the following options:

■ ContinueExits the repair menu, and continues to load the operating system.

■ Use Another Operating SystemExits the repair menu, and enables you to select the operating system to load (if multiple operating system are installed).

■ TroubleshootDisplays the Advanced Options menu.

■ Turn Off Your PCExits the repair menu, and shuts down the server.

If you select, Troubleshoot, the Advanced Options screen has the following options:

■ System Image RecoveryEnables you to recover the server by using a system image file. The image file can come from a remote computer.

■ Command PromptEnables you to access a command prompt and work with the commands and tools available in the recovery environment.

■ Startup SettingsEnables you to change the startup behavior and start the server in safe mode. Here, you click Restart to restart the computer in safe mode so that you can disable driver signature enforcement, early-launch anti-malware protection, and automatically restart on system failure. You can also enable low-resolution video mode, debugging mode, boot logging, and safe mode.