Windows failed to start on Windows 2012 R2 Standard Server with 0xc0000001, unxpected error occurred

[JOOJOO00]

I have a Windows 2012 R2 Standard Server installed as a VM for a local lawyers office, about 2 months ago. The installation was fine, everything was working.

Even the first Automatic Updates was working properly but 2 or 3 weeks ago, half of the Automatic Updates (around 20) were failed during install. Because the Automatic Updates had the message: Restart is required!, It will restart within 1 day! (Seemed to be very important updates). So I restarted the server.

Since then the server was in a Auto Repair loop!! I couldn't startup the server as normal. Because of this problem I disabled the Automatic Updates to avoid further problems, but to investigate the problems to solve and fix it.

So after searching the internet, I found a sorts of workarounds like, "chkdsk d: /f /r" ; "sfc /scannow /offbootdir=d:\ /offwindir=d:\windows" (on the VM, the Windows is somehow the letter "D"; and "dism.exe /image:c:\ /cleanup-image /revertpendingactions" (I tried on "D" as well) and to be sure the the "pending" automatic updates were revert to original state.

I also checked "bcdedit" and that came as it should be.

Of course I always started the server up with DVD (X



But yesterday, I thought I was ready to do maintenance on the server, I rebooted the server and it never came up again!

The server displayed a BSOD (of some sorts, it is actually a black screen though) with as title Windows Boot Manager and it delivered the following message: "Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause".

The following 3 steps to investigate and fix the problem was giving and the screen went further on this: Status: 0xc0000001, An unexpected error occurred.

No further information about the error message.

I examined the CBS.log as well and all I could see was that the server was trying to implement (reading) the update packages which it doesn't work cause of corruption.



Now with the common examples and explaining issue's around on the internet doesn't cut it. Nothing seems to work. No System Recovery is installed (it seems windows 2012 doesn't have this feature anymore), not even an backup because we have image backups from our hosts in our datacenter. But even though when I put back a backup image, it still doesn't start, the message remains the same.



Note:

The server was suppose to be a RDP server with File Management installed, no AD installed, because, I learned it the hard way also, it seems the server cannot cooperate with the RDP services AND an AD in the same server.



- What else can I do the get server up and running again?

- When in the future the server is up again, how do I fix properly the Automatic Updates?



I was thinking, maybe I can reinstall the VM in some sort of way with not losing data and not losing the Security Credentials?



Any help would be very great and very appreciated !!



Many thanks in advance.


- Ronin71 - R>F>> SNAP!

 

[JOOJOO00]

I think I found finally 1 part of the solution I am seeking.

The system is almost alive again. It is in "Automatic Repair" loop as it was before.

Hopefully I can fix that issue a.s.a.p. so that the system will be healthy again.
If anyone has super ideas for fixing that part too, I will be very happy!


This is the solution I found from not booting the server:


Hi,

1. First Start System Recovery Options. To start system recovery options.
a) Boot from the disk, Once you get the welcome screen of installation with the option “Install now”

b) Click on Repair your computer

c) On the next page click on Advanced Options

d) Now click on Troubleshoot
e) Lastly click on Command prompt and follow the on screen instructions

2. At the prompt, type the bootrec command as shown below and then press Enter:



bootrec /rebuildbcd


The bootrec command will search for Windows installations not included in the Boot Configuration Data and then ask you if you'd like to add one or more to it.

3. You should see the following message.

Scanning all disks for Windows installations.



Please wait, since this may take a while...



Successfully scanned Windows installations.

Total identified Windows installations: 0

The operation completed successfully.



4. Since the BCD store exists and lists a Windows installation, you'll first have to "remove" it manually and then try to rebuild it again.

At the prompt, execute the bcdedit command as shown and then press Enter:
bcdedit /export c:\bcdbackup

The bcdedit command is used here to export the BCD store as a file: bcdbackup. There's no need to specify a file extension.

The command should return the following on screen:
The operation completed successfully.

Meaning the BCD export worked as expected.

5. At this point, you need to adjust several file attributes for the BCD store so you can manipulate it.

At the prompt, execute the attrib command exactly like this:
attrib c:\boot\bcd -h -r -s

What you just did with the attrib command was remove the hidden, read-only, and system attributes from the file bcd. Those attributes restricted the actions you could take on the file. Now that they're gone, you can manipulate the file more freely - specifically, rename it.

6. To rename the BCD store, execute the ren command as shown:
ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old

Now that the BCD store is renamed, you should now be able to successfully rebuild it, as you tried to do in Step 2.

Note: You could delete the BCD file entirely since you're about to create a new one. However, renaming the existing BCD accomplishes the same thing since it's now unavailable to Windows, plus provides you yet another layer of backup, in addition to the export you did in Step 5, if you decide to undo your actions.

7. Try rebuilding the BCD again by executing the following, followed by Enter:
bootrec /rebuildbcd

which should produce this in the Command Prompt window:
Scanning all disks for Windows installations.

Please wait, since this may take a while...

Successfully scanned Windows installations.
Total identified Windows installations: 1
[1] D:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? Yes<Y>/No<N>/All<A>:

meaning that the BCD store rebuild is progressing as expected.

8. At the Add installation to boot list? question, type Enter Y or Yes, followed by the Enter key.

You should see this on screen:
The operation completed successfully.

meaning that the BCD rebuild is complete.

9. Restart your computer.

Assuming that an issue with the BCD store was the only problem, Windows should start as expected.

If not, continue to troubleshoot whatever specific issue you're seeing that's preventing Windows from booting normally.

Important: Depending on how you started System Recovery Options, you may need to remove a disc or flash drive before restarting.


- Ronin71 - R>F>> SNAP!

 

[JOOJOO00]

Oke, part 2. I'm frustrating now...

Server came back with same sort problem as before.
When part 1 was finished, the server went immediately into a continues loop (Preparing Automatic Repair).

I had that before, when this all started, but I thought that would be a peace of cake.. wrong!...
It seems that the Automatic Repair is now different then before. I had the workaround, which had me fixed the server temporarily the first time (see above at the beginning of this curse) but that did not fix the Auto Repair anymore.

I spend several hours trying to look for a new answer to fix this.

Then I came across this command: "bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled NO"
That seemed to be successful however it wasn't.

As soon I applied that command en restarted the server, the exact same error message came to display.

So I though, oke, luckily I have the cure for that.. but NO!!

The whole solution for the 0xc0000001 error message doesn't work anymore. What ever I try to do, it gives me every time the same message: Successful scanned Windows installations. Total identified Windows installations: 0

I tried also others now like: bootrec /fixboot or bootrec /fixmbr etc.

What ever I try to do the same message appears: Total identified Windows installations: 0

This is VERY frustrating.
I dunno what else to do to fix this.

I need that server up and running!

Could I not just "Upgrade Windows 2012 r2" at the install? So that it would re-install Windows but no loss of any data? I do need to be sure that user data won't be corrupt or disappearing in any way!!

Is there some one who can help me further in this? Calling for Windows Support is out of the question (too expensive)


- Ronin71 - R>F>> SNAP!