Update Hangs

I have aprox 150 servers on my network all configured for automatic updates
via a WSUS server. Of those 50 are Windows 2003. I have a terrible problem
with upon reboot the Windows 2003 servers hanging on the shutdown portion.
The server will stop at the end of the shutdown cycle and hold there until a
key is pressed. If you press a key the reboot cycle continues normally. When
a monitor is connected you can see only the gray default background on the
screen. No 'shutting down windows...' box or mouse cursor.

The instant a key on the keyboard is pressed the computer will reboot
normally. When rebooting normally (ie Start > Shutdown > Restart) the problem
does not exisit. However if the reboot is caused by an update, SP2 for
instance, the problem does happen. Unless... you tell the update to not
reboot the server then use the start > shutdwon > restart method of
restarting. If you do that method the problem is avoided once again.

This problem spans two different models of servers. The latest one is a
brand new set of 15 HP ML350's. All of which were hand loaded personally with
Windows Server 2003 R2 SP1. Upon loading of SP2 the problem still exists.

The previous model was a white box with intel mb so I always assumed it was
a driver issue. These were auxiliary servers and restarting them wasn't such
a big deal... These new HP's will be production primaries and I would very
much like to have this problem cleared up if anyone out there can help. I've
not been able to find a common thread beyond the fact it seems to only occur
when a reboot is initiated by the server itself and not an admin.

Forwarded to WSUS newsgroup
(microsoft.public.windows.server.update_services) via crosspost as a
convenience to OP.

On the web:
http://www.microsoft.com/communities...pdate_services

In your newsreader:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsof...pdate_services
--
~PA Bear


Philip Smith wrote:
> I have aprox 150 servers on my network all configured for automatic
> updates
> via a WSUS server. Of those 50 are Windows 2003. I have a terrible problem
> with upon reboot the Windows 2003 servers hanging on the shutdown portion.
> The server will stop at the end of the shutdown cycle and hold there until
> a
> key is pressed. If you press a key the reboot cycle continues normally.
> When
> a monitor is connected you can see only the gray default background on the
> screen. No 'shutting down windows...' box or mouse cursor.
>
> The instant a key on the keyboard is pressed the computer will reboot
> normally. When rebooting normally (ie Start > Shutdown > Restart) the
> problem does not exisit. However if the reboot is caused by an update, SP2
> for instance, the problem does happen. Unless... you tell the update to
> not
> reboot the server then use the start > shutdwon > restart method of
> restarting. If you do that method the problem is avoided once again.
>
> This problem spans two different models of servers. The latest one is a
> brand new set of 15 HP ML350's. All of which were hand loaded personally
> with Windows Server 2003 R2 SP1. Upon loading of SP2 the problem still
> exists.
>
> The previous model was a white box with intel mb so I always assumed it
> was
> a driver issue. These were auxiliary servers and restarting them wasn't
> such
> a big deal... These new HP's will be production primaries and I would very
> much like to have this problem cleared up if anyone out there can help.
> I've
> not been able to find a common thread beyond the fact it seems to only
> occur
> when a reboot is initiated by the server itself and not an admin.

Philip Smith wrote:

> I have aprox 150 servers on my network all configured for automatic updates
> via a WSUS server. Of those 50 are Windows 2003. I have a terrible problem
> with upon reboot the Windows 2003 servers hanging on the shutdown portion.
> The server will stop at the end of the shutdown cycle and hold there until a
> key is pressed. If you press a key the reboot cycle continues normally. When
> a monitor is connected you can see only the gray default background on the
> screen. No 'shutting down windows...' box or mouse cursor.

Can you still ping the server at this point? Can you connect a network drive?

Does this occur every time, or just now and then?

What sort of keyboard is present?

> This problem spans two different models of servers. The latest one is a
> brand new set of 15 HP ML350's. All of which were hand loaded personally with
> Windows Server 2003 R2 SP1. Upon loading of SP2 the problem still exists.

By "hand loaded" I assume you mean you installed the OS yourself using a
Microsoft-issue CD?

I seem to recall some folks reporting success by turning off the screen saver
and/or monitor power saving. Might be worth a try.

Harry.

Yes the server is still pingable... Cannot do any RPC connections such as
manage or drive/share access. Also if you RDP into the server while it's in
its hung state the RDP connection establishes and shows only the background.
The login screen never appears.

PS2 keyboards; standard HP issue.

It occurs everytime the reboot is initated by the computer. If an admin/user
initiates the reboot via start > shutdown > restart the problem is avoided.

Thanks for taking the time.

"Harry Johnston [MVP]" wrote:

> Philip Smith wrote:
>
> > I have aprox 150 servers on my network all configured for automatic updates
> > via a WSUS server. Of those 50 are Windows 2003. I have a terrible problem
> > with upon reboot the Windows 2003 servers hanging on the shutdown portion.
> > The server will stop at the end of the shutdown cycle and hold there until a
> > key is pressed. If you press a key the reboot cycle continues normally. When
> > a monitor is connected you can see only the gray default background on the
> > screen. No 'shutting down windows...' box or mouse cursor.
>
> Can you still ping the server at this point? Can you connect a network drive?
>
> Does this occur every time, or just now and then?
>
> What sort of keyboard is present?
>
> > This problem spans two different models of servers. The latest one is a
> > brand new set of 15 HP ML350's. All of which were hand loaded personally with
> > Windows Server 2003 R2 SP1. Upon loading of SP2 the problem still exists.
>
> By "hand loaded" I assume you mean you installed the OS yourself using a
> Microsoft-issue CD?
>
> I seem to recall some folks reporting success by turning off the screen saver
> and/or monitor power saving. Might be worth a try.
>
> Harry.
>

Yes by hand loaded I mean loaded via the Microsoft CD rather than a batch
method using cloning or some other lesser technique.

Also worth nothing these servers are fresh installs. We've literally loaded
nothing on them apart from ms updates.

I'll try the screen saver thing. I'll try anything at this point.

"Harry Johnston [MVP]" wrote:

> Philip Smith wrote:
>
> > I have aprox 150 servers on my network all configured for automatic updates
> > via a WSUS server. Of those 50 are Windows 2003. I have a terrible problem
> > with upon reboot the Windows 2003 servers hanging on the shutdown portion.
> > The server will stop at the end of the shutdown cycle and hold there until a
> > key is pressed. If you press a key the reboot cycle continues normally. When
> > a monitor is connected you can see only the gray default background on the
> > screen. No 'shutting down windows...' box or mouse cursor.
>
> Can you still ping the server at this point? Can you connect a network drive?
>
> Does this occur every time, or just now and then?
>
> What sort of keyboard is present?
>
> > This problem spans two different models of servers. The latest one is a
> > brand new set of 15 HP ML350's. All of which were hand loaded personally with
> > Windows Server 2003 R2 SP1. Upon loading of SP2 the problem still exists.
>
> By "hand loaded" I assume you mean you installed the OS yourself using a
> Microsoft-issue CD?
>
> I seem to recall some folks reporting success by turning off the screen saver
> and/or monitor power saving. Might be worth a try.
>
> Harry.
>

Philip Smith wrote:

> Yes the server is still pingable... Cannot do any RPC connections such as
> manage or drive/share access. Also if you RDP into the server while it's in
> its hung state the RDP connection establishes and shows only the background.
> The login screen never appears.

Does hitting a key via RDP cause the server to finish shutting down, or only on
the physical keyboard?

> PS2 keyboards; standard HP issue.

No KVM?

Is there a monitor attached? A mouse?

> Also worth nothing these servers are fresh installs. We've literally loaded
> nothing on them apart from ms updates.

Any non-Microsoft-provided device drivers?

Harry.

No KVM; mouse yes; montior - usually

non-microsoft drivers:
I installed server normally then I loaded the driver pack from HP. As I
mentioned before the others were white boxes so they just used the ms drivers
provided.

Also I didn't click 'continue anyway' through any 'not windows high
quaility...' driver messages.

Hitting a key via RDP has not effect.

"Harry Johnston [MVP]" wrote:

> Philip Smith wrote:
>
> > Yes the server is still pingable... Cannot do any RPC connections such as
> > manage or drive/share access. Also if you RDP into the server while it's in
> > its hung state the RDP connection establishes and shows only the background.
> > The login screen never appears.
>
> Does hitting a key via RDP cause the server to finish shutting down, or only on
> the physical keyboard?
>
> > PS2 keyboards; standard HP issue.
>
> No KVM?
>
> Is there a monitor attached? A mouse?
>
> > Also worth nothing these servers are fresh installs. We've literally loaded
> > nothing on them apart from ms updates.
>
> Any non-Microsoft-provided device drivers?
>
> Harry.
>

Philip Smith wrote:

> No KVM; mouse yes; montior - usually
>
> non-microsoft drivers:
> I installed server normally then I loaded the driver pack from HP. As I
> mentioned before the others were white boxes so they just used the ms drivers
> provided.
>
> Also I didn't click 'continue anyway' through any 'not windows high
> quaility...' driver messages.
>
> Hitting a key via RDP has not effect.

I'm puzzled by the fact that this is happening consistently and on all your
servers. I've seen the same symptoms now and then on Windows XP and maybe once
or twice on Server 2003; I've heard of people seeing it more frequently, but
you're the first I've heard of where it happens every time.

I don't suppose you're able to decommission one of the servers temporarily to
experiment with? Or perhaps you have an older machine, no longer in service,
that you could install Server 2003 on to experiment? (You could use a trial
install key.)

There is one experiment you could do on the existing servers (preferably one of
the auxilaries, just to play it safe). When a server needs to be rebooted, try
using psshutdown with the -r flag:

<http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897541.aspx>

I'd like to know whether the reboot hangs or not when initiated this way.

Harry.

Did you ever get a resolve? I am having the same issue. For 50+ servers/and
performing updates monthly, this is a real pain. It means I have to drive
into work. Thanks.

"Philip Smith" wrote:

> I have aprox 150 servers on my network all configured for automatic updates
> via a WSUS server. Of those 50 are Windows 2003. I have a terrible problem
> with upon reboot the Windows 2003 servers hanging on the shutdown portion.
> The server will stop at the end of the shutdown cycle and hold there until a
> key is pressed. If you press a key the reboot cycle continues normally. When
> a monitor is connected you can see only the gray default background on the
> screen. No 'shutting down windows...' box or mouse cursor.
>
> The instant a key on the keyboard is pressed the computer will reboot
> normally. When rebooting normally (ie Start > Shutdown > Restart) the problem
> does not exisit. However if the reboot is caused by an update, SP2 for
> instance, the problem does happen. Unless... you tell the update to not
> reboot the server then use the start > shutdwon > restart method of
> restarting. If you do that method the problem is avoided once again.
>
> This problem spans two different models of servers. The latest one is a
> brand new set of 15 HP ML350's. All of which were hand loaded personally with
> Windows Server 2003 R2 SP1. Upon loading of SP2 the problem still exists.
>
> The previous model was a white box with intel mb so I always assumed it was
> a driver issue. These were auxiliary servers and restarting them wasn't such
> a big deal... These new HP's will be production primaries and I would very
> much like to have this problem cleared up if anyone out there can help. I've
> not been able to find a common thread beyond the fact it seems to only occur
> when a reboot is initiated by the server itself and not an admin.

I have this exact thing happening on almost all my Server 2003 servers with R2, SP2 installed. I have this problem with the auto updates as well as if I try to remote reboot the servers. I opened a ticket with Microsoft. We keep the consoles logged on and locked to try to prevent the servers from auto-rebooting after hotfixes are applied. Microsoft told me to remove the screen savers on the user who is logged onto the console. I have done this, but servers still try to reboot after hotfixes are applied, and they hang. I even tested with NOT having the console logged on and locked, and the server I tested with still hung as you explained below once the hotfix auto-reboot kicked in.

Have you found any fixes for this yet?