Windows Server - Server 2003 "applying computer settings"

Asked By Wowbagger

29-Aug-08 09:37 PM

This seems to be a very common problem without any clear answers.  Windows
2003 Server SP2, stand-alone DC with ActiveDirectory installed and providing
DNS services.

The machine has a static IP address.

When the server reboots (after installing patches through windowsupdate, for
example - something that will NEVER be run again on this machine) it gets to
the part about "apply computer settings" and then hangs.  Sometimes the
process bar moves, sometimes it doesn't.

The APC issue does not apply here.  The Symantec Antivirus issue does not
apply.  The BackupExec issue does not apply.

DNS is configured correctly - the machine points at itself (127.0.0.1)

I have tried to boot with the network cable disconnected

I am able to log in with safe mode (without networking support) and have
enabled the verbose boot mode (nothing is different).

No errors in event viewer other than "can't start xxxx in safe mode" or
related.

Can anybody please help bring my server back online?

29-Aug-08 11:22 PM

Best to use the machine's actual ip address.



--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

30-Aug-08 01:59 AM

Do you have any errors in the event log during that time?
Anthony,
http://www.airdesk.com

01-Sep-08 10:45 AM

The only error that I was seeing was that internet time was not working.

01-Sep-08 10:46 AM

After what is approaching 72 hours the machine still has not logged in.  At
the moment it is displaying "Loading power profile".

01-Sep-08 05:25 PM

Didn't help, by the way.  Guess there is not a fix for it other than
rebuilding the server from scratch.

I wish I could get paid billions of dollars for putting out shoddy product.

01-Sep-08 05:58 PM

Hello,

does it have itself as primary dns server ? You must do it if not (as it's
the only dc)

Does it have more than one nic ? Is the configured one the first in the list
(advanced menu)

What are the software installed ? absolutely nothing more than Windows ?

netdiag/dcdiag are all ok ?

Do you have the latest bios/firmware/drivers ?

never applying windows update is not a solution. We must find & fix the true
problem.

an MSRPT would help to see inside.



--
Cordialement,
Mathieu CHATEAU
English blog: http://lordoftheping.blogspot.com
French blog: http://www.lotp.fr

01-Sep-08 07:00 PM

Yes.


One physical nic, one virtual in the form of Hamachi


Windows, Sharepoint 3.0 (since removed)


Yes


Yes


I am currently in the process of doing a repair/installation of Server 2003.

I was considering upgrading to Server 2008, but after this I don't think I
want to take the chance.

02-Sep-08 05:36 AM

Pure stab in the dark, but are you using UPS software to manage a soft
power down on loss of main power? There have been reports a while ago
about a version of UPS software that caused no end of problems.

--

Regards,
Hank Arnold
Microsoft MVP
Windows Server - Directory Services

02-Sep-08 09:14 AM

That was the APC PowerChute issue - doesn't apply in this case.

I had it up and running last night but this morning the server is showing
signs of being flaky again.  I was -really- hoping to avoid reformatting and
installing from scratch but it is looking like there isn't any way around
it.  The problems all seemed to start after applying SP2 - I'll never make
that mistake again.

02-Sep-08 04:27 PM

Have you tried starting it up with the network cable disconnected?
Sometimes this can do wonders; witnessed it today with a XP machine that was
waiting for ever just like your server.

By the way, a service pack is really unlike to be the source of this
problem; it must lie somewhere else.


Massimo

03-Sep-08 10:05 AM

The last change to the server was the installation of SP2.  I speculate that
it might have broken something with the network (Hamachi issue maybe?)
because almost all of the errors and hangs seem to be directly related to
networking.  Booting into safe mode with networking support caused a hang,
but after booting into safe mode without networking support and
deleting/disabling all of the network adapters I was able to boot into the
system as normal.

I tried to reinstall the TCP/IP stack but the instructions provided don't
work - even after editing the ini file I still don't have the option to
remove the TCP/IP stack and reload.

25-Jul-10 06:20 PM

As an I.T. consultant, I see this "Applying Computer Settings..." hangup problem *all the time* on Microsoft SBS Server 2003 as well as Windows Server 2003 Domain Controllers across different service pack levels and on different hardware.  I see this often after applying the monthly Microsoft Updates for my clients.  I have waited an hour in some cases and other systems administrators report waiting even longer.  During that time there doesn't appear to be much disk drive activity (once the automatic Services like Exchange and SQL Server have started).  I believe in some cases it is due to DNS failures (Blackberry Controller has a known port conflict that causes MS DNS to fail to start sometimes).  Active Directory critically depends on DNS and services like Exchange rely on DNS to find the Global Catalog server.   As a pre-emptive measure it is a good idea to run DCDIAG and NETDIAG utilities occasionally to ensure there aren't DNS problems.  Group Policy application problems/failures also seem to be a pseudo-random cause of the problem.  I do not run APC PowerChute so the expired 2005 Java certificate issue is not the problem.  I find the solution is often to PULL THE PLUG AND HARD REBOOT if it is stuck for more than 10 minutes.  In many cases it reboots in normal times including no more than about one minute at the "Applying Computer Settings" screen, even though of course nothing was changed.  Anthony Maw, B.Sc., MCSE, anthony@maw.bc.ca, Vancouver, Canada, +1 604 318 9994