Hotfix: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3045682/
“You cannot restore files and folders from Server Essentials Backup on a Windows-based computer”
Archive for Essentials – Page 2
I have a customer running Windows 2012 R2 Essentials with Windows Server Backup scheduled to do twice daily backups. Recently it started reporting that the backup “Completed with warnings”.
I opened up Event Viewer, and under Application logs, I found this event 547 warning:
“The backup operation that started at {date & time) has encountered errors for the volumes ‘X:’. Log of files not successfully backed up at ‘C:\Windows\Logs\WindowsServerBackup\Backup_Error-{date & time}.log’
So, I go to the specified log folder, and open up the log file and it reports that it could not back up some files – Error [0x80070005] Access Denied.
With this information in hand, I check Microsoft ‘s Support website, and sure enough, I found KB 2747459 that identifies this exact problem and lists two workarounds: Server backup process fails and “0x80070005” errors are logged in Windows Server 2012 Essentials
I chose to implement option 2 (Registry Edit). Please note that after editing the registry, you will need to reboot the server in order to implement the change.
Here are the steps as outlined in KB 2747459:
- In Registry Editor, locate the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup
- Right-Click FilesNotToBackup, point to New, and then click Multi-String Value
- Type IgnoreNTFS, and then press Enter
- Right-click IgnoreNTFS, and then click Modify
- In the Value data box, type \$Extend\* /s
- Click OK, and then close Registry Editor.
- Restart the server.
If you are running Windows Server 2012 (or 2012 R2) Essentials, you may find the following warning in your Health Report:
This has been a known and reported issue for more than a year (per this forum thread).
The recommended workaround solution is to set the Shell Hardware Detection service to manual.
This will eliminate the red X alert from appearing in your daily health report for the server.
Microsoft released an update (KB 2974308) today to address the issue where integrating Windows Server Essentials 2012 R2 with Microsoft Office 365 or Windows Azure Active Directory is blocked when you are in a multiple domain controller environment.
Until now, you could only integrate Windows Server Essentials with O365/Azure AD in a single domain controller environment.
Attempting to run the integration in a multiple DC environment would fail:
I’m proud of the work that our MVP group did in identifying this issue soon after the release of Essentials 2012 R2 last year.
Microsoft released today (May 13, 2014) a security update for the .Net Framework (KB2960358).
However, after applying this update, client backups on SBS 2011 Essentials, WHS 2011, Server Storage Essentials 2008, and 2012 Essentials will fail.
Microsoft has already released updates to fix this problem:
Whether you are working with any version of Microsoft’s Small Business Server (SBS 2003/2008/2011) or Windows Server Essentials (2011/2012/2012R2), a great resource is The Windows Server Essentials and Small Business Server Blog.
The official blog for Windows Server Essentials and Small Business Server support and product group communications. There are plenty of great hints and information on installing and maintaining these products.
For example, a recent post addressed the question: “What happens when you release your domain name from windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials?”.
Want to know the answer? Click here to find out the answer!
The SBS products (SBS 2003/2008/2011) all included a pre-installed set of Group Policy OU’s called MyBusiness. Organizational Units (OU’s) are used to organize users and computers (workstations and servers) in order to manage and apply specific rules and policies.
However, the Essentials products (SBS 2011 Essentials, Windows 2012 Essentials) do not include the MyBusiness OU. So, if you wish to keep consistency between the SBS and Essentials platforms, you will need to create this on your own. One reason for doing this would be to implement the Group Policies related to blocking the CryptoLocker ransomware.
Fortunately, Microsoft did identify the basic steps for creating the MyBusiness OU in KB 2578426 and scroll down to Issue 3 / Rule 3 in the KB article for the required steps.
To (re)create the MyBusiness OU manually. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open Active Directory Users and Computers.
- Right-click the domain name object. In the shortcut menu, point to New…, and then click Organizational Unit. Type MyBusiness to name the new object.
Note Type MyBusiness as one word. - In the MyBusiness OU that you created in step 2, create the following OUs:
- Computers
- Distribution Groups
- Security Groups
- Users
- In the Computers OU that you created in step 3, create the following OUs:
- SBSComputers
- SBSServers
- In the Users OU that you created in step 3, create the following OU:
- SBSUsers
After you have finished these steps, your Group policy structure should look like this:
Finally! One of the major features, in the eyes of many I.T. professionals and consultants, missing from the Windows Server 2012 Essentials product was the ability to fully manage, approve/reject, and deploy Microsoft updates to the attached workstations in the network.
This feature, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), was a built-in server role in all of the Small Business Server (SBS) product line, as well as Windows Server 2012 Standard and Datacenter, with enhanced features.
Microsoft has now released the enhanced version of WSUS for Windows Server 2012 Essentials! It is packaged as a Microsoft hotfix.
Here are the links you need:
- Coffee Coaching – HP & Microsoft blog announcement
- WSUS features and requirements (KB 2762663)
- WSUS 2012 Evaluation Guide
- Download the Microsoft WSUS hotfix here
Instructions: - Accept terms and conditions
- Click to select the desired hotfix
- Enter your email address and security code
- A link to the hotfix will be mailed to you
- Click on the provided link in the email, and you will be asked to run or save the download.
My good friend and MVP buddy, Wayne Small of Australia, was the focus of a recent Microsoft case study on the features and benefits of implementing a mixed cloud/on-premise solution to customers.
The article details Wayne’s approach, using Windows Server 2012 Essentials (the follow-on product to the highly successful Small Business Server) and Office 365.
He explains how this winning combination helps to address the needs of many of his customers, and discusses the benefits of deploying Windows Server 2012 Essentials.
Congratulations, Wayne!
My good friend and fellow SBS MVP’er, Boon Tee, has released the first book published on Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Essentials. This Administrator’s Guide is available as an e-book only.
You can read more about the book and order it online here: http://adminguide.ws2012e.us
You can also download a sample of his book here: http://www.powerbiz.net.au/files/BookSample.pdf
