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How to fix server manager always crashing.

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😑 
 
To the event viewer. 
 
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Faulting application name: ServerManager.exe, version: 6.3.9600.17238, time stamp: 0x53d0b3e7
Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 6.3.9600.18666, time stamp: 0x58f33794
Exception code: 0xe0434352
Fault offset: 0x00000000000095fc
Faulting process id: 0x2b08
Faulting application start time: 0x01d32268e6cec67e
Faulting application path: C:Windowssystem32ServerManager.exe
Faulting module path: C:Windowssystem32KERNELBASE.dll
Report Id: 24fc1112-8e5c-11e7-80ed-000c29f2e9e5
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

image 798841
 

Application: ServerManager.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.DllNotFoundException
at MS.Win32.Penimc.UnsafeNativeMethods.CreateResetEvent(IntPtr ByRef)
at System.Windows.Input.PenThreadWorker..ctor()
at System.Windows.Input.PenThreadPool.GetPenThreadForPenContextHelper(System.Windows.Input.PenContext)
at System.Windows.Input.StylusWisp.WispTabletDeviceCollection.UpdateTabletsImpl()
at System.Windows.Input.StylusWisp.WispTabletDeviceCollection.UpdateTablets()
at System.Windows.Input.StylusWisp.WispTabletDeviceCollection..ctor()
at System.Windows.Input.StylusWisp.WispLogic.get_WispTabletDevices() at System.Windows.Input.StylusWisp.WispLogic.RegisterHwndForInput(System.Windows.Input.InputManager, System.Windows.PresentationSource)
at System.Windows.Interop.HwndStylusInputProvider..ctor(System.Windows.Interop.HwndSource) at

System.Windows.Interop.HwndSource.Initialize(System.Windows.Interop.HwndSourceParameters)
at System.Windows.Window.CreateSourceWindow(Boolean)
at System.Windows.Interop.WindowInteropHelper.EnsureHandle() at Microsoft.Windows.ServerManager.Common.ArgumentsProcessor.InitListener(System.Windows.Application, IntPtr)
at System.Windows.Application.OnStartup(System.Windows.StartupEventArgs)
at System.Windows.Application.<.ctor>b__1_0(System.Object)
at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32)
at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.TryCatchWhen(System.Object, System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32, System.Delegate)
at System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherOperation.InvokeImpl()
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object) at MS.Internal.CulturePreservingExecutionContext.Run(MS.Internal.CulturePreservingExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object)
at System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherOperation.Invoke()
at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.ProcessQueue()
at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.WndProcHook(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr, Boolean ByRef)
at MS.Win32.HwndWrapper.WndProc(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr, Boolean ByRef)
at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.DispatcherCallbackOperation(System.Object)
at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32)
at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.TryCatchWhen(System.Object, System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32, System.Delegate) at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.LegacyInvokeImpl(System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherPriority, System.TimeSpan, System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32)
at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.SubclassWndProc(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr)
at MS.Win32.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessage(System.Windows.Interop.MSG ByRef) at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.PushFrameImpl(System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherFrame)
at System.Windows.Application.RunDispatcher(System.Object)
at System.Windows.Application.RunInternal(System.Windows.Window) at Microsoft.Windows.ServerManager.SingleInstanceAppLauncher.StartApplication(Microsoft.Windows.ServerManager.Common.ArgumentsProcessor)
at Microsoft.Windows.ServerManager.MainApplication.Main(System.String[])

 
Wonderful.
 
.NET Runtime? What’s that again? Maybe not relevant but whatever.
 
A few searches have said that it has to do with an Intel display driver of some sort and that seems to fix it for others but in my case it’s a virtual machine. Moving on.
 
This guy says to rename a registry entry. I hate messing with the registry but this one looks fairly safe. I’ll give it a shot.

The first point of solution is to clear the Server Manager. Please follow below steps to clear the Server Manager Cache through registry editor

Rename the registry key HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftServerManagerServicingStorageServerComponentCache to ServerComponentCache.old

 
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I hope this works….
 
image 700151
 
👿👿👿
 
Well it certainly didn’t hurt anything but it didn’t work.
 
Okay now what?
 
So I noticed this:
 

Faulting module path: C:Windowssystem32KERNELBASE.dll

 
Maybe I can copy that file over from one of my other servers but first let’s see if Server Manager works on either of the other two.
 
image 700881 
image 701450

Microsoft what did you do??
 
This thread might be the ticket. One user mentioned it started happening after the June 2017 rollup. Also here’s another thread I looked at that might help.
 
In that thread Ian Valerio says this:

I manually uninstalled KB3186539 and downloaded the offline .NET 4.7 Installer. After installing the update my issue was resolved. Thank you! Also my PowerShell ISE is opening with no issues. Again Thank you all!

 
Let’s try it. .NET 4.7 Installer
 
image 702045
 

image 702714

Dammit. Looks like I’ll be waiting a bit.
image 703360

Time to restart. Let’s see if that was the issue.

 
Ta Da!
 
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Now to see if installing that update manually will break it again.
 
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That was it. Thanks again Ian Valerio.

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