Troubleshooting Windows Deployment Services

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

This section contains common issues that you may encounter when using Windows Deployment Services. In general, you should review the event logs generated by Windows Deployment Services, which are in the Application event log under the sources: BNLSVC, WDSPXE, WDSIMGSRV, and WDSServer. The following are issues that you may encounter:

X64-based client computers

  • My x64-based client does not see any x64-based images on the boot image selection page.

  • My x64-based client computer is detected as x64, but it fails to boot to a default image.

Working with images

  • The Windows Deployment Services Capture Wizard does not recognize the disk drive that contains the volume to be captured.

  • My computer loads the boot image, but cannot access an install image.

Multicast

  • I enabled multicasting, and now there is excessive traffic on the network.

  • I modified the Multicast IP Address and the UDP Port Range, and now clients are not able to connect to the Windows Deployment Services server.

Miscellaneous

  • I received the error "0x2: File not found" when trying to use the management tools to manage a remote Windows Deployment Services server.

  • I created an unattend installation file, and when the installation completes, my client computer is not joined to the domain.

My x64-based client does not see any x64-based images on the boot image selection page.

  • Cause: Many BIOS for x64-based systems do not accurately identify the computer as x64-based during the boot process. If Windows Deployment Services does not recognize the systems as x64-based, only x86-based computer images are presented.

  • Solution: To force the Windows Deployment Services server to recognize x64-based computers, run the following:

    WDSUTIL /set-server /architecturediscovery:yes 
    

My x64-based client computer is detected as x64, but it fails to boot to a default image.

  • Cause: If an x64-based computer PXE boots, but does not find an x64-based image, it will be unable to complete the boot process.

  • Solution: Ensure that you have x64-based boot and install images added to your Windows Deployment Services server. Alternatively, you can force all x64-based client computers to only receive x86-based boot files by configuring the default boot program for x64-based clients to use the appropriate network boot program—for example, "Pxeboot.com" from \RemoteInstall\boot\x86.

The Windows Deployment Services Capture Wizard does not recognize the disk drive that contains the volume to be captured.

My computer loads the boot image, but cannot access an install image.

  • Cause: The boot image might not contain the required network driver for your computer. Press Shift-F10, and then type IPConfig. If no IP address and subnet mask are reported, networking has not been started and it is likely that a network driver is not present.

  • Solution: Review the procedure in Modify a Boot or Install Image, and review the Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) documentation at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=53552.

I enabled multicasting, and now there is excessive traffic on the network.

  • Cause: This may be because two servers on the network are using the same multicast IP address.

  • Solution: If multiple servers are using multicast functionality on a network (Transport Server, Deployment Server, or another solution) you need to specify static ranges that do not overlap to ensure that the multicast IP addresses do not conflict. Otherwise, you may encounter excessive traffic.

I modified the Multicast IP Address and the UDP Port Range, and now clients are not able to connect to the Windows Deployment Services server.

  • Cause:Your changes to some settings may not be in effect.

  • Solution: After you configure Windows Deployment Services server, if you modify the Multicast IP Address, the UDP Port Range, or the RPC port number (by running wdsutil /set-server /rpcport:<portnum>), you must restart the service before the changes will take effect. If you do not restart the service, the server will use the old values and may not answer clients. To restart the service, do one of the following:

    • Run net stop wdsserver, and then run net start wdsserver.

    • Right click Windows Deployment Services in the MMC snap-in, and then click Restart.

I received the error "0x2: File not found" when trying to use the management tools to manage a remote Windows Deployment Services server.

  • Cause: You may have received this error if you are trying to manage a Windows Deployment Services server that is running Windows Server 2008 (using the Windows Deployment Services server role) from a Windows Deployment Services server running an earlier operating system (using the Windows Deployment Services update).

  • Solution: This scenario is not supported.

I created an unattend installation file, and when the installation completes, my client computer is not joined to the domain.

There are two common causes for this issue:

  • Cause: A common cause of this error is that the image unattend file is not formatted properly.

  • Solution: Verify that your file is correctly formatted by reviewing Associate Unattend Files. Or copy the sample unattend file in Sample Unattend Files.

  • Cause: This error can be a permissions error that occurs during domain join.

  • Solution: Check for this error in \Windows\panther\setupact.log under domainjoininformation.

Additional references