Event ID 29 — Primary Channel Initialization

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

Initialization of the primary channels must succeed for the Event Log service to continue its operation. An error event related to a primary channel initialization causes the Event Log service to terminate. This means that in most cases it is impossible to view the event, because viewing the event requires the Event Log service. When you find events that indicate the primary channel initialization failed, the errors occured in the past and this can indicate a problem that has been corrected or a transient condition that must be investigated.

Event Details

Product: Windows Operating System
ID: 29
Source: Microsoft-Windows-Eventlog
Version: 6.1
Symbolic Name: PRIMARY_CHANNEL_FATAL_ERROR
Message: The event logging service encountered a fatal error (res=%1) when applying settings to the %2 channel. The service is shutting down since this channel is vital to its operation.

Resolve

Determine the cause of the primary channel initialization failure

Although the service was able to initialize the primary channel by the time the indication of the fatal error is seen, it is important to determine the cause of the failure to ensure it does not occur again. Events preceding event 29 can be used to diagnose the problem.

Verify

When primary channels cannot be initialized, the Event Log service does not start. To verify that the Event Log service is running, run the following command from a command prompt:

wevtutil ep

This command will display a list of all the event providers that are registered with the Event Log service. The command succeeds without error (produces a list of publishers) only if the Event Log service is running.

Primary Channel Initialization

Management Infrastructure