Win2K8 R2 Roles and Features error

Solution Fault: Roles and Features displays 'error' after windows update

Diagnosis: Windows update fails to apply one or more KB updates

Cause: One or more packages in windows\servicing\packages is missing or corrupt

Repair: Ref http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2461206 for a general description of the repair process

Stage 1: Locate relevant packages
1. Download the latest version of the System Update Readiness Tool from MS, as is appropriate for the exact version of the OS.
2. Run the tool and review the log file windows\logs\cbs\cbs.log, The log will contain details of missing or corrupt package files and the relevant KB article number
3. Download the patch file for the relevant KB article.
4. Rename the .msu file to .cab to allow it to be opened and extracted directly from Explorer.
5. Locate and extract the missing .cat and .mum files.
Note that further cab file extraction may be required where .cab files are nested in the .msu

Stage 2: Alter permissions to prepare for file relocation
1. By default the Administrators group has no write access to the packages folder. Ownership and permissions changes made using Explorer are not effective, due to the flippin stupid way MS have implemented the Explorer security context.
2. Ownership and permissions must be granted from a cmd shell, run as Administrator
takeown /F c:\Windows\Servicing\Packages /D y /R
cacls c:\Windows\Servicing\Packages /E /T /C /G "UserName":F

Stage 3: File relocation
1. Where the relevant files are present (and corrupted) in the packages folder, rename the files .def (or whatever)
2. Copy the files extracted from the .cab

Server Manager Roles and Features should now work, without rebooting being necessary.

Stage 4: Clean up.
Immediately post install, the packages folder and files within are owned by the SYSTEM account. Articles on the Web indicate that future updates may fail unless the folder and files are owned by TrustedInstaller, although the articles relate to pre R2 versions of Win2K8

Post the work being carried out the packages folder and files within are all owned by the Administrator account. MS do not specify whether the ownership and permissions should be restored. For my own convenience, I reset ownership of the packages folder and files to the Administrators group using Explorer. Time will tell whether it causes a problem in future.

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Article details

Article ID:	21
Category:	Windows
Date added:	19-01-2012 12:17:33
Views:	1219
Rating (Votes):	(20)

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