Using the Windows Rescue System on a Dedicated Server

For Dedicated Servers running Microsoft Windows Server 2019 and Microsoft Windows Server 2022 operating systems managed in the Cloud Panel

Here you can find out how and why you can use the Windows Rescue System on your Dedicated Windows Server.

The Windows Rescue System allows you to access your server even if it is no longer accessible via the remote desktop connection.

With the help of the Rescue System you can do the following, among other things:

• Analyse, edit and repair the Windows registry

• Reset the password of the local Microsoft Windows user accounts

• Activate/deactivate services

• Disable an existing personal firewall

• Delete/Copy/Edit Files

• Start a command line

• Debug the server after a crash (bluescreens debugging)

• Checking and Repairing System Files with the SFC Scan Tool

• Run CheckDisk under supervision (to repair a corrupt file system)

• Recover disk partitions, volumes, master boot records (MBR) and partition tables

• Restore files with File Restore

• Back up data and copy it to your backup server e.g. via FTP

• Manually configure TCP/IP

To open the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset:

• Log in to the Cloud Panel.

• Activate the desired server in the Infrastructure > Server area.

• Click Actions > Restart.

• Activate the Rescue System option and select the desired rescue system. The bit rate of the rescue system (32- or 64-bit) must match the bit rate of the operating system installed on the server.

• Click Yes. The server will boot into the rescue system.

• To log into the rescue system on your server, click on the Start VNC Console link. The VNC Console window opens.

• Select the desired keyboard layout.

• To access the troubleshooting tools, click Troubleshoot > Microsoft ® Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset.

• Select the desired operating system.

The Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset opens.

In the Windows Rescue System, you will find a number of other useful programs and tool collections in the X:\Apps folder. To access these programs, open Explorer in the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset window.

Services cannot be activated/deactivated with a MMC SnapIn but must be edited in the registry.

The following example explains this using the Local Security Policy Service.

• Open the Registry Editor.

• Select File > Load Hive.

• In the C:\Windows\system32\config folder, select the System file and click Open.

• Enter a temporary name, e.g. RegTemp.

• To load the file, click OK. The registry subtree is displayed under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\RegTemp.

• Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\RegTemp\ControlSet001\Services\PolicyAgent.

• Set the registry key 'Start' to 3 (manually):

• Click on RegTemp.

• From the File menu, click Unload Hive.

• To close the registry, click Yes.

If you have configured the local security policies incorrectly, you can ensure that the Local security policies service is not started after the server is rebooted.

The above example can in principle be applied to any service on your Windows server. You only need to know the service name in the registry.

The Explorer allows you to delete, copy and edit files. The integrated notepad also includes a text editor.

To back up files in the Windows Rescue System and upload them to your backup server via FTP, proceed as follows:

• In the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset window, open Explorer.

• Open the directory X:\Apps\7-Zip.

• Double-click 7zFM.exe.

• Select the files and folders you want to back up.

• Click Add.

• In the Archive: field, select the drive and folder where you want to save the Zip file.

• Click Open, and then click OK.

• Open the directory X:\Apps\FileZilla.

• Double-click filezilla.exe. The Welcome to FileZilla window opens.

• Click OK.

• Connect to the desired backup server.

• Select the file(s) to be backed up and transfer them to your server using Drag & Drop.

Driver errors, defective memory or configuration problems often lead to a so-called blue screen. With a blue screen, an image of the last memory used is always saved. This so-called Memory Dump File is located under C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP.

The Windows Rescue System includes the Crash Analyzer to analyze MEMORY.DMP files. The Crash Analyzer is part of the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset.

To analyse the memory dump file, start the Crash Analyzer. Then click Next and select the file C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP. Then follow the menu.

If a driver defect is identified as the cause of the bluescreen, the analysis shows you which driver is responsible for the bluescreen and thus for the crash of the operating system. If this evaluation does not help you, please contact Microsoft Support with the result of the evaluation for further analysis.

You can use SFC Scan to scan and repair system files of the Microsoft Windows operating system. The program uses a repair wizard for this purpose. This repair wizard can automatically repair system files that are corrupted or missing. Alternatively, it can ask you which files to repair.

How to repair the file system of your server with SFC Scan:

• In the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset window, click SFC Scan. The System File Repair Wizard opens.

• Click Next.

• Select the Scan and prompt before doing an repairs option and the file system will be checked.

• Follow the instructions in the menu. If any incorrect files are found, SFC Scan will ask you if you want to repair them.

• To close the System File Repair Wizard, click Finish.

You can use Hotfix Uninstall to uninstall hotfixes or service packs.

To uninstall a hotfix:

• In the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset window, click Hotfix Uninstall.

• Click Next.

• Uninstall the desired hotfix.

• Click Finish.

With Disk Commander, you can recover disk partitions, volumes, master boot records (MBR) and partition tables. This is possible by means of the following procedures:

• Restoring the Master Boot Record

• Recovery of one or more lost volumes.

• Restoring partition tables with Disk Commander Backup

• Saving partition tables in Disk Commander Backup

To recover disk partitions, volumes, master boot records (MBR), and partition tables, proceed as follows:

• In the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset window, click Disk Commander.

• Click Next.

• Select the desired procedure.

• Click Next.

• Follow the instructions in the menu.

You can use the chkdsk program to check the file system data and file system metadata on disks for logical and physical errors. If you use chkdsk without parameters, this program will examine the selected disk and show any errors it detects. If you run chkdsk with parameters, the program will additionally repair the found logical file system errors. If bad sectors are found on a hard drive that occur due to physical damage, chkdsk can attempt to recover data from the affected disk sectors.

Instructions on how to use Checkdisk to repair a damaged file system in the Windows Rescue system can be found here:

Repair a damaged file system with Checkdisk in the Windows Rescue system (dedicated server)