Windows Server 2008 R2-based computer does not start after you perform a failover recovery restoration of Active Directory

Assume that you perform a failure recovery of the Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2. In this situation, the computer does not start. Additional investigation indicates that the Lsm.exe service cannot start.

This issue occurs because the startup process of the Lsm.exe service times out when there is a long Active Directory recovery time. The default time-out setting of one hour is insufficient in large-scale environments.

Hotfix information

Important This hotfix has been re-released to address an issue in which the digital signature on files produced and signed by Microsoft will expire prematurely, as described in Microsoft Security Advisory 2749655.

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problem described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft website: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix, you must be running Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1). For more information about how to obtain a Windows Server 2008 R2 service pack, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Registry information

After the update is installed, create a new LsmServiceStartTimeout registry entry to configure the time-out value for the LSM.exe service. To do this, follow these steps:

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: To have us create LsmServiceStartTimeout registry entry for you, go to the "Fix it for me" section. If you prefer to create the registry entry yourself, go to the "Let me fix it myself" section.

Fix it for me

To create LsmServiceStartTimeout registry entry automatically, click the Fix it button or link. Then click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in the Fix it wizard.


Fix this problem
Microsoft Fix it 55028

Notes

• Install the hotfix in the "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article before you run this Fix it solution.
• This Fix it solution will help you set the LsmServiceStartTimeout value to 0xFFFFFFFF.
• This wizard may be in English only. However, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.
• If you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the Fix it solution to a flash drive or a CD and then run it on the computer that has the problem.
• We would appreciate your feedback. To provide feedback or to report any issues with this solution, please leave a comment on the "Fix it for me" blog or send us an email.

Let me fix it myself

To create a new LsmServiceStartTimeout registry entry to configure the time-out value for the LSM.exe service, follow these steps:

1. Open Registry Editor. To do this, click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\
3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD (32 bit) Value.
4. Type LsmServiceStartTimeout, and then press Enter.
5. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type the time-out value in milliseconds, and then click OK.
7. Exit Registry Editor.

Notes

• If you set the LsmServiceStartTimeout value to 0xFFFFFFFF, then there is no time-out.
• If you do not create the LsmServiceStartTimeout registry entry after the update is installed, then the computer uses the default time-out value of one hour.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

File information

The global version of this hotfix installs files that have the attributes that are listed in the following tables. The dates and the times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The dates and the times for these files on your local computer are displayed in your local time together with your current daylight saving time (DST) bias. Additionally, the dates and the times may change when you perform certain operations on the files.

Windows Server 2008 R2 file information notes

Important Windows 7 hotfixes and Windows Server 2008 R2 hotfixes are included in the same packages. However, hotfixes on the Hotfix Request page are listed under both operating systems. To request the hotfix package that applies to one or both operating systems, select the hotfix that is listed under "Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2" on the page. Always refer to the "Applies To" section in articles to determine the actual operating system that each hotfix applies to.

• The files that apply to a specific product, milestone (RTM,SPn), and service branch (LDR, GDR) can be identified by examining the file version numbers as shown in the following table:

  Version	Product	Milestone	Service branch
  6.1.760 1.22xxx	Windows Server 2008 R2	SP1	LDR

• GDR service branches contain only those fixes that are widely released to address widespread, critical issues. LDR service branches contain hotfixes in addition to widely released fixes.
• The MANIFEST files (.manifest) that are installed for each environment are listed separately in the "Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 R2" section. MANIFEST files and the associated security catalog (.cat) files, are extremely important to maintain the state of the updated components. The security catalog files, for which the attributes are not listed, are signed with a Microsoft digital signature.

For all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2

For all supported IA-64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Additional file information

Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 R2

Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2

Additional files for all supported IA-64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2