How To Recover Crashed Windows Server On AWS

How To Recover Crashed Windows Server On AWS

 

 

 

 

SYMPTOMS:  Windows server on AWS does not come up and it fails on one check out of TWO system checks.

 

CAUSE: changes in windows settings or firewall which is causing system not to come on network resulting in failing system checks

 

RESOLUTION:

 

1) Launch new temoparary isntance in same availiability zone.

2) Detach root volume from affetced INSTANCE

3) Attach volume to new instance and bring it online from disk manangement of temporary server

4) Open regedit.exe on temporary server and click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

5) Go to File menu and select Load Hive and browse the file on the attached volume <letter>:\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM

6) Set Recover as key name

7) Once loaded, Open the new imported system hive 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Recover'

8) Click on the 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Recover> Select' , inside you will see 4 keys

- Current = 1

- Default = 1

- Failed = 0

- LastKnownGood = 2

9) Edit each of them and add 1 to the value on each one.

- Current = 2

- Default = 2

- Failed = 1

- LastKnownGood = 3

10) Click on Recover and go to file and select unload hive

11) Detach volume from temporary instance

12) Attach the volume to the original instance with path /dev/sda1

13) Change the instance type to t2.large

14) Start the instance

 

This will force system to boot in last known good configuration.

Once system comes back on network, change the instance type to the original type.