WDS Service Crashes after Boot Image Update and can't start again.

I updated a boot image with new controller and network card drivers and found all WDS services has stopped on PXE points.

One of the events were popular Event ID 258 — Image Server Configuration

The description for Event ID 258 from source WDSIMGSRV cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

The following information was included with the event:

0xC1030104

Another event was 512 with same error information
An error occurred while trying to initialize provider WdsImgSrv from C:\Windows\system32\WdsImgSrv.dll. Since this provider is not marked as critical, Windows Deployment Services server will continue.

Error Information: 0xC1030104

and 1000
 Faulting application name: svchost.exe_WDSServer, version: 6.1.7600.16385, time stamp: 0x4a5bc3c1

Faulting module name: wimgapi.dll, version: 6.1.7600.16385, time stamp: 0x4a5be09a

Exception code: 0xc0000005

Fault offset: 0x0000000000032a8e

Faulting process id: 0x9f0

Faulting application start time: 0x01ce820a679bb189

Faulting application path: C:\Windows\system32\svchost.exe

Faulting module path: C:\Windows\system32\wimgapi.dll

Report Id: aa4171a9-edfd-11e2-bd63-0050569b0082
and some other APPCRASH events about WDS.

So most of the resources recommends checking permissions, re-initialize the WDS or reinstall.

Your case might not be same as me but I recommend you to try something else before step in to recommended time consuming tasks.

Refresh!. Yes try to refresh your image first, Although SCCM says the boot image has updated successfully on PXE points try to refresh once. It worked for me, you can also copy image from refreshed source to test it. So I refreshed my PXE points and voila ! All WDS service problems have disappeared.

Currently I am not sure about the source of the problem but my feelings says it could be the binary difference replication.

Running 64bit CMD via 32bit SCCM client.

I needed to run dism.exe in an SCCM installation program, and I needed to call that via cmd.exe. I was getting Error Code 11 : You cannot service a running 64bit OS with a 32bit version of DISM

 

The cmd.exe under system32 is 64bit but running c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /c …. still causes problem if it’s called from 32bit app, like sccm client or c:\windows\syswow64\cmd.exe
So calling c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe explicitly didn’t help.
The solution is using sysnativealias, example : c:\windows\sysnative\cmd.exe
Because when you use sysnative you also say don’t redirect me to windows.
You may experiencing this problem for DISM operations in Windows, in that case change your working folder to C:\Windows\System32 or call DISM from this folder to get rid of this error.

 

More details @ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/windows/desktop/aa384187(v=vs.85).aspx

Deploying Skype with SCCM

First you'll need to download Business version of Skype, SkypeSetup.msi from http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/business/download and rest is easy as deploying standard MSI file,

You can also modify it with Orca or create a new transform, for example you might want to remove

Desktop Shortcut : Shortcut\SkypeDesktopShortcut
Sent to : Shortcut\SkypeSentToShortcut
Start after Install : CustomAction\SkypeStart1
Start at Windows Start up : Registry\reg08D3E7E5CD85CB55680CCDE42A2E2625 (Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run)

and run with the new mst, e.g. msiexec /i SkypeSetup.msi Transforms=SkypeCustom.mst ALLUSERS=1 /qb


Also I recommend you to download Skype IT Admin Guide from http://download.skype.com/share/business/guides/skype-it-administrators-guide.pdf