Top Solutions from Microsoft Support

These are the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using System Center 2012 Operations Manager (updated quarterly).

1. Solutions related to operational or infrastructure issues:

• Event ID 29112 generated after upgrading to System Center 2012 Operations Manager
• Troubleshooting OpsMgr 2007 and OpsMgr 2012 certificate issues with PowerShell
• Maintaining the System Center 2012 - Operations Manager Infrastructure
• How to analyze a workflow when the OpsMgr Workflow Analyzer doesn’t work
• Making Changes to an Operations Manager Environment
• System Center 2012 Operations Manager Survival Guide
• System Center 2012 Scenario: Fabric Monitoring
• Backup and Disaster Recovery in Operations Manager
• New OpsMgr 2012 fixes: Update Rollup 4 for System Center 2012 Service Pack 1

2. Solutions related to setup or deployment issues:

• How to add a product key to the Eval version of System Center 2012 Operations Manager
• Troubleshooting UNIX/Linux Agent Discovery in System Center 2012 Operations Manager
• Planning the System Center 2012 - Operations Manager Deployment
• Deploying System Center 2012 - Operations Manager
• Upgrading to System Center 2012 - Operations Manager
• New OpsMgr 2012 fixes: Update Rollup 4 for System Center 2012 Service Pack 1
• System Center 2012 Operations Manager Survival Guide

3. Solutions related to agent connectivity:

• Troubleshooting Network Discovery in SCOM 2012 by Stefan Koell (MVP)
• How to Troubleshoot the Installation of the System Center Operations Manager Agent
• KB: Operations Manager agents with teamed network adapters fail to be discovered and monitored
• How to Troubleshoot UNIX/Linux Agent Discovery in System Center 2012 Operations Manager
• System Center 2012 Operations Manager Survival Guide
• How does Computer Discovery Work in OpsMgr 2007?
• New OpsMgr 2012 fixes: Update Rollup 4 for System Center 2012 Service Pack 1

4. Solutions related to Microsoft management packs:

• Configuring the SharePoint 2010 Management Pack for System Center Operations Manager
• Creating a Management Pack for Overrides
• How to Add Knowledge to a Management Pack
• Management Pack Life Cycle
• How to Import an Operations Manager Management Pack
• How to Remove an Operations Manager Management Pack
• How to Export an Operations Manager Management Pack
• New OpsMgr 2012 fixes: Update Rollup 4 for System Center 2012 Service Pack 1

5. Solutions related to reporting issues:

• Troubleshooting Blank Reports in System Center Operations Manager
• How to Troubleshoot Reports that Return No Data in Operations Manager 2007
• KB: Reports are not populated in the System Center 2012 Operations Manager Reporting Pane
• Introducing Operations Manager 2012 Dashboards
• New OpsMgr 2012 fixes: Update Rollup 4 for System Center 2012 Service Pack 1
• System Center 2012 Operations Manager Survival Guide

These are the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 (updated quarterly).

Support is ending for Office 2003 products on April 8, 2014!

1. Solutions related to Database Availability Group (DAG):

• The replay queue length on passive copies of mailbox databases in Database Availability Group continues to increase in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
• You cannot add a new Exchange Server 2010 Mailbox database to DAG in a multi-site topology environment
• Event ID 2153 is logged on each database availability group member in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
• The Microsoft Exchange Replication service crashes on Exchange Server 2010 DAG members
• The Exchange Server is not a member of Exchange Trusted Subsystem
• Warning 2174 and Error 2153 are logged on DAG member servers in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 DAG member remains in Maintenance Mode
• A seed operation might not succeed when the source mailbox database has many log files in a Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 DAG
• Rebuild an Entire Database Availability Group
• You cannot view the mailbox database copies that are hosted on certain Mailbox servers by using the Exchange Management Console after you install Exchange Server 2010 SP1
• The Store.exe process crashes when you try to unmount an active copy of a mailbox database that is hosted by a mailbox server in an Exchange Server 2010 SP1 environment

2. Solutions related to database will not mount or is dismounted:

• Event ID 9519 "Error 0x80004005" is logged in the Application log when you try to mount a database in Exchange Server 2010 or in Exchange Server 2007
• You cannot create a new Exchange Server 2010 Mailbox database in a multiple domain environment
• Mount a Database
• Mailbox database will not mount on startup
• Information Store service crashes when you mount public folder databases on an Exchange Server 2010 server

3. Solutions related to mobility and ActiveSync:

• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• Exchange ActiveSync: Frequently asked questions
• Current issues with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and third-party devices
• Announcing the release of Exchange Server Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• Introducing: Log Parser Studio
• Under The Hood: Exchange ActiveSync Mailbox Log Analysis
• Securing Exchange Data from Unapproved Mobile Devices (or how to block a phone or service from taking data out of your Exchange Server)
• Controlling Exchange ActiveSync device access using the Allow/Block/Quarantine list
• Supporting Windows 8 Mail in your organization
• Windows Phone 8 Exchange ActiveSync Overview  (download)
• Exchange ActiveSync Considerations When Using Windows Phone 7 Clients

4. Solutions related to public folders:

• Recovering Public Folders After Accidental Deletion (Part 1: Recovery Process)
• How to troubleshoot public folder replication problems in Exchange 2000 Server and in Exchange Server 2003
• Event ID 9519 "Error 0x80004005" is logged in the Application log when you try to mount a database in Exchange Server 2010 or in Exchange Server 2007
• Fixing Public Folder Directory Objects That Aren’t Linked To The Hierarchy
• The UseLegacyFB registry value does not work as expected in Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2013
• Comparing public folder item counts
• Outlook client applications cannot connect to public folders after you install Exchange Server 2010 SP1
• Public Folder Replication Fails Due To Empty Legacy Administrative Group
• Managing Public Folders

5. Solutions related to client/server connection issues and delays:

• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• File-Level Antivirus Scanning on Exchange 2010
• Troubleshooting long running MAPI connections to Exchange Server 2010 through Network Load Balancers
• How to do performance tuning for NTLM authentication by using the MaxConcurrentApi setting
• Configuring Kerberos Authentication for Load-Balanced Client Access Servers
• 'Requesting data from the Exchange server...' or 'Outlook is trying to retrieve data…' client messages
• Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 DSProxy Referral Process Changes
• Announcing the release of Exchange Server Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• The Case of the Mysterious Exchange Server Hang
• 'Requesting data from the Exchange server...' or 'Outlook is trying to retrieve data…' client messages 

Top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 (updated quarterly).

Support ended for Office 2003 products on April 8, 2014. Click here for more information.

1. Solutions related to setting up, upgrading, deploying, and updating, in general:

• Install and configure SharePoint 2013
• Overview of SharePoint 2013 installation and configuration
• Software updates overview for SharePoint 2013
• Prepare to deploy software updates for SharePoint 2013
• Install a software update (SharePoint 2013)
• Install SharePoint 2013
• Install SharePoint 2013 across multiple servers for a three-tier farm

2. Solutions related to Server and Farm Configuration and Administration in general

• Overview of SharePoint 2013 installation and configuration
• Prepare for installation of SharePoint 2013
• Plan for administrative and service accounts in SharePoint
• Install SharePoint 2013
• Configure SharePoint 2013
• Overview of farm virtualization and architectures
• Install and configure a virtual environment for SharePoint
• Operations for SharePoint 2013
• Test Lab Guide: Configure SharePoint Server 2013 in a server farm
• Downloadable eBook: Deployment guide for SharePoint 2013 from Official Microsoft Download Center

3. Solutions related to crawling, content processing, and indexing:

• Introducing Search Schema for SharePoint 2013
• How can I achieve the best freshness of search results? Introducing Continuous Crawls for SharePoint
• Crawl transparency in SharePoint Server 2013. How to find when a list was crawled.
• Searching new content with SharePoint Search
• Plan crawling and federation in SharePoint 2013
• Overview of the search schema in SharePoint Server 2013
• Manage the search topology in SharePoint Server 2013
• Best practices for crawling in SharePoint Server 2013
• Search technical reference for SharePoint Server 2013

4. Solutions related to Profile synchronization:

• Manage user profile synchronization in SharePoint Server 2013
• Overview of profile synchronization in SharePoint Server 2013
• Synchronize user and group profiles in SharePoint Server 2013
• Download Test Lab Guide: Demonstrate profile synchronization for SharePoint Server 2013 from Official Microsoft Download Center
• SharePoint 2013: Setting up User Profile Synchronization (1/2)
• SharePoint 2013: User Profile Service Application
• Grant Active Directory Domain Services permissions for profile synchronization in SharePoint Server 2013
• SharePoint 2013: User Profile Synchronization - Direct Active Directory Import

5. Solutions related to Authentication Configuration and Errors in general:

• Authentication in SharePoint 2013 learning roadmap
• Authentication overview for SharePoint 2013

This is a collection of the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 (updated quarterly). Note that some content that applies to earlier versions of Windows Server is listed, because it can be also helpful with Windows Server 2012 issues.

1. Solutions related to remote access (DirectAccess):

• Recommended hotfixes and updates for Windows Server 2012 DirectAccess and Windows Server 2012 R2 DirectAccess
• DirectAccess Unsupported Configurations
• Troubleshooting DirectAccess
• Deploy Multiple Remote Access Servers in a Multisite Deployment
• Deploy Remote Access in a Cluster
• Deploy Remote Access in an Enterprise
• Step 1: Plan the DirectAccess Infrastructure

2. Solutions related to Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS):

• FAQ on ADFS - Part 1
• Important Announcement: AD FS 2.0 and MS13-066
• How to Build Your ADFS Lab on Server 2012 Part 1
• How to Build Your ADFS Lab on Server 2012, Part2: Web SSO
• How to Build Your ADFS Lab on Server 2012 Part 3: ADFS Proxy
• How to Build Your ADFS Lab Part4: Upgrading to Server 2012 R2
• Introduction to Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) AlternateLoginID Feature

3.  Solutions related to bug checks, stop errors, and unexpected restarts:

• Free blue screen/bug check diagnostic tool
• Bug Check Code Reference
• USB devices stop working in Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012
• The Compiler Did What?
• Understanding ARM Assembly Part 1
• Stop error 0x109: CRITICAL_STRUCTURE_CORRUPTION on a VMWare virtual machine
• Stop error 0x000000D1 and Windows Server 2012 runs a bugcheck when you enable a storage controller
• 0x7E Stop error occurs randomly when you close SMB sessions in Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2
• Driver installation may fail if a required device results in Stop 0x7B 
• "0xD1" Stop error when computer is restarted by the Sysprep.exe process in Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012: Automatic Memory Dump
• Troubleshooting a Stop 0x7B in Windows

4.  Solutions related to other clustering issues:

• Recommended hotfixes and updates for Windows Server 2012 R2-based failover clusters
• Unable to launch Cluster Failover Manager on any node of a 2012/2012R2 Cluster
• You cannot stop the cluster service on a Windows Server 2012 R2-based failover cluster
• CPrepSrv.exe process crashes or Failover Cluster Manager freezes when you validate storage in Windows Server 2012 R2
• “Configuration Error” for Network Adapter property when you use Failover Clustering in Windows Server 2012 R2
• Storage spaces take a long time to move to another node after a node fails on a Windows Server 2012 R2 failover cluster
• CSV failover time is longer than expected in Windows failover cluster

5.  Solutions related to Active Directory replication:

• AD replication fails with an RPC issue after you set a static port for NTDS in a Windows-based domain environment
• Troubleshooting AD Replication error 8606: "Insufficient attributes were given to create an object"
• After you re-add a member server to a DFS replication group in Windows Server 2003 R2, initial replication does not occur on the member server, and changes in the replicated folder are replicated unexpectedly to other replication partners

We’ve gathered together the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Windows Server.

1. Solutions related to Active Directory replication:

• Troubleshoot Directory Services issues in Windows 7 and in Windows Server 2008 R2
• Troubleshooting Active Directory Replication Problems
• Replication error 1256 The remote system is not available
• Replication error 1396 Logon Failure The target account name is incorrect
• Replication error 1722 The RPC server is unavailable
• Replication error 1753 There are no more endpoints available from the endpoint mapper
• Replication error -2146893022 The target principal name is incorrect
• http://technet.microsoft.com/library/replication-error-8451-the-replication-operation-encountered-a-database-error(WS.10).aspx
• Replication error 8453 Replication access was denied
• Replication error 8524 The DSA operation is unable to proceed because of a DNS lookup failure
• Replication error 8614 The Active Directory cannot replicate with this server because the time since the last replication with this server has exceeded the tombstone lifetime
• Active Directory Replication Status Tool

2. Solutions related to DNS:

• Don't be afraid of DNS Scavenging. Just be patient.
• Optimizing your network to keep your DNS squeaky clean
• The size of the Active Directory increases rapidly on a Windows Server 2003-based or Windows Server 2008 R2-based domain controller that hosts the DNS Server role
• Some DNS name queries are unsuccessful after you deploy a Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 R2-based DNS server
• No records in the secondary DNS zone and DNS error 6527
• A DNS Update is recorded as failed: Event ID 5774, 1196, or 1578

3. Solutions related to bugchecks, stop errors, and unexpected restarts:

• Bug Check Code Reference
• How to use the special pool feature to isolate pool damage
• How to determine the appropriate page file size for 64-bit versions of Windows
• Using Driver Verifier to identify issues with Windows drivers for advanced users
• How to diagnose Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 performance issues
• How to troubleshoot Directory Services PKI and ADCS issues for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 using Fix it Center Pro
• Collect memory dump files in Windows 7 and in Windows Server 2008 R2
• How to generate a kernel or a complete memory dump file in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2

4. Solutions related to Active Directory issues:

• Root Causes for Slow Boots and Logons (sbsl)
• How to remove data in Active Directory after an unsuccessful domain controller demotion
• "Directory Services cannot start" error message when you start your Windows-based or SBS-based domain controller
• How to restore deleted user accounts and their group memberships in Active Directory
• Running Adprep.exe
• Upgrade Domain Controllers to Windows Server 2012
• Upgrade Domain Controllers: Microsoft Support Quick Start for Adding Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 Domain Controllers to Existing Domains

5. Solutions related to File Replication Technologies (FRS and DFSR):

• Where’s my file? Root cause analysis of FRS and DFSR data deletion
• Understanding DFSR debug logging (Part 14: A sharing violation due to a file locked upstream between two Windows Server 2008)
• Understanding DFSR debug logging (Part 17: Replication failing because of blocked RPC ports (uses debug severity 5))
• DFSR Event ID 2213 is logged on Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012
• List of currently available hotfixes for Distributed File System (DFS) technologies in Windows Server 2008 and in Windows Server 2008 R2
• The performance of DFS Replication in Windows Server 2008 is slower than expected on a WAN connection, and no error message is logged in the DFS Replication log

We’ve gathered together the top Microsoft Support solutions to the most common issues experienced using Microsoft Exchange.

1. Solutions related to mobility and ActiveSync:

• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• Exchange ActiveSync: Frequently asked questions
• Current issues with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and third-party devices
• Under The Hood: Exchange ActiveSync Mailbox Log Analysis
• Announcing the release of Exchange Server Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• Introducing: Log Parser Studio
• Exchange TechCenter Forums – Filtered for Exchange 2010

2. Solutions related to client server connection issues and delays:

• Outlook Connectivity Guided Walkthrough
• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• File-Level Antivirus Scanning on Exchange 2010
• How to do performance tuning for NTLM authentication by using the MaxConcurrentApi setting
• Troubleshooting long running MAPI connections to Exchange Server 2010 through Network Load Balancers
• Configuring Kerberos Authentication for Load-Balanced Client Access Servers
• Exchange TechCenter Forums – Filtered for Exchange 2010

3. Solutions related to calendaring, free/busy and availability:

• Configure the Availability Service for Cross-Forest Topologies
• Cross-forest lookups fail in Exchange Server 2010 SP2 Update Rollup 1
• Users in a source forest cannot view the free/busy information of mailboxes in a target forest in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
• Federation
• Users from a federated organization cannot see the free/busy information of the local Exchange Server 2010 organization
• How to Troubleshoot the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Availability Service By Using Microsoft Office Outlook Logging
• Exchange TechCenter Forums – Filtered for Exchange 2010

4. Solutions related to Outlook authentication prompt:

• Outlook Anywhere
• Exchange 2013 System Requirements
• When, if and how do you modify Outlook Providers?
• Exchange TechCenter Forums – Filtered for Exchange Server 2013, Outlook, OWA, POP, and IMAP clients

5. Solutions related to Outlook/user connectivity issue:

• When, if and how do you modify Outlook Providers?
• Exchange TechCenter Forums – Filtered for Exchange Server 2013, Outlook, OWA, POP, and IMAP clients
• Exchange 2013 Certificate Management UI
• Outlook Anywhere

These are the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft Lync 2013 (updated quarterly). Some content may apply to older versions of the product, but are listed here as they also apply to the current version.

Support ended for Office 2003 products on April 8, 2014! Click here for more information

1. Solutions related to Lync Client Sign-In Process and Authentication – internal user:

• Certificate Requirements for Internal Servers
• Microsoft Technet: Deploying Mobility
• Download Lync Server 2013 Best Practices Analyzer from Official Microsoft Download Center
• Lync downloads and updates

2. Solutions related to Lync Client Sign-In Process and Authentication – external user:

• LyncMD: Troubleshooting Lync Server 2010 when a Remote
• The New Remote Connectivity Analyzer - NextHop - Site Home ...
• Lync downloads and updates
• How to troubleshoot issues that you may encounter when you use the Lync 2010 mobile client for iPhone and iPad
• Microsoft Technet: Deploying Mobility
• Configuring the Reverse Proxy for Mobility
• Download Lync Server 2013 Best Practices Analyzer from Official Microsoft Download Center
• Update 2963369 for Lync for Mac 2011 14.0.9

3. Solutions related to Group Chat:

• Lync downloads and updates

• Technet forums - Lync Server 2013 - Persistent Chat
• Lync Server 2013 Persistent Chat Resource Kit Tools
• How to enable Group Chat Channel and Lookup service trace logging for Group Chat Server

4. Solutions related setup, deployment and migration issues

• Lync downloads and updates
• Preventing Lync Server certificate expiration
• Technet forums - Lync Server 2013 - Management, Planning, and Deployment

5. Solutions related to Installation and uninstallation issues by using Msiexec, updates, automatic updates, and CUs

• Technet forums - Lync Server 2013 - Management, Planning, and Deployment
• Lync Server Setup or Remove Lync Components fails on Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
• Lync downloads and updates

Top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when you use Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 (updated quarterly).

Support ended for Office 2003 products on April 8, 2014.

1. Solutions related to Outlook user connectivity issues:

• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• Exchange 2013 Client Access Server Configuration
• Outlook Anywhere
• Performance issues or delays when you connect to Exchange Server 2013 that is running in Windows Server
• Exchange 2013 Certificate Management UI
• Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• Certificate Principal Mismatch
• When, if and how do you modify Outlook Providers?

2. Solutions related to Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTPS):

• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• Exchange 2013 Client Access Server Configuration
• Outlook Anywhere
• Performance issues or delays when you connect to Exchange Server 2013 that is running in Windows Server
• Exchange 2013 Certificate Management UI: Exchange 2013 Help
• Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• Certificate Principal Mismatch
• When, if and how do you modify Outlook Providers?

3. Solutions related to Microsoft Outlook authentication prompt:

• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• Hotfix KB 2889951 for Outlook 2013 October 14, 2014 (Outlook-x-none.msp)
• Exchange 2013 Client Access Server Configuration
• Outlook Anywhere
• Performance issues or delays when you connect to Exchange Server 2013 that is running in Windows Server
• Exchange 2013 Certificate Management UI: Exchange 2013 Help
• Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• Certificate Principal Mismatch
• When, if and how do you modify Outlook Providers?

4. Solutions related to Client Connectivity – Outlook:

• Performance issues or delays when you connect to Exchange Server 2013 that is running
• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• Hotfix KB 2889951 for Outlook 2013 October 14, 2014 (Outlook-x-none.msp)
• Outlook Anywhere: Exchange 2013 Help
• White Paper: Exchange 2007 Autodiscover Service (applies to later versions)

5. Solutions related to inbound mail from the Internet:

• Use Telnet to Test SMTP Communication
• Exchange Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• DNS Query Failure Sensitivity
• Receive Connectors
• Configure Protocol Logging for POP3 and IMAP4

Two Microsoft employees have developed an app that allows you to sort posts by product on the Top Solutions from Microsoft Support blog. A handy reference tool for all Developer or IT pros, the "Microsoft Top Solutions" app is available for free on the Windows Store.

The Top Solutions from Microsoft Support blog is maintained by Microsoft Support for IT Pro and Developer products such as Exchange Server, System Center products, Windows Server, Windows Azure, and more. The blog contains posts that list the most important content solutions currently being used by Microsoft Support engineers to solve timely issues. Posts are updated quarterly for each product. Solutions can include KB articles, FixIT and hotfix articles, TechNet and MSDN articles and blogs, Microsoft forums, and the TechNet Wiki.

Special thanks to Mukesh Kumar and Vijay Krishnan for developing the "Microsoft Top Solutions" app.

This is a collection of the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2008 (updated quarterly).

1. Solutions related to performance – server:

• Deadlock Troubleshooting, Part 1
• What is Pssdiag/Sqldiag Manager?
• Working with tempdb in SQL Server  (download)
• Troubleshooting Performance Problems in SQL Server 2008
• What is SQL Nexus?
• Recommendations and guidelines for the "max degree of parallelism" configuration option in SQL Server
• Description of the Replay Markup Language (RML) Utilities for SQL Server
• SQL Server I/O Basics, Chapter 2

2. Solutions related to cluster failover:

• SQL Server Failover Cluster Instance is taken offline when you change the password for the service account on the passive node
• Error during installation of an SQL server Failover Cluster Instance
• Sql Server Resource Fails to come online on Cluster with Error Error Locating Server/Instance Specified [xFFFFFFFF]
• SQL Server Cluster Failover Root Cause Analysis–the what, where and how
• A SQL Server cluster resource goes to a "failed" state when you try to bring the resource online in SQL Server
• How to clean up the cluster resource group and the databases on a shared disk after a failed failover Cluster Complete operation in SQL Server 2008
• List of Cluster Hotfixes for Windows Server 2008 R2
• Recommended hotfixes for Windows Server 2008-based server clusters
• DBA 101: Collecting and Interpreting Failover Cluster Logs
• SQL Server 2005 cluster resources fail after a side by side installation of SQL Server 2008 on a Windows Server 2008

3. Solutions related to stand-alone – setup or upgrade:

• How to restore the missing Windows Installer cache files and resolve problems that occur during a SQL Server update
• The installation process of SQL Server 2008 or of SQL Server 2008 R2 may fail if the server alias is defined in the Client Network Utility
• How to use SQL Server in Windows and Windows Server environments
• SQL Server installation fails if the Setup account does not have certain user rights
• Known issues installing SQL Server on Windows 7 or on Windows Server 2008 R2
• How to identify SQL Server 2008 setup issues in the setup log files
• Error message when you try to install SQL Server 2008 R2
• You may encounter problems when installing SQL Server on a domain controller
• SQL Server 2008 setup hangs on a x64 system with more than 32 logical processors
• Access to the installation media for SQL Server 2008 R2 may be required when you install SQL Server 2008 side by side with a SQL Server 2008 R2 instance
• How to uninstall an instance of SQL Server 2008

4. Solutions related to Performance – specific query:

• Tips, Tricks, and Advice from the SQL Server Query Optimization Team
• Statistics Used by the Query Optimizer in Microsoft SQL Server 2008
• Tutorial: Database Engine Tuning Advisor
• Using Statistics to Improve Query Performance
• Query Performance

5. Solutions related to corruption errors and database consistency checks (DBCC):

• How to troubleshoot database corruption errors and System Center…
• How to troubleshoot database consistency errors reported by DBCC CHECKB
• Troubleshooting Error 3313, 3314, 3414, or 3456 (SQL Server)

This is a collection of the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when you use System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection (updated quarterly).

1. Solutions related to malware is not cleaned, detected, or quarantined:

• Endpoint Protection Client Help
• KB: Updating the antimalware definitions in FEP/SCEP fails with error 0x80248014
• Information on FEP and SCEP support after OSes (like Windows XP) reach end-of-life

2. Solutions related to Client problems:

• Using the MscSupport tool to collect data for troubleshooting
• Endpoint Protection Client Help
• Administrator Workflow for Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager
• Recommended file and folder exclusions for Microsoft Forefront Client Security, Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010, and Microsoft System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection
• How to use ADPlus.vbs to troubleshoot "hangs" and "crashes"
• How can I view a scan's progress?
• Where is the Documentation for System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection?

3. Solutions related to Anti-malware Definition Detection (Signatures):

• FEP 2010 antimalware definition updates are not deployed as expected via an Automatic Deployment Rule in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
• Description of Forefront endpoint security definition updates
• Software Updates and Windows Server Update Services Definition Updates
• How to Configure Definition Updates for Endpoint ...
• Endpoint Protection Client Help

4. Solutions related to Deployment through Configuration Manager:

• Operating System Deployment and Endpoint Protection Client Installation
• How to Configure Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager
• Endpoint Protection Client Help

5. Solutions related to malware false positive and sample submission:

• FEP 2010 antimalware definition updates are not deployed as expected via an Automatic Deployment Rule in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
• Description of Forefront endpoint security definition updates
• Software Updates and Windows Server Update Services Definition Updates
• How to Configure Definition Updates for Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager
• Endpoint Protection Client Help

This is a collection of the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection (updated quarterly).

1. Solutions related to malware is not cleaned, detected, or quarantined:

• Endpoint Protection Client Help
• Troubleshooting Forefront Endpoint Protection
• FEP 2010 antimalware definition updates are not deployed as expected via an Automatic Deployment Rule in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
• Description of Forefront endpoint security definition updates
• Software Updates and Windows Server Update Services Definition Updates
• How to Configure Definition Updates for Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager
• System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection Survival Guide

2. Solutions related to SCEP Client Problems:

• Using the MscSupport tool to collect data for troubleshooting
• Endpoint Protection Client Help
• Administrator Workflow for Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager
• Endpoint Protection Client Help
• System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection Survival Guide
• FEP 2010 antimalware definition updates are not deployed as expected via an Automatic Deployment Rule in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
• Troubleshooting Forefront Endpoint Protection

3. Solutions related to Anti-malware Definition Detection (Signatures)

• FEP 2010 antimalware definition updates are not deployed as expected via an Automatic Deployment Rule in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
• Description of Forefront endpoint security definition updates
• Software Updates and Windows Server Update Services Definition Updates
• How to Configure Definition Updates for Endpoint ...
• Endpoint Protection Client Help
• System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection Survival Guide
• Troubleshooting Forefront Endpoint Protection

4. Solutions related to Malware false positive and sample submission

• System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection and False Positives
• How to notify Microsoft of false negative and false positive spam messages that are identified by Antigen or Forefront
• Endpoint Protection Client Help
• Troubleshooting Forefront Endpoint Protection
• System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection Survival Guide
• Description of Forefront endpoint security definition updates
• How to Configure Definition Updates for Endpoint ...

5. Solutions related to a Definition update error

• Endpoint Protection Client Help
• FEP 2010 antimalware definition updates are not deployed as expected via an Automatic Deployment Rule in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
• Software Updates and Windows Server Update Services Definition Updates
• How to Configure Definition Updates for Endpoint ...
• Description of Forefront endpoint security definition updates
• System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection Survival Guide
• Troubleshooting Forefront Endpoint Protection

Top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 (updated quarterly).

Support ended for Office 2003 products on April 8, 2014. Click here for more information.

1. Solutions related to Lists, Libraries, Pages, and Item – General:

• Building Block: Lists and Document Libraries
• Designing large lists and maximizing list performance (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Manage lists and libraries with many items (threshold 5,000 list items per folder)
• Estimate performance and capacity requirements for large scale document repositories in SharePoint Server 2010
• Scale test report for very large scale document repositories
• Introduction to libraries
• Create or delete a list
• Export a site, list, or document library in SharePoint Server 2010

2. Solutions related to profile synchronization:

• Profile synchronization overview (SharePoint Server 2010)
• How user profile synchronization works in SharePoint 2010
• Best practices for people and profiles (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Troubleshoot User Profile Synchronization Service start issues (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Troubleshoot profile synchronization configuration issues (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Troubleshooting User Profile Sync Issues on SharePoint 2010
• “Stuck on Starting”: Common Issues with SharePoint Server 2010 User Profile Synchronization
• SharePoint 2010: Troubleshoot User Profile Sync
• SharePoint 2010 Profile Sync - Inability to import users based on group membership
• User Profile to SharePoint Full Synchronization job stops computing Membership

3. Solutions related to Site is inaccessible:

• Best Practice - GeneratePublisherEvidence in ASPNET.CONFIG
• Web site unavailable (SharePoint 2010 Products)
• Site slowness because of SharePoint STS certificate CRL checking
• SharePoint generates an "Access Denied" error due to insufficient permissions
• SharePoint 2013: Troubleshooting - Cannot Connect to the Configuration Database
• Cannot connect to SQL Server - Event 3355 (SharePoint 2010)
• CRL verification Failure - SharePoint
• Database could not be accessed - Event 3760 (SharePoint 2010)

4. Solutions related to Setting up, Upgrading, Deploying, and Updating – general:

• Troubleshoot upgrade issues (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Recovering after a failed upgrade (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Resume upgrade (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Find Upgrade Issues Before Upgrading to SharePoint 2010
• Known issues when you install Office 2010 SP1 and SharePoint 2010 SP1
• Review supported and unsupported upgrade paths (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Perform an in-place upgrade (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Use a trial upgrade to find potential issues (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Best practices for testing upgrade (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Download Upgrading to Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 from ...
• Upgrade reference (SharePoint Server 2010)

5. Solutions related to Server and Farm Configuration and Administration – General:

• Server and server farm administration (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Server and server farm administration (SharePoint 2010)
• Best practices (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Plan for administrative and service accounts (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Permissions for site collection administrators - SharePoint Server
• Use best practice configurations to prepare the Hyper-V environment (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Virtualization planning for on-premise or hosted technologies (SharePoint Server 2010)
• Deployment overview (SharePoint Server 2010)

Top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when you use Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 (updated quarterly).

Support ended for Office 2003 products on April 8, 2014.

1. Solutions related to Database Availability Group (DAG):

• TechNet forums – Exchange Server 2010
• Rebuild an Entire Database Availability Group
• A seed operation might not succeed when the source mailbox database has many log files in a Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 DAG
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 DAG member remains in Maintenance Mode
• Warning 2174 and Error 2153 are logged on DAG member servers in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
• The Exchange Server is not a member of Exchange Trusted Subsystem
• The Microsoft Exchange Replication service crashes on Exchange Server 2010 DAG members
• Event ID 2153 is logged on each database availability group member in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
• You cannot add a new Exchange Server 2010 Mailbox database to DAG in a multi-site topology environment
• The replay queue length on passive copies of mailbox databases in Database Availability Group continues to increase in an Exchange Server 2010 environment

2. Solutions related to database will not mount or is dismounted:

• TechNet forums – Exchange Server 2010
• Information Store service crashes when you mount public folder databases on an Exchange Server 2010 server
• Mailbox database will not mount on startup
• Mount a Database
• You cannot create a new Exchange Server 2010 Mailbox database in a multiple domain environment
• Event ID 9519 "Error 0x80004005" is logged in the Application log when you try to mount a database in Exchange Server 2010 or in Exchange Server 2007

3. Solutions related to mobility and ActiveSync:

• Troubleshoot ActiveSync with Exchange Server
• Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• Current issues with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and third-party devices
• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• Under The Hood: Exchange ActiveSync Mailbox Log Analysis
• Announcing the release of Exchange Server Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• Exchange ActiveSync: Frequently asked questions
• Technet forums - Exchange Previous Versions - Mobility and ActiveSync

4. Solutions related to client/server connection issues and delays:

• Outlook Connectivity Guided Walkthrough
• Outlook Anywhere users prompted for credentials when they try to connect to Exchange Server 2013
• Hotfix KB 2889951 for Outlook 2013 October 14, 2014 (Outlook-x-none.msp)
• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• File-Level Antivirus Scanning on Exchange 2010
• How to do performance tuning for NTLM authentication by using the MaxConcurrentApi setting
• Configuring Kerberos Authentication for Load-Balanced Client Access Servers
• Troubleshooting long running MAPI connections to Exchange Server 2010 through Network Load Balancers
• TechNet forums – Exchange Server 2010

5. Solutions related to Mailbox store:

• TechNet forums – Exchange Server 2010
• Managing Mailbox Servers
• Where Did That New Exchange 2010 Mailbox Go?
• The Store.exe process crashes on an Exchange Server 2010 mailbox server during Exchange database online maintenance
• Restore a Soft-Deleted Mailbox
• An Exchange Server 2010 database store grows unexpectedly large
• Exchange 2010 SP1: The Troubleshooters
• Exchange 2010 SP1: Database Integrity checking

We’ve gathered the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft Unified Access Gateway (UAG) 2010 (updated quarterly).

1. Solutions related to Outlook Web Access (OWA)

• Managing the Microsoft Outlook Web Access 2003 SP1/SP2
• Issues with downloading of attachments from OWA on mobile devices
• Lync publishing on UAG
• Publishing OMA (Outlook Mobile Access) with UAG
• Considerations for Exchange Publishing
• Exchange Publishing - UAG Performance
• Session timeout does not work as expected when publishing Exchange Outlook Web Access with UAG 2010
• SRA and AppWrap FAQ
• UAG published website is not fully rendered

2. Solutions related to authentication and authorization:

• Lessons from the Field and Best Practices for Active Directory Authorization on Unified Access Gateway 2010(UAG)
• Configuring authentication and authorization servers in IAG
• Authenticating to UAG with an email address instead of user ID
• Authenticating Exchange Mail Applications using UAG RC0
• SSO (Single Sign On) not working for a published Web Application with UAG
• Understanding and troubleshooting the activation process
• UAG and Office integration
• Certified Endpoints in UAG
• UAG, ADFS, Mobile devices and O365

3. Solutions related to performance and availability:

• UAG Array and Network Load Balancing
• Disaster aversion
• Performance Anxiety
• Load Balancing Backend Servers Farms
• Forefront UAG: About Arrays
• UAG published website is not fully rendered
• Array planning guide
• SharePoint publishing concepts and considerations
• UAG published website is not fully rendered

4. Solutions related to DirectAccess

• On a DA client, the DCA shows a red X or a yellow ...
• Microsoft DirectAccess Connectivity Assistant
• DirectAccess Manage Out fails for any non-ICMP traffic in Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010
• The mysterious 403.14
• Troubleshooting UAG installation and update problems
• Certified Endpoints in UAG
• UAG DirectAccess management ‘Apply Policy’ fails after ...
• A Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010 Direct Access client experiences repeated OTP prompts
• Support Tip: DirectAccess clients cannot connect to ...

5. Solutions related to Client issues

• How to troubleshoot IAG Client Components issues
• Managing IAG platform-specific endpoint policies
• Certified Endpoints in UAG
• A Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010 Direct Access client experiences repeated OTP prompts
• Support Tip: DirectAccess clients cannot connect to ...
• SSO (Single Sign On) not working for a published Web ...
• DirectAccess Manage Out fails for any non-ICMP traffic in Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010
• The mysterious 403.14

We’ve gathered the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft System Center 2012 Service Manager (updated quarterly).

1. Solutions related to extract, transform, and load job:

• Troubleshooting System Center Data Warehouse Errors
• How to Troubleshoot a Data Warehouse Job
• MP Sync jobs fail and the Data Warehouse Base Library MP shows a Deployment Status of “Failed”
• Customizing the Data Warehouse
• Using and Managing Standard Reports
• Using OLAP Cubes for Advanced Analytics
• System Center 2012 Service Manager Survival Guide

2. Solutions related to setup, deployment, and disaster recovery:

• Troubleshooting System Center 2012 - Service Manager Deployment Issues
• Deploying System Center 2012 Service Manager? Read this first!
• Recommended fixes and updates for System Center 2012 Service Manager
• Disaster Recovery Guide for System Center 2012 - Service Manager
• Deploying System Center 2012 - Service Manager
• Upgrading System Center 2012 - Service Manager to System Center 2012 SP1
• System Center 2012 Service Manager Survival Guide

3. Solutions related to reporting:

• MP Sync jobs fail and the Data Warehouse Base Library MP shows a Deployment Status of “Failed”
• Extending the Data Warehouse and Reporting for Unix Computers
• Selecting a report in Service Manager fails with "Cannot impersonate user for data source 'DWDataMart'"
• Troubleshooting System Center Data Warehouse Errors
• Using OLAP Cubes for Advanced Analytics
• Customizing the Data Warehouse
• System Center 2012 Service Manager Survival Guide

4. Solutions related to authoring:

• Debugging Custom Forms, Console Task Handlers, and Workflows
• Authoring for System Center 2012 - Service Manager
• Troubleshooting Workflows in Service Manager
• Troubleshooting Workflow Performance and Delays
• Disabling Workflows with Overrides
• Application Approval Workflow Sample Templates
• System Center 2012 Service Manager Survival Guide

5. Solutions related to installation: Standalone Component Installer:

• Troubleshooting System Center 2012 - Service Manager Deployment Issues
• Deploying System Center 2012 Service Manager? Read this first!
• Recommended fixes and updates for System Center 2012 Service Manager
• Deploying System Center 2012 - Service Manager
• Upgrading System Center 2012 - Service Manager to System Center 2012 SP1
• System Center 2012 Service Manager Survival Guide

This is a collection of the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2008 (updated quarterly).

1. Solutions related to performance – server:

• What is SQL Nexus?
• Description of the Replay Markup Language (RML) Utilities for SQL Server
• What is Pssdiag/Sqldiag Manager?
• Troubleshooting Performance Problems in SQL Server 2008
• SQL Server I/O Basics, Chapter 2
• Working with tempdb in SQL Server  (download)
• Deadlock Troubleshooting, Part 1
• Recommendations and guidelines for the "max degree of parallelism" configuration option in SQL Server

2. Solutions related to cluster failover:

• SQL Server Failover Cluster Instance is taken offline when you change the password for the service account on the passive node
• Error during installation of an SQL server Failover Cluster Instance
• Sql Server Resource Fails to come online on Cluster with Error Error Locating Server/Instance Specified [xFFFFFFFF]
• SQL Server Cluster Failover Root Cause Analysis–the what, where and how
• A SQL Server cluster resource goes to a "failed" state when you try to bring the resource online in SQL Server
• How to clean up the cluster resource group and the databases on a shared disk after a failed failover Cluster Complete operation in SQL Server 2008
• List of Cluster Hotfixes for Windows Server 2008 R2
• Recommended hotfixes for Windows Server 2008-based server clusters

3. Solutions related to Crashes and exceptions

• How to troubleshoot SQL Server database consistency errors
• SQL Server reports errors for exceptions, assertions, and hang conditions
• How to choose antivirus software to run on computers that are running SQL Server
• The use of third-party detours or similar techniques is not supported in SQL Server

4. Solutions related to Backup or restore:

• SQL Backup Simulator
• Best Practice recommendations for SQL Server Database Backups
• How to schedule and automate backups of SQL Server databases in SQL Server Express
• Is SQLVDI.DLL functioning properly?

5. Solutions related to corruption errors and database consistency checks (DBCC):

• How to troubleshoot database corruption errors and System Center…
• How to troubleshoot database consistency errors reported by DBCC CHECKB
• Troubleshooting Error 3313, 3314, 3414, or 3456 (SQL Server)

This is a list of the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft Lync Server 2010 (updated quarterly).

Support ended for Office 2003 products on April 8, 2014! Click here for more information

1. Solutions related to Sign on and authentication – Internal users:

• The New Lync Connectivity Analyzer
• Lync 2010 Client Authentication
• Failed TLS connection between unified communications peers generates an Schannel warning
• Sign in to and out of Lync 2010
• Download Lync Server 2010 Best Practices Analyzer from Official Microsoft Download Center
• Certificate Requirements for Internal Servers
• Deploying Mobility
• Lync downloads and updates
• Update 2963369 for Lync for Mac 2011 14.0.9

2. Solutions related to Sign on and authentication – External users:

• Lync Server 2010 certificate requirements for user access
• Set Up Reverse Proxy Servers
• Lync Firewall Rules Viewer
• Topologies for External User Access
• Determining DNS Requirements
• LyncMD: Troubleshooting Lync Server 2010 when a Remote Sign-In Fails Due to Certificate-Related Issues
• The New Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• Lync downloads and updates
• The New Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• How to troubleshoot issues that you may encounter when you use the Lync 2010 mobile client for iPhone and iPad
• Microsoft Technet: Deploying Mobility
• Configuring Reverse Proxy for Lync Server 2010 Mobility
• Update 2963369 for Lync for Mac 2011 14.0.9

3. Solutions related to Certificate setup:

• LyncMD: Troubleshooting Lync Server 2010 when a Remote Sign-In Fails Due to Certificate-Related Issues
• Certificate Infrastructure Requirements
• Preventing Lync Server certificate expiration
• Technet forums - Lync Server 2013 - Management, Planning, and Deployment
• Lync downloads and updates
• Download Lync Server 2010 Best Practices Analyzer from Official Microsoft Download Center

4. Solutions related to Installation and uninstallation issues (using Msiexec, updates, Office Communicator Automatic Updates, and pilot cleanup):

• LyncMD: Troubleshooting Installation Issues when Deploying Lync Server 2010 with Other Microsoft Products
• Deploying Lync – Jump Start Series
• Troubleshooting - Resources and Tools for IT Professionals | TechNet
• Lync Server evaluation period has expired
• Download Lync Server 2010 Best Practices Analyzer from Official Microsoft Download Center
• Certificate Authentication in Lync Server 2010 and Enterprise PKI
• IT-Managed Installation of Lync 2010
• Lync downloads and updates
• Lync Server Setup or Remove Lync Components fails on Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

5. Solutions related to Contact card: View contact card information (internal or external, including federated):

• Assigning Telephone Numbers to Lync Enterprise Voice Users
• LyncMD: Troubleshooting the Lync 2010 Address Book
• Technet forums - Lync Server 2013 - Sign-In, Presence, IM, and Contacts
• Update 2963369 for Lync for Mac 2011 14.0.9
• Administering the Address Book Service
• Lync downloads and updates

This is a collection of the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager (updated quarterly).

1. Solutions related to the VMM Console:

• KB: Changing the owner of a VM in System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager causes the console to become unresponsive
• KB: The System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager console terminates unexpectedly with NullReferenceException
• KB: The VMMService service crashes after you add an ESX or ESXi cluster
• KB: The VMM service crashes when a virtual machine is refreshed - "Error converting data type int to smallint”
• System Center 2012 Portal: Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) Error Codes
• Troubleshooting System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager
• System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) General Troubleshooting Guide

2. Solutions related to the VMM Service:

• KB: The VMMService service crashes after you add an ESX or ESXi cluster
• KB: Changing the owner of a VM in System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager causes the console to become unresponsive
• The Virtual Machine Manager Service crashes when you add a virtual machine host that has more than 16 logical processors in VMM 2008 R2
• KB: The VMM service crashes when a virtual machine is refreshed - "Error converting data type int to smallint”
• System Center 2012 Portal: Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) Error Codes
• Troubleshooting System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager
• System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) General Troubleshooting Guide

3. Solutions related to adding or removing a server or cluster:

• How to troubleshoot issues when adding a Hyper-V host in System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager
• Adding and Managing Hyper-V Hosts and Scale-Out File Servers in VMM
• Working Through an Unsupported Cluster Configuration Scenario in Virtual Machine Manager
• KB: Error 2927 when you add a Hyper-V server or a Hyper-V cluster node in System Center VMM
• KB: "Error 26184" when you assign a LUN to a cluster in System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 SP1
• SCVMM 2012- Creating a Highly Available VMM Server
• How to troubleshoot the “Needs Attention” and “Not Responding” host status in System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager

4. Solutions related to VMM installation:

• Installing the System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager VMM Management Server fails with IndyPlacementHelper exception error
• Installation Logs for System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager
• News, Requirements and Installation of System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012
• Deploying System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager
• VMM 2012 SQL Server Profile
• Troubleshooting System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager
• System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) General Troubleshooting Guide

5. Solutions related to Host does not respond and needs attention error:

• How to troubleshoot the “Needs Attention” and “Not Responding” host status in System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager
• Managing Hyper-V hosts using Virtual Machine Manager fails with Error: 0x8033803b after installing WMF 3.0
• Host: Needs Attention and Refresh Fails with Error 2910 access denied in SCVMM
• How to troubleshoot issues when adding a Hyper-V host in System Center 2012 Virtual Machine Manager
• Adding and Managing Hyper-V Hosts and Scale-Out File Servers in VMM
• Troubleshooting System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager
• System Center 2012 - Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) General Troubleshooting Guide

These are the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when you use Windows Server 2012 Essentials and Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials.

1. Solutions related to Remote Web Access:

• Troubleshooting Common VPN issues on Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
• Understanding VPN configuration in Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
• What Happens When You Release Your Domain Name from Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
• Troubleshooting “An unexpected error occurred” message when using Remote Web Access to connect to computers
• Configuring and Customizing Remote Web Access on Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials

2. Solutions related to Office 365 integration issues:

• What's New in Windows Server Essentials
• Troubleshooting Office 365 Integration Errors

3. Solutions related to installation issues:

• You may be unable to run post-deployment configuration wizard after you install the Windows Server Essentials Experience role
• Deploying Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard/Datacenter with Windows Server Essentials Experience role in an Existing Active Directory Environment
• Deploying Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials in an Existing Active Directory Environment
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials Migration – Keys to Success
• Configuring Microsoft Azure Online Backup on Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
• Migrating to Windows Server 2012 Essentials
• Migrate Windows Server 2012 Essentials to New Hardware
• Enabling multiple instances of Windows Server Essentials Experience in your environment
• Hosting Windows Server Essentials Experience in Windows Azure
• Virtualization and Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials

4. Solutions related to Migrating SBS to a new server or to new servers:

• You may be unable to run post-deployment configuration wizard after you install the Windows Server Essentials Experience role
• Deploying Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard/Datacenter with Windows Server Essentials Experience role in an Existing Active Directory Environment
• Deploying Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials in an Existing Active Directory Environment
• Installing and Configuring the Windows Server Essentials Experience role
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials Migration – Keys to Success
• Migrating to Windows Server 2012 Essentials
• Migrate Windows Server 2012 Essentials to New Hardware

5. Solutions related to Server activation:

• Understanding Licensing for Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials and the Windows Server Essentials Experience role
• Using Windows Server 2012 Essentials with more than 25 users
• Upgrade Options for Windows Server 2012 R2

Top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when you use System Center 2012 Operations Manager (updated quarterly).

1. Solutions related to operations or infrastructure issues:

• Support Tip: Data Warehouse synchronization failures following restore of the OperationsManager DB
• Troubleshooting OpsMgr 2007 and OpsMgr 2012 certificate issues with PowerShell
• How to analyze a workflow when the OpsMgr Workflow Analyzer doesn’t work
• Support Tip: Upgrade to Operations Manager 2012 R2 may result in Data Warehouse synchronization failures
• How to use OpsMgr to leverage monitors on groups as overall health indicators
• System Center 2012 Operations Manager Survival Guide
• System Center 2012 Operations Manager: Recommended agent operating system fixes and updates

2. Solutions related to setup or deployment issues:

• Support Tip: Operations Manager agents on Windows Server 2012 R2 show as grayed out
• Planning the System Center 2012 - Operations Manager Deployment
• Troubleshooting UNIX/Linux Agent Discovery in System Center 2012 - Operations Manager
• KB: Agent Health tips and fixes for System Center Operations Manager
• How to use OpsMgr to leverage monitors on groups as overall health indicator
• System Center 2012 Operations Manager: Recommended agent operating system fixes and updates
• System Center 2012 Operations Manager Survival Guide

3. Solutions related to Windows Agent deployment:

• Agent discovery and push troubleshooting in OpsMgr 2007
• KB: Agent Health tips and fixes for System Center Operations Manager
• Troubleshooting the Installation of the System Center Operations Manager Agent
• Process Manual Agent Installations
• The System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager Survival Guide
• Install Agent Using the MOMAgent.msi Setup Wizard
• Install Agent on Windows Using the Discovery Wizard
• Install Agent Using the Command Line

4. Solutions related to database performance:

• How to measure Operations Manager database performance
• Operations Manager 2007 Performance and Scalability Whitepaper
• KB: How to troubleshoot Event ID 2115 in Operations Manager
• KB: The System Center Management service stops responding after an instance of SQL Server goes offline
• The System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager Survival Guide
• New OpsMgr 2012 fixes: Update Rollup 4 for System Center 2012 Service Pack 1
• How to Participate in the System Center Community
• System Requirements for System Center 2012 - Operations Manager 

5. Solutions related to agent connectivity:

• Troubleshooting Network Discovery in SCOM 2012 by Stefan Koell (MVP)
• The System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager Survival Guide
• How does Computer Discovery Work in OpsMgr 2007
• How to Troubleshoot UNIX/Linux Agent Discovery in System Center 2012 Operations Manager
• How to Troubleshoot the Installation of the System Center Operations Manager Agent
• KB: Operations Manager agents with teamed network adapters fail to be discovered and monitored
• KB: Agent Health tips and fixes for System Center Operations Manager

4. Solutions related to Microsoft management packs:

• Configuring the SharePoint 2010 Management Pack for System Center Operations Manager
• Creating a Management Pack for Overrides
• How to Add Knowledge to a Management Pack
• The System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager Survival Guide
• How to Import an Operations Manager Management Pack
• How to Remove an Operations Manager Management Pack
• How to Export an Operations Manager Management Pack
• New OpsMgr 2012 fixes: Update Rollup 4 for System Center 2012 Service Pack

These are the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V).

1. Solutions related to application does not function as expected:

• The Art of Troubleshooting App-V Applications
• How to quickly repair published App-V packages
• App-V Troubleshooting, Known Issues and General Resources
• KB: How to deploy and manage Office 2013 on App-V 5.0
• After upgrading a Microsoft App-V server, client machines may receive 0A-20000194 errors when trying to launch applications
• A virtualized application on a Microsoft App-V client fails to launch with Error Code: 2A-00002AF9
• An application on an App-V client fails to launch with Error Code: 0A-10000002
• Supported scenarios for deploying Microsoft Office as an App-V package

2. Solutions related to application error, hang, or crash:

• Supported scenarios for deploying Microsoft Office as an App-V package
• How to quickly repair published App-V packages
• After upgrading a Microsoft App-V server, client machines may receive 0A-20000194 errors when trying to launch applications
• A virtualized application on a Microsoft App-V client fails to launch with Error Code: 2A-00002AF9
• The Application Virtualization Sequencing SuperFlow has been released
• Microsoft Application Virtualization 5 Administrator's Guide
• App-V Troubleshooting, Known Issues and General Resources
• The Art of Troubleshooting App-V Applications

3. Solutions related to App-V Client general issues

• Your guide to App-V 5.0 application publishing and client interaction
• The Art of Troubleshooting App-V Applications
• How to quickly repair published App-V packages
• App-V Troubleshooting, Known Issues and General Resources
• After upgrading a Microsoft App-V server, client machines may receive 0A-20000194 errors when trying to launch applications
• A virtualized application on a Microsoft App-V client fails to launch with Error Code: 2A-00002AF9
• An application on an App-V client fails to launch with Error Code: 0A-10000002
• Supported scenarios for deploying Microsoft Office as an App-V package

4. Solutions related to client installation and configuration:

• How to Deploy the Client
• App-V Troubleshooting, Known Issues and General Resources
• Microsoft Application Virtualization 5 Administrator's Guide
• How to Install the App-V Client by Using Setup.msi
• How to Configure a Read-only Cache on the App-V Client (VDI)
• How to Install the App-V 4.6 SP2 Client and the App-V 5.0 Client on the Same Computer
• The Art of Troubleshooting App-V Applications
• How to Install the App-V 5.0 Client for Shared Content Store Mode

4. Solutions related to application does not load or run:

• Supported scenarios for deploying Microsoft Office as an App-V package
• How to quickly repair published App-V packages
• App-V Troubleshooting, Known Issues and General Resources
• After upgrading a Microsoft App-V server, client machines may receive 0A-20000194 errors when trying to launch applications
• Microsoft Application Virtualization 5 Administrator's Guide
• An application on an App-V client fails to launch with Error Code: 0A-10000002
• A virtualized application on an App-V client fails to launch with Error Code 2A-0000274D

These are the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 (updated quarterly).

Support ended for Office 2003 products on April 8, 2014.

1. Solutions related to Database Availability Group (DAG):

• The replay queue length on passive copies of mailbox databases in Database Availability Group continues to increase in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
• You cannot add a new Exchange Server 2010 Mailbox database to DAG in a multi-site topology environment
• Event ID 2153 is logged on each database availability group member in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
• The Microsoft Exchange Replication service crashes on Exchange Server 2010 DAG members
• The Exchange Server is not a member of Exchange Trusted Subsystem
• Warning 2174 and Error 2153 are logged on DAG member servers in an Exchange Server 2010 environment
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 DAG member remains in Maintenance Mode
• A seed operation might not succeed when the source mailbox database has many log files in a Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 DAG
• Rebuild an Entire Database Availability Group
• You cannot view the mailbox database copies that are hosted on certain Mailbox servers by using the Exchange Management Console after you install Exchange Server 2010 SP1
• The Store.exe process crashes when you try to unmount an active copy of a mailbox database that is hosted by a mailbox server in an Exchange Server 2010 SP1 environment

2. Solutions related to mobility and ActiveSync:

• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• Exchange ActiveSync: Frequently asked questions
• Current issues with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and third-party devices
• Announcing the release of Exchange Server Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• Introducing: Log Parser Studio
• Under The Hood: Exchange ActiveSync Mailbox Log Analysis
• Securing Exchange Data from Unapproved Mobile Devices (or how to block a phone or service from taking data out of your Exchange Server)
• Controlling Exchange ActiveSync device access using the Allow/Block/Quarantine list
• Supporting Windows 8 Mail in your organization
• Windows Phone 8 Exchange ActiveSync Overview  (download)
• Exchange ActiveSync Considerations When Using Windows Phone 7 Clients

3. Solutions related to client/server connection issues and delays:

• How to temporarily deactivate the kernel mode filter driver in Windows
• File-Level Antivirus Scanning on Exchange 2010
• Troubleshooting long running MAPI connections to Exchange Server 2010 through Network Load Balancers
• How to do performance tuning for NTLM authentication by using the MaxConcurrentApi setting
• Configuring Kerberos Authentication for Load-Balanced Client Access Servers
• 'Requesting data from the Exchange server...' or 'Outlook is trying to retrieve data…' client messages
• Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 DSProxy Referral Process Changes
• Announcing the release of Exchange Server Remote Connectivity Analyzer
• The Case of the Mysterious Exchange Server Hang
• 'Requesting data from the Exchange server...' or 'Outlook is trying to retrieve data…' client messages

4. Solutions related to database will not mount or is dismounted:

• Event ID 9519 "Error 0x80004005" is logged in the Application log when you try to mount a database in Exchange Server 2010 or in Exchange Server 2007
• You cannot create a new Exchange Server 2010 Mailbox database in a multiple domain environment
• Mount a Database
• Mailbox database will not mount on startup
• Information Store service crashes when you mount public folder databases on an Exchange Server 2010 server

5. Solutions related to Mailbox store:

• Managing Mailbox Servers: Exchange 2010 Help
• Where Did That New Exchange 2010 Mailbox Go?
• The Store.exe process crashes on an Exchange Server 2010 mailbox server during Exchange database online maintenance 79
• Restore a Soft-Deleted Mailbox: Exchange 2010 Help
• An Exchange Server 2010 database store grows unexpectedly large
• Exchange 2010 SP1: The Troubleshooters
• Exchange 2010 SP1: Database Integrity checking

We’ve gathered the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Microsoft Unified Access Gateway (UAG) 2010 (updated quarterly).

1. Solutions related to Outlook Web Access (OWA)

• Managing the Microsoft Outlook Web Access 2003 SP1/SP2
• Issues with downloading of attachments from OWA on mobile devices
• Lync publishing on UAG
• Publishing OMA (Outlook Mobile Access) with UAG
• Considerations for Exchange Publishing
• Exchange Publishing - UAG Performance
• Session timeout does not work as expected when publishing Exchange Outlook Web Access with UAG 2010
• SRA and AppWrap FAQ
• UAG published website is not fully rendered

2. Solutions related to authentication and authorization:

• Lessons from the Field and Best Practices for Active Directory Authorization on Unified Access Gateway 2010(UAG)
• Configuring authentication and authorization servers in IAG
• Authenticating to UAG with an email address instead of user ID
• Authenticating Exchange Mail Applications using UAG RC0
• SSO (Single Sign On) not working for a published Web Application with UAG
• Understanding and troubleshooting the activation process
• UAG and Office integration
• Certified Endpoints in UAG
• UAG, ADFS, Mobile devices and O365

3. Solutions related to performance and availability:

• UAG Array and Network Load Balancing
• Disaster aversion
• Performance Anxiety
• Load Balancing Backend Servers Farms
• Forefront UAG: About Arrays
• UAG published website is not fully rendered
• Array planning guide
• SharePoint publishing concepts and considerations
• UAG published website is not fully rendered

4. Solutions related to DirectAccess

• On a DA client, the DCA shows a red X or a yellow ...
• Microsoft DirectAccess Connectivity Assistant
• DirectAccess Manage Out fails for any non-ICMP traffic in Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010
• The mysterious 403.14
• Troubleshooting UAG installation and update problems
• Certified Endpoints in UAG
• UAG DirectAccess management ‘Apply Policy’ fails after ...
• A Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010 Direct Access client experiences repeated OTP prompts
• Support Tip: DirectAccess clients cannot connect to ...

5. Solutions related to Client issues

• How to troubleshoot IAG Client Components issues
• Managing IAG platform-specific endpoint policies
• Certified Endpoints in UAG
• A Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010 Direct Access client experiences repeated OTP prompts
• Support Tip: DirectAccess clients cannot connect to ...
• SSO (Single Sign On) not working for a published Web ...
• DirectAccess Manage Out fails for any non-ICMP traffic in Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010
• The mysterious 403.14

These are the top Microsoft Support solutions for the most common issues experienced when using Windows Server 2008 (updated quarterly).

1. Solutions related to Bugchecks, Stop errors, and unexpected restarts:

• Windows Memory Dump Collector
• Bug Check Code Reference (Windows Debuggers)
• How to generate a kernel or a complete memory dump file in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2
• How to use the special pool feature to isolate pool damage
• How to determine the appropriate page file size for 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 and or Windows 2008 R2
• Using Driver Verifier to identify issues with Windows drivers for advanced users
• How to diagnose Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 performance issues
• How to troubleshoot Directory Services PKI and ADCS issues for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 using Fix it Center Pro
• Collect memory dump files in Windows 7 and in Windows Server 2008 R2
• USB devices stop working in Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012

2. Solutions related to Active Directory replication:

• Download Active Directory Replication Status Tool from Official Microsoft Download Center
• Troubleshooting Active Directory Replication Problems: Active Directory
• Replication error 1722 The RPC server is unavailable
• Replication error 8453 Replication access was denied
• Replication error -2146893022 The target principal name is incorrect
• Replication error 1753 There are no more endpoints available from the endpoint mapper
• Replication error 1396 Logon Failure The target account name is incorrect
• Replication error 8614 The Active Directory cannot replicate with this server because the time since the last replication with this server has exceeded the tombstone lifetime
• Replication error 8524 The DSA operation is unable to proceed because of a DNS lookup failure
• Replication error 1256 The remote system is not available
• Replication error 8451 The replication operation encountered a database error
• Troubleshoot Directory Services issues in Windows 7 and in Windows Server 2008 R2

3. Solutions related to Active Directory issues:

• Root Causes for Slow Boots and Logons (sbsl)
• How to remove data in Active Directory after an unsuccessful domain controller demotion
• “Directory Services cannot start” error message when you start your Windows-based or SBS-based domain controller
• How to restore deleted user accounts and their group memberships in Active Directory
• Running Adprep.exe
• Upgrade Domain Controllers to Windows Server 2012
• Upgrade Domain Controllers to Windows Server 2008 R2

4. Solutions related to DNS:

• Don’t be afraid of DNS Scavenging. Just be patient.
• Optimizing your network to keep your DNS squeaky clean
• The size of the Active Directory increases rapidly on a Windows Server 2003-based or Windows Server 2008 R2-based domain controller that hosts the DNS Server role
• DNS server stops responding to DNS queries from client computers in in Windows Server 2003, in Windows Server 2008 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
• Some DNS name queries are unsuccessful after you deploy a Windows-based DNS server
• A primary DNS zone file may not transfer to the secondary DNS servers in Windows Server 2008
• A DNS Update is recorded as failed: Event ID 5774, 1196, or 1578

5. Solutions related to Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS):

• AD FS 2.0 Troubleshooting Guide
• Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) Wiki Articles
• AD FS 2.0 Content Map

6. Solutions related to installing Windows updates or hotfixes:

• Fix Windows corruption errors such as 0x80070002 and 0x80070057
• You cannot install some updates or programs in Windows XP
• How to address disk space issues that are caused by a large Windows component store (WinSxS) directory
• How does Windows choose which version of a file to install...
• How branching works for installing updates - The Windows ...
• The Windows Servicing Guy - Site Home - TechNet Blogs
• Troubleshoot common installation issues in Windows Update, Microsoft Update, and Windows Server Update Services
• How to read the Windowsupdate.log file

7. Solutions related to File Replication Technologies (FRS and DFSR):

• Where’s my file? Root cause analysis of FRS and DFSR data deletion
• Understanding DFSR debug logging (Part 14: A sharing violation due to a file locked upstream between two Windows Server 2008)
• Understanding DFSR debug logging (Part 17: Replication failing because of blocked RPC ports (uses debug severity 5))
• Common DFSR Configuration Mistakes and Oversights
• DFSR Event ID 2213 is logged on Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012
• List of currently available hotfixes for Distributed File System (DFS) technologies in Windows Server 2008 and in Windows Server 2008 R2
• The performance of DFS Replication in Windows Server 2008 is slower than expected on a WAN connection, and no error message is logged in the DFS Replication log

8. Solutions related to Active Directory Certificate Services:

• Designing and Implementing a PKI: Part III Certificate Templates
• Troubleshooting PKI Problems on Windows
• Having a problem with nodes being removed from active Failover ...
• Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) Overview
• Revoking certificates and publishing CRLs: Public Key
• How to add a Subject Alternative Name to a secure LDAP certificate
• How to enable LDAP over SSL with a third-party certification authority
• How to troubleshoot LDAP over SSL connection problems
• Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Troubleshooting Certificate Autoenrollment in Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS)

9. Solutions related to system hangs:

• PRF: Perceived System Sluggishness - Ask the Performance ...
• How to diagnose Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 performance issues
• How to troubleshoot Directory Services PKI and ADCS issues for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 using Fix it Center Pro
• Collect memory dump files in Windows 7 and in Windows Server 2008 R2

10. Solutions related to Clustering and High Availability issues:

• Recommended hotfixes for Windows Server 2008-based server clusters
• Recommended hotfixes and updates for Windows Server 2008 R2-based server clusters
• Recommended hotfixes and updates for Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Failover Clusters
• Cluster Shared Volume Functionality
• Event ID 5136 — Cluster Shared Volume Functionality
• Event ID 1146 — Cluster Service Startup
• Introduction to the Cluster Quorum Model - Clustering and High ...
• How to troubleshoot FailoverCluster issues in Windows Server 2008 R2