I have a Windows Server 2003 Small Business Server that has begun crashing more and more often. The machine does not physically power off(so I don't think it is a power supply issue), but it does not respond to any network activity. When I force a restart by holding down the power button(at 11:43:20 AM), the only relevant Event Log entry says "The previous system shutdown at 3:45:11 AM on 7/21/2009 was unexpected."
This first started about a year ago, when the machine would do this once every 3 or 4 months. Over the last month, it has started occurring more and more frequently, twice in 4 weeks, then twice in 2 weeks.
So, two questions:
1) Any idea what would cause crashes like this to occur? and
2) Are there any ways to get more detailed Event Log entries from within Windows?
I have full current backups of all the data on the server, so I am not worried about data loss. I have regularly updated and scanned Symantec Virus protection managed by the domain.
[edit] Forgot to mention, the server is Service Pack 1.[/edit]
Here is the event log entry, in case it is useful.
Event Type: Error
Event Source: EventLog
Event Category: None
Event ID: 6008
Date: 7/21/2009
Time: 11:43:20 AM
User: N/A
Computer: <MyComputerName>
Description:
The previous system shutdown at 3:45:11 AM on 7/21/2009 was unexpected.
For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: d9 07 07 00 02 00 15 00 Ù.......
0008: 03 00 2d 00 0b 00 90 02 ..-....
0010: d9 07 07 00 02 00 15 00 Ù.......
0018: 07 00 2d 00 0b 00 90 02 ..-....
Best Answer
It could be a million things from a faulty driver down to hardware problems.
I would say before going any further, the best thing to try would be to go to system properties (right click on computer and click properties) then go to the advanced tab, click startup and recovery and untick the Automatically restart button and choose to keel a kernel memory dump.
Next time this occurs, you should be able to see if the problem is related to memory, hardware or driver based on what it says on the BSOD. If the BSOD does not help, You should have a kernel dump that you can diagnose (if you can be bothered!)
Of course, it is possible that it won't even reach a Blue screen of death, and if this is the case, it most likly means a hardware fault such as power.