Windows Server 2008 Shut down by itself

windows-server-2008

I am pretty new to Windows Server 2008. On two separate events it shut itself down without any good reason. I would like to diagnose this, but don't know where to start. Where and what should I look for in the Event Viewer, and what else can I do to fix this problem? Also, is there an auto shutdown and startup scheduler in Server 2008? I Googled this, but found answers involving batch files which I don't have any experience with…

Thanks!

Edit:

Found this in the Log:

Log Name:      System
Source:        EventLog
Date:          29/09/2012 08:25:56
Event ID:      6008
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      ericom
Description:
The previous system shutdown at 8:16:06 on ‎29/‎09/‎2012 was unexpected.
Event Xml:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
  <System>
    <Provider Name="EventLog" />
    <EventID Qualifiers="32768">6008</EventID>
    <Level>2</Level>
    <Task>0</Task>
    <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2012-09-29T01:25:56.000000000Z" />
    <EventRecordID>5675</EventRecordID>
    <Channel>System</Channel>
    <Computer>ericom</Computer>
    <Security />
  </System>
  <EventData>
    <Data>8:16:06</Data>
    <Data>‎29/‎09/‎2012</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>91172</Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Data>
    </Data>
    <Binary>DC07090006001D000800100006006C00DC07090006001D000100100006006C003C0000003C000000000000000000000000000000000000000100000000000000</Binary>
  </EventData>
</Event>

I tried to find what happend at 8:16:06 but none of the log files shows anything. The logs skips from about 8:07 until I turned the server back on at 8:25. The last thing that is logged at 8:07 is

Name resolution for the name www.public-trust.com timed out after none of the configured DNS servers responded.

I tried Googling that message, doesn't seem like it would cause a crash or shutdown, but I'm not sure. Which log file would log application crashes? My Applications and Services Logs is empty except for 7 Microsoft Office events.

Thank you

Best Answer

First, are you SURE the system is shutting down and not crashing? Are you sure it's not a hardware issue or a power issue? Generally, easiest way to tell is that when Windows boots back up, it will tell you the previous shutdown was unexpected and give you a menu of boot options assuming that something went wrong and you want to troubleshoot it.

Make sure it's not a power issue - I've seen issues with UPS systems. Issues with cleaning people doing really silly things like unplugging the server to plug in a vacuum.

Make sure it's not a hardware issue. Make sure the UPS the system is on (it IS on a UPS, right?) is new(ish) and has a good battery. Make sure your settings on the UPS don't shut down the server on the first sign of a problem (if the UPS senses power is out for a second and you have it configured to immediately shutdown the server upon a power failure, even when the power comes back on, the server won't come up but will report a normal shutdown. Further, make sure all the fans in the system are working and it's not a heating issue. I had one workstation once that ran fine... until you did a little too much with it and the power supply shut off (because it was overheating under load). And the power supply may not report any kind of health information to the system (depending on the make/model of the server).

Finally, assuming you can eliminate external causes, check the event log tracker - see http://www.winvistatips.com/shutdown-event-tracker-logs-t552445.html (and this might be the first place to look UNLESS you're getting messages that the previous shutdown was unexpected - then this should likely be your last step).

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