Windows Server 2019 RDS - Start & Search does not work, desktops don't load

[therealHeetsink]

server 2019 1809 2020-12 updates installed OK, all the way back to March when it was stood up.


Its a RDS server, and I originally configured clients VHDX files to be on a storage server. Very reliable for many months.


First came the complaints about slow log ins, a blank screen for several minutes when people signed in.


then the complaints about the Start menu and Search not working. the left mouse button would not open the Start menu, and users could not enter text in the Search field.


users couldn't figure out how to get to network shares, so I had to create shortcuts on the public desktop.


then the reliability issues. the server would accept connections but the desktop would never render. just a dark blank screen first for several minutes, then then the GUI would never render until the server was powered off and on.


the event viewer start filling up DCOM errors in the system log every time a user signed in. Always about Cortona.


log Name: System

Source: Microsoft-Windows-DistributedCOM

Date: 12/18/2020 2:23:22 PM

Event ID: 10001

Task Category: None

Level: Error

Keywords: Classic

User: domain\user

Computer: server.domain

Unable to start a DCOM Server: Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_1.11.6.17763_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy!CortanaUI as Unavailable/Unavailable. The error:

"0"

Happened while starting this command:

"C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\SearchUI.exe" -ServerName:CortanaUI.AppXa50dqqa5gqv4a428c9y1jjw7m3btvepj.mca

Event Xml:

<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">

<System>

<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-DistributedCOM" Guid="{1B562E86-B7AA-4131-BADC-B6F3A001407E}" EventSourceName="DCOM" />

<EventID Qualifiers="0">10001</EventID>

<Version>0</Version>

<Level>2</Level>

<Task>0</Task>

<Opcode>0</Opcode>

<Keywords>0x8080000000000000</Keywords>

<TimeCreated SystemTime="2020-12-18T20:23:22.975245900Z" />

<EventRecordID>622171</EventRecordID>

<Correlation />

<Execution ProcessID="2128" ThreadID="50464" />

<Channel>System</Channel>

<Computer>RDS.andresmedical.local</Computer>

<Security UserID="S-1-5-21-1177238915-1897051121-725345543-7972" />

</System>

<EventData>

<Data Name="param1">"C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\SearchUI.exe" -ServerName:CortanaUI.AppXa50dqqa5gqv4a428c9y1jjw7m3btvepj.mca</Data>

<Data Name="param2">0</Data>

<Data Name="param3">Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_1.11.6.17763_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy!CortanaUI</Data>

<Data Name="param4">Unavailable</Data>

<Data Name="param5">Unavailable</Data>

</EventData>

</Event>


SFC /scannow found nothing

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth with the source switch said it found issues and fixed them but...


a few days later the server was stuck with blank screens again!


I reset profiles to be stored on the C drive and that was not a fix. Start worked briefly. a few days later the server was stuck with blank screens again!


what started as an annoyance mutated into a big disruption. Seen many posts talking about the broken start but not much success.


if I navigate to C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\SearchUI.exe and run as admin,


Unable to start a DCOM Server: Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_1.11.6.17763_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy!CortanaUI.AppXfbn8w4s0jbk3tjevpcn9kaxerc6rby8k.mca as Unavailable/Unavailable. The error:

"0"
Happened while starting this command:
"C:\Windows\system32\backgroundTaskHost.exe" -ServerName:CortanaUI.AppXy7vb4pc2dr3kc93kfc509b1d0arkfb2x.mca


will I have to rebuild from scratch or can this server be saved?

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