WSEE and Windows Server 2025 - Does it Work for You
Hi All:
I have used WSEE with Windows Server 2019 and 2022 and it works great. I have done extensive testing on WSEE with Server 2025 and I find it does not work reliably at all with 2025. Has anyone else had similar experiences? A couple of bugs I have noticed are:
Adding Server Folders locks up (or appears to) at 80% when trying to add a server folder. This appears to be slightly intermittent.
Similarly, when trying to move a server folder to a new location, a lockup occurs.
Lastly, Windows Server Updates frequently fail – typically Security Essentials update fail.
I am sticking with Server 2022 and WSEE as the combo is very stable – 2025 not so much.
What are others’ experiences?
Greg
- Greg6251 asked 1 month ago
- You must log in to post comments.
IMHO, setting any of the services to delay start is not the proper way to work around these issues (bugs) in Windows Server 2025.
I believe that all of the issues (bugs) are related to the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and the limit user access functionality of the Windows Server 2025 operating system. I’ve just implemented a fix (i.e. kludge) for the problem in the latest release of the WSEE Installer/WSEE Updater that will hopefully work around the issues in Windows Server 2025 until such time as Microsoft finally figures out what the actual problem is and releases a Windows Update for it (at which time I’ll then go ahead and reverse the kludge with another update).
You can download a copy of the latest WSEE Updater (with the fix) from here.
- Mike answered 4 weeks ago
- last edited 4 weeks ago
- You must log in to post comments.
It does indeed appear that Windows Server 2025 is still suffering from some growing pains I’m afraid. Lots of folks are reporting the issues you’re seeing with creating/copying/moving shared folders (network shares) under 2025. It appears that there’s some sort of problem going on with the volume shadow copy service (VSS) feature of the operating system that’s causing most of the problems.
In addition, lots of folks (including myself) are seeing issues with the Windows Installer under 2025 where MSI installer packages are stalling out/hanging. I believe this is also related to the VSS service as well (since the Windows Installer always takes a snapshot before proceeding with the installation process), but don’t know for sure.
Lastly, I’m also seeing the issue you’ve mentioned where some of the Windows Updates (like the antivirus definitions, etc.) simply refuse to install (they always seem to fail during installation at around the 66% mark or so).
The odd part of all of this is that none of these issues seemed to be present when Windows Server 2025 was in preview release form (i.e. vNext). It was only after it became GA/RTM that I started seeing most of the issues appear.
Anyway… I’m recommending that folks stick with Windows Server 2022 until Microsoft is able to resolve the issues in Windows Server 2025 (hopefully via a Windows Update).
Thanks for sharing the issues you’re seeing with 2025.
- Mike answered 1 month ago
- last edited 4 weeks ago
- You must log in to post comments.
Thank you for this. I’m also back on 2022. The reason the antivirus definitions refuse to install is simply that the virus threat service shuts down for no good reason, and it is almost impossible to get it restarted
- Troels answered 1 month ago
- last edited 1 month ago
- You must log in to post comments.
Yeah, 2025 still seems to be quite a mess. Not sure why Microsoft is struggling with it so badly. I just saw this one this morning (Oy):
Microsoft: Windows Server 2025 restarts break connectivity on some DCs
- Mike answered 1 month ago
- You must log in to post comments.
I’ve been running server 2025 for about 4 months now and have finally got it running stable with WSSE installed with some trial and error. When installing WSSE the ability to install updates, or to install or even uninstall applications would break and no longer work. After numerous formats and reinstalls I finally realized the issues only occurred after the server was promoted to a domain controller, via WSSE. After months of googling this behavior I came across a couple of threads where people were complaining about the same behavior when they installed any sort of enterprise monitor software. They found a solution by setting that software to delayed startup. So, I went to services on my server and set every one to delayed startup that was currently set to automatic startup. There were a few that would not let me change, but I changed all that would allow. Ever since I did this I have had no further issues with running WSSE on server 2025. Hope this helps anyone who wants to run server 2025 but has had issues like I did. FYI, YMMV 🙂
- Glenn answered 4 weeks ago
- last edited 4 weeks ago
- I tested and found after I uninstalled WSEE that Updates for Server 2025 worked again. These supports (in my mind) your experience and conclusion above.
- Could you list the specific services that you set to delayed start that resolved your issues? THANKS!
- Glenn – UPDATE – I only changed the Service named “Windows Server Essentials Management Service to “Automatic Delayed” and that solved my issues so far – tested on two instances of Server 2025 with WSEE installed – creating or moving server folders does not freeze and the Threat and Protection Service starts correctly and updates when new definitions are released. THANKS for pointing me in right direction on this issue.
- I changed Windows Server Essentials Management Service to Automatic Delayed and now Server 2025 with WSEE installed works fantastic. Very happy with the result. Thanks Greg and Glenn for this wonderfull and easy solution.
- You must log in to post comments.
Hi Greg6251,
As I stated in my original post, I changed every service that was set to “Automatic” to “Delayed Start”. Some of the services would not let me change them, so I skipped those particular ones. At some point I plan to go back through and change each one back to “Automatic” one at a time to see if I can identify which one(s) are causing the issue, but this will be pain stacking and take some time. In the mean time I am happy to run the server with them all set to “Delayed Start” as I have not found any issue(s) doing so.
- Glenn answered 4 weeks ago
- last edited 4 weeks ago
- Did you do the changes via command line or where exactly? THANKS
- You must log in to post comments.
Greg6251,
Open task manager, go to services, start at the top and work your way to the bottom; setting all services to “Delayed Start” that are currently running as “Automatic Start”
- Glenn answered 4 weeks ago
- last edited 4 weeks ago
- You must log in to post comments.
Hi Mike
IMHO, since WSEE is not sanctioned or supported by Microsoft for use on server 2025, any “workaround” to make it work is a “correct” solution. I appreciate the hard work and dedication you put into this endeavor and hope that Microsoft will come out with some update for server 2025 that “fixes” the issues I was having but IMHO the likely hood is slim. In IMHO having a service start up in “Automatic Delay” does not affect any functionality in any way.
- Glenn answered 4 weeks ago
- last edited 3 weeks ago
- You must log in to post comments.
