[SOLVED] Can't install Defender - 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING

[BrewDrew]

Hi there,

I have an error installing Windows Defender on an Windows 2016 Server Standard.

The error in the CBS.LOG is: 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING

SFC /SCANNOW is fine (No Errors)

ChkDsk C: /f (no Errors)

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth is fine (no Errors)
DISM /Online /cleanup-image /ScanHealth is fine (no Errors)

Tried: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:E:\sources\install.esd did not help.

Rebooted several times





This is what the CBS.LOG tells me:



2021-11-24 12:48:57, Error CSI 0000000a (F) HRESULT_FROM_WIN32(ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING) #48404# from Windows::ServicingAPI::CCSITransaction::ICSITransaction_PinDeployment(Flags = 0, a = Windows-Defender-Server-Core-Group-onecore-Deployment-LanguagePack, version 10.0.14393.0, arch amd64, culture [l:5]'tr-TR', nonSxS, pkt {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, cb = (null), s = (null), rid = 'Windows-Defender-Server-Core-Group-onecore-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~tr-TR~10.0.14393.0.04b7bccf5b57902ab28e8ea28fc36f83', rah = (null), manpath = (null), catpath = (null), ed = 0, disp = 0)[gle=0x80073701]

2021-11-24 12:48:57, Info CBS Failed to pin deployment while resolving Update: Windows-Defender-Server-Core-Group-onecore-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~tr-TR~10.0.14393.0.04b7bccf5b57902ab28e8ea28fc36f83 from file: (null) [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]

2021-11-24 12:48:57, Info CBS Failed to bulk stage deployment manifest and pin deployment for packageackage_1600_for_KB5007192~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.1.8 [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]

2021-11-24 12:48:57, Info CBS Failed to resolve execution chain. [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]

2021-11-24 12:48:57, Error CBS Failed to process single phase execution. [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]

2021-11-24 12:48:57, Info CBS WER: Generating failure report for package: Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.14393.0, status: 0x80073701, failure source: Resolve, start state: Installed, target state: Installed, client id: DISM Package Manager Provider

2021-11-24 12:48:57, Info CBS Not able to query DisableWerReporting flag. Assuming not set... [HRESULT = 0x80070002 - ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND]

2021-11-24 12:48:57, Info CBS Exec: Processing complete. Session: 30925097_1109716091, Package: Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.14393.0 [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]

2021-11-24 12:48:58, Error CBS Failed to perform operation. [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]

2021-11-24 12:48:58, Info CBS Session: 30925097_1109716091 finalized. Reboot required: no [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]

2021-11-24 12:48:58, Info CBS Failed to FinalizeEx using worker session [HRESULT = 0x80073701]





Can you please help with this issue?

Thank you,

BrewDrew

 

[Digerati]

"Install" Windows Defender? Pretty sure Defender is already in Windows Server 2016. See this: Windows Defender Overview for Windows Server

This is not my area of expertise on this site, so another staff member will need to step in and verify - but it is my understanding all you need to do is enable the GUI.

It is still early in the morning in many parts, and Thanksgiving is upon us, so please be patient. Someone will come along soon, I am sure.

 

[BrewDrew]

Hi Digerati,

thank you for your response and your information about Thanksgiving.

The reason behind the required "installation" is likely due to a previews installation of McAfee Mvision Endpoint Manager.
We already uninstalled it, but the Defender is still uninstalled.
The Defender Settings error is (translated from german by my broken english skills): "The settings for Windows Defender are not available. The App on this server was uninstalled".
So I tried to install it back via Server Manager and Power Shell. On both I got the same error:

• "0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING"

I read in this forum, that there a solutions available to this issue?
Thanks again for your response, we hope someone here can help us with our problem.


Best regards,
BrewDrew

 

[Digerati]

Well, I connect speak for Windows Server, but on Windows, when another security solution is installed, it is supposed to register itself in Windows Security. This tells Windows Defender to step aside or disable itself so you don't have two security solutions running at once. Defender is not uninstalled, it is simply configured not to run when Windows starts.

Again, today is Thanksgiving Day in America, and typically a long 4-day weekend so again spent with family and friend (and shopping). So it may be awhile before someone more knowledgeable comes by.

Not sure if this offer anything different, but I did find this about about "installing" Defender in Windows Server 2016: How to install Windows Defender Antivirus in Windows servers2016 and 2019?

 

[BrewDrew]

Hi Digerati,

thanks again for your respones! I can fully understand that it's an important holiday and guys have better things to do than helping strangers on the internet.
But maybe someone's boring and has similiar issues than we have and can give us a hint in the right direction?

As well thank you for your link; we already read similar guides and, in fact, is the main reason we came to the errors mentionend in title and the first post:

PS C:\Windows\system32> Install-WindowsFeature -Name Windows-Defender-GUI
Install-WindowsFeature : Fehler bei der Anforderung zum Hinzufügen oder Entfernen von Features auf dem angegebenen
Server.
Fehler beim Installieren mindestens einer Rolle, eines Rollendiensts oder eines Features.
Die referenzierte Assembly konnte nicht gefunden werden. Fehler: 0x80073701
In Zeile:1 Zeichen:1
+ Install-WindowsFeature -Name Windows-Defender-GUI
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (@{Vhd=; Credent...Name=localhost}:PSObject) [Install-WindowsFeature],
    Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : DISMAPI_Error__Failed_To_Enable_Updates,Microsoft.Windows.ServerManager.Commands.AddWind
   owsFeatureCommand


Success Restart Needed Exit Code      Feature Result
------- -------------- ---------      --------------
False   No             Failed         {}




PS C:\Windows\system32> Install-WindowsFeature -Name Windows-Defender
Install-WindowsFeature : Fehler bei der Anforderung zum Hinzufügen oder Entfernen von Features auf dem angegebenen
Server.
Fehler beim Installieren mindestens einer Rolle, eines Rollendiensts oder eines Features.
Die referenzierte Assembly konnte nicht gefunden werden. Fehler: 0x80073701
In Zeile:1 Zeichen:1
+ Install-WindowsFeature -Name Windows-Defender
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (@{Vhd=; Credent...Name=localhost}:PSObject) [Install-WindowsFeature],
    Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : DISMAPI_Error__Failed_To_Enable_Updates,Microsoft.Windows.ServerManager.Commands.AddWind
   owsFeatureCommand


Success Restart Needed Exit Code      Feature Result
------- -------------- ---------      --------------
False   No             Failed         {}

Please excuse the foreign language (it's german), but we have our entire network/system in our mother's language.

Once again, thank you for your time and the mention of the US holiday season.
Maybe there's somebody who got the right idea after his savory turkey dinner.

 

[DR M]

Not an expert in Updates here, but we can check the services as a step.

• Please download Farbar Service Scanner and save it on your Desktop.
• Right click on the tool icon and run it as administrator.
• Make sure all the options are checked.
• Click on the Scan button.
• It will create a log (FSS.txt) on your Desktop.
• Copy and paste the log's content to your next reply.

 

[BrewDrew]

Hi DR M,

thanks for getting in touch.
I've run the software and attached the logfile to this post.

Please advice.
Thank you in advance,

BrewDrew

 

[DR M]

Hi, BrewDrew.

It seems that important services are missing, including SDRSVC Service (System Restore), wscsvc Service (Windows Security) and WinDefend Service (Windows Defender).

In Windows 10 I would ask you to re-register the missing services in the registry (giving you the exact reg files to import), but since I have no experience with Windows servers, I am not sure if the same fix applies here too.

 

[BrewDrew]

Hi DR M,
thank you for your response and sorry for the late one from me.

I would like to at least try the solution you mentioned.
In case of errors, I would be able to restore from a snapshot then.
If this doesn't help, we maybe will set up a future project to resetup this server.

Could you please provide us with the information, what we need to do to re-register the missing services?


Thank you for your support,

BrewDrew

 

[DR M]

Hi, BrewDrew.

I asked if someone Updates expert can see your topic. You will have to wait a bit though.

 

[BrewDrew]

Hi DR M,

thank you for forwarding our issue.


Best regards,

Brew Drew

 

[DR M]

Hi, BrewDrew.

Let's try to fix the missing services one by one.

• Download SDRSVC.reg and save it to your Desktop.
• Double-click on the file, allow the information to be merged (Yes) and restart the computer.
• Run FSS again as you did here and let me see the log.

 

[BrewDrew]

Hi DR M,

thank you for your response.
I've merged the Registry-File into the servers Registry, run the software afterwards and attached the logfile to this post.
Please advice.

Thank you in advance,

BrewDrew

 

[DR M]

Good.

Let's continue with the other services. We are going to do this in Safe mode.


1. Restart in Safe mode

• Press the Windows icon on the keyboard together with the letter I, to get into the Settings.
• Choose Update and Security.
• From the menu at the left, choose Recovery.
• Under the title Advanced startup at the right, choose Restart now.
• From the window that will appear choose Troubleshoot and then Advanced options.
• Choose Startup Settings and then Restart.
• Press number 5, for choosing Safe mode with networking.
• You will know that you are in Safe mode, if the background is black and Safe mode is written at the four corners of the screen.

2. Restore missing services

• Download wscsvc.reg and save it to your Desktop.
• Double-click on the file, allow the information to be merged (Yes) and restart the computer.
• Repeat the same two steps above for WinDefend.reg.

3. Run FSS again

• Restart in normal mode.
• Right click on the tool icon and run it as administrator, as you did before.
• Make sure all the options are checked.
• Click on the Scan button.
• It will create a log (FSS.txt) on your Desktop.
• Copy and paste the log's content to your next reply.

 

[BrewDrew]

Thanks again for your directions.


Those are the things we did in this order on the respective server:

Start in safe mode >
Merged wscsvc.reg > Reboot
Merged WinDefend.reg >
Reboot in normal mode >
Start FSS.exe >
All Options checked > Scan

The result is now posted in the attached FSS.txt-Logfile.


Thanks again for your support and best Regards,

BrewDrew

 

[DR M]

BrewDrew,

Please try once again to merge Windefend.reg in Safe mode.

Restart in normal mode and give me a new FSS log.

 

[BrewDrew]

We started the Server in Safe mode and merged the WinDefend.reg again.

Afterwards, the Servermanager reports that those services could not be started normally:
[LIST]
[*]wscsvc
[*]WinDefend
[/LIST]

This error were already there yesterday, after merging the 2 Registry-Files.
I've attached the screenshots of the errors after trying to start the services manually.
And I've attached the requested log of the FSS.exe


Thank you for your help!

 

[DR M]

Hi, BrewDrew.

The services are in German so I can't spot the Windows Security service.

Find it, double click on it and take a screenshot of the window that is going to appear.

 

[BrewDrew]

Hi DR M,

I'm sorry, but it seems that there is no such service on Windows Server:

https://www.reddit.com/r/crowdstrike/comments/ik217p

Can I suggest a fix through the missing assembly from my first post? [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]
I saw on this board, that it could be fixed by deleting and adding a bunch of values based on the installed (and not installed) language packages?
[SOLVED] - Update failure: 0x80073701 – STATUS-SXS-ASSEMBLY-MISSING


Thank you for your suggestions!

 

[DR M]

BrewDrew,

The Windows Security service is the wscsvc service and it is in your system. You aid that you tried to start it manually and you got the error.