How do I fix "ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING"

Question

I'm having an error removing roles on my Server 2016 VM, Went I look into my CBS.log

I find the following error

2024-01-07 08:06:47, Info CBS Failed to resolve execution chain. [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]

2024-01-07 08:06:47, Error CBS Failed to process single phase execution. [HRESULT = 0x80073701 - ERROR_SXS_ASSEMBLY_MISSING]

2024-01-07 08:06:47, 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

2024-01-07 08:06:47, Info CBS Not able to query DisableWerReporting flag. Assuming not set... [HRESULT = 0x80070002 - ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND]

Answer 1

Hi Philip SH,

this error message in the CBS.log indicates that there is a missing assembly in the Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package. This can cause issues when trying to remove roles on your Server 2016 VM.

To resolve this issue, you can try running the System File Checker (SFC) tool to repair any corrupted system files. To do this, open an elevated Command Prompt and type "sfc /scannow" and press Enter. This will scan your system for any corrupted files and attempt to repair them.

If the SFC tool does not resolve the issue, you can try running the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool to repair the Windows image. To do this, open an elevated Command Prompt and type "DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth" and press Enter. This will scan your system and attempt to repair any issues with the Windows image.

If neither of these solutions work, you may need to reinstall the Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package to resolve the missing assembly issue.

Hope it helps.

Kind regards,

Lei

Answer 2

Lei, thanks for getting back to me.

I've tried sfc /scannow and it said it couldn't fix it, I'll try DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth now and let you know what the outcome is.

Answer 3

Hi Lei

Sorry for the delay

here is the result

C:\WINDOWS\system32>DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:D:\Sources\install.wim Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool Version: 10.0.14393.4169 Image Version: 10.0.14393.4169 [==========================100.0%==========================] Error: 0x800f081f The source files could not be found. Use the "Source" option to specify the location of the files that are required to restore the feature. For more information on specifying a source location, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=243077. The DISM log file can be found at C:\WINDOWS\Logs\DISM\dism.log

I downloaded the .iso from here https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-windows-server-2016

I mounted it and it was assigned the letter D:\

I received the same error when running just

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Any next suggestions?

Answer 4

Hi Philip SH,

you can try specifying the source location using the "Source" option in the command.

For example, you can try running the following command:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:D:\Sources\install.wim 

Make sure to replace "D:" with the correct drive letter where the Windows Server 2016 ISO is mounted.

If that doesn't work, you can try downloading the ISO again and verifying its integrity using the SHA-1 or SHA-256 checksum provided on the download page. If the checksum doesn't match, the ISO may be corrupted and you may need to download it again.