Server Manager shows "Configuration Refresh Message Error" & "Online - Data Retrieval Failures"

Question

We have migrated a Tertiary Domain Controller, running Windows 2022 from VMWare to Hyper-V. The migration was successful, and the system appears to be operating. However, we have noted a concerning issue when examining Server Manager.

It shows the following errors, which, I am sure operationally, are fine, but I can't understand why it's having an issue.

Event Viewer has several errors relating to:

Failure opening metadata of the owning provider for channel: hLastResult = The system cannot find the file specified.]

With several services, but since nothing has changed regarding which services are enabled, I am unsure why this is happening as well.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Hi Adrian ,
Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. It's my pleasure to help you today.

The “Online – Data Retrieval Failures” status in Server Manager combined with the error “The system cannot find the file specified” usually indicates that one or more Event Log channels on the Windows Server 2022 node are corrupted, missing metadata, or referencing a provider that cannot be loaded.
You can try the following workarounds to see if they help:

1. Add the node’s computer account to Event Log Readers

Computer Management → Local Users and Groups → Groups → Event Log Readers

Add: The server’s own computer account

If using Cluster-Aware Updating (CAU), add the CAU computer object as well

This ensures the node can read all event channels through WinRM.

2. Reset the problematic event channel

One common problematic provider is:

Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-IoTrace/Diagnostic

Open Registry Editor and modify:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WINEVT\Channels\Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-IoTrace/Diagnostic Enabled = 1 → 0

This forces Windows to rebuild the channel’s metadata and recreate missing log files on the next boot.

3. Reboot the node

After the reboot:

Windows automatically sets Enabled back to 1

The channel loads with clean metadata

Missing .etl files are recreated

-->Repeat the above steps on other cluster nodes if necessary.

If you find this information useful to some extent, please accept the answer so that your experience with the issue would help contribute to the whole community.
Best wishes!
Titus Bui.

Answer 2

Is there any solution to this problem? I haven't been able to resolve it yet on Windows Server 2022.

Answer 3

Is there any solution to this problem? I haven't been able to resolve it yet on Windows Server 2022.

Answer 4

The error you're seeing in Event Viewer, “Failure opening metadata of the owning provider for channel: hLastResult = The system cannot find the file specified,” typically indicates that Windows is trying to access an event log channel whose metadata is missing or corrupted. This often happens when:

The system was migrated across platforms (like VMware to Hyper-V)

Certain services or features were removed or reconfigured

Event log providers were not properly registered post-migration

Here’s how you can address it:

Rebuild Event Log Metadata

• Open Command Prompt as Administrator
• Run: powershell wevtutil.exe el | foreach {wevtutil.exe gl $_} *This will list all event logs and attempt to load their metadata. Logs that fail will help you identify which providers are broken.

Re-register Affected Providers

If you identify specific services (e.g., DNS, AD DS) with broken logs, you can re-register their event providers using:

Powershell

wevtutil.exe im <path-to-manifest>.man

*You’ll need the .man file from the service’s installation directory.

Check for Missing or Corrupt Log Files

1. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\winevt\Logs
2. Look for missing .evtx files or unusually small ones
3. You can delete corrupted logs (after backing up) and restart the service to regenerate them

Review ServerManager-ManagementProvider Logs

As noted in your Server Manager warning, check:

code

Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > ServerManager > Operational

*This may give more insight into which logs or permissions are failing.

Run SFC and DISM

These tools can repair system file corruption:

powershell

sfc /scannow

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

These errors don’t usually affect domain controller functionality, but cleaning them up will improve monitoring and reduce noise in your logs. Let me know if you’d like help identifying specific providers or scripting the cleanup.

And if this answer helped, feel free to hit “Accept answer” so others can benefit too 😊.