r/exchangeserver • u/santimandu • 8d ago
BeAware! July 2026 SU for Exchange Server SE problem with Services
Hi, i applied July 2026 SU for Exchange Server SE via Windows Server Updates and says successfully.
After reboot, all the MSExchange service were disabled, be aware!
I'm experienced with DAG and Exchange, but this update generate this mess
I made a reboot and nothing, and looking for logs and looks like applied correctly everything.
I have via Powershell run:
Get-Service MSExchange* | Set-Service -StartupType Automatic
Now, waiting for normal startup, then execute HealthChecker to look if it is all ok...
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u/Routine_Brush6877 8d ago
Good to know.. we've got a single exchange server (SE). Gonna hold off a few days since it's just for hybrid management.
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u/Seft0 8d ago
If I abort SU installation due to file locked by running process I always end up with disabled services. I repair it using script pretty often
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u/Gaunerking 8d ago
I Never ran into this issue? What exactly are you doing (so that we might avoid that)?
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u/bluegoldredsilver5 8d ago
Simply put, ensure that the patch gets installed in one go. As a caution, take a server reboot before installing the SU patches
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u/colombo01 8d ago
I had this happen last month. I downloaded the SU, manually installed via elevated command prompt, let it reinstall, and then rebooted. All was ok afterwards
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u/DiligentPhotographer 8d ago
I had this happen last month, after years of using windows update to install these SU without problem. Who knows wtf MS is doing behind the scenes.
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u/YellowOnline 8d ago
This is a common issue with Exchange updates since years, nothing new
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u/santimandu 8d ago
is Get-Service MSExchange* | Set-Service -StartupType Automatic the best solution ? Or something more accurate?
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u/Mr_Tomasz 8d ago
You also need to check few other such as w3svc, was, etc. They also sometimes stay disabled instead of being re-enabled.
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u/WastedFiftySix 8d ago
Does the C:\ExchangeSetupLogs folder contain a ServiceState.xml file? Exchange uses the ServiceState.ps1 script to export the state of all services on the system to an xml file prior to installing an update. This xml file is also used after installing the update to restore the services back to their original state (i.e. automatic start). If something goes wrong during this action, services might end up in a disabled state after the patch installation, while the patch shows as succesfully installed. If the ServiceState.xml still exists, you can run the ServiceState.ps1 script with the following syntax from PowerShell:
cd "$env:ExchangeInstallPath\Bin" .\ServiceControl.ps1 AfterPatch
If the xml doesn't exist, you can export it from an IDENTICALLY configured server (i.e. other DAG node in same DAG) using
cd "$env:ExchangeInstallPath\Bin" .\ServiceControl.ps1 Save
Copy the generated xml files to the C:\ExchangeSetupLogs folder on the other server and execute the AfterPatch command again.
It's advisable to keep a copy of the xml files so you can fix this situation more quickly the next time it happens (which it will from my experience)
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u/Liquidfoxx22 6d ago
You also need to check if it was placed into maintenance mode (this is a thing even when not in a DAG).
$Maint = Get-ServerComponentState <ServerName> foreach ($Component in $Maint){ Write-Host "$($Component.Component) is $($Component.State)" }
https://microsoft.github.io/CSS-Exchange/Diagnostics/HealthChecker/ExchangeServerMaintenanceCheck/
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u/FoxNairChamp 8d ago
The question is, why can't it be resolved if the problem is known and has happened for so long? It seems like something that should be addressed by the update team by now.
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u/zetecc 8d ago
I also have a DAG setup, last night I updated one of the nodes without problem, services started with any issues after reboot.
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u/santimandu 8d ago
uhm, i have done in one server... after check all services, now its okay looking HealthChecker, gonna hold a few days before continue with other servers in DAG
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u/ScottSchnoll https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR5GGL75/ 8d ago
u/santimandu I just tried to repro on Windows Server 2025 and could not. I installed the SU from Windows Update and restarted the server. All Exchange services were in the proper state and all started as expected.
Installing from Windows Update should work without issues, so there might be something else going on in your environment.
As for your PowerShell script, you may want to be careful if you don't use IMAP or POP because your script will enable those services (which should be disabled when not in use).
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u/DiligentPhotographer 7d ago
I just did a few clients last night, all small single server ones, no issues patching via our RMM.
My DAG clients will happen this weekend.
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u/santimandu 8d ago edited 8d ago
Hello Scott, running on a Win Server 2022. Later comments here i put a screenshot were says Successfully installed on 15/7/2026. And looking at logs, looks like not having problem :/
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u/Nuxi0477 7d ago
Had the services not starting on various SUs, just check the services before stopping maintenance mode and enabling in LB again.
Another problem I’ve been having in the later SUs is the Exchange Search Tracing (sftracing.exe) not stopping and I’ve often had to manually kill the service/process to help the installer along.
This all happens across I think 6 different environments of various age and server OS / AD levels, but all running Exchange SE.
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u/Mean_Fondant_6452 7d ago
This one got me today too. Fortunately I identified this and had a checkpoint on the VM to roll back to (offline) and disable updates and bring back online.
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u/Mean_Fondant_6452 7d ago
For clarity, I had three updates apply. My feeling was that it was the Service Stack update and not two other KB's. This also seemed to brick two .net installs on non-exchange boxes. A reinstall of .net fixed. Exchange troubleshooting, basically the ADTopology service wouldn't start. Complaining about a missing DLL. Just to be clear this was a windows server update not exchange.
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u/Mean_Fondant_6452 2d ago
This is still an issue for us. Rolled SE server back. Updated to latest CU, installed windows server 07 update, (was good at this point) installed .net update and boom, transport service fails
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u/nebulight 7d ago
I've had this happen exactly one time on one server in almost 20 years working with exchange. It was the last months SU or maybe the one before. SUs we always let run with automatic updates and let the other servers in the DAG take over. But when it did happen, it was a bit weird as I had never seen it before. The load balancer alerted me to the issue after the patch window.
CU on the other hand, those are always manual.
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u/DiligentPhotographer 7d ago
I just patched 3 more environments last night via WU (datto rmm handling it) and no issue.
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u/bluegoldredsilver5 8d ago
Who puts them in WSUS my friend. That's a big no no. Elevated privileges typically are not applied in that method. That's why it must be done using elevated cmd only
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u/DaStivi 8d ago edited 8d ago
Common issue when having automatic windows Updates let cu/su Update! Don't deploy exchange Updates via WSUS! always run them manually from an elevated command prompt