What is ‘servermanager.exe could not be started’ error in Windows 10?
In this post, we are going to discuss on “How to fix servermanager.exe could not be started error in Windows 10”. You will be guided with easy steps/methods to resolve the error. Let’s starts the discussion.
‘servermanager.exe or Windows Server Manager’: Windows Server Manager is software designed & developed by Microsoft to view and manage network roles like Windows Server, Domain Controller, File Server, and Print Server. This tool is used by IT professional to manage both local and Windows-based servers from their desktop without requiring physical access or need to enable RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) connections to each server. servermanager.exe is executable file and is part of Microsoft Windows Operating System. This executable file is required by system to run Server Manager and get installed when you install Server Manager on Windows PC.
However, several Windows users reported that they faced ‘servermanager.exe could not be started’ error while tried to open Windows Server Manager on their Windows 10/11 computer. The error is appeared usually with two buttons including ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. This EXE error indicates that you are unable to use Windows Server Manager software in your computer because the application couldn’t be started. Let’s take a look at error message.
“ServerManager.exe – This application could not be started. L?.
This application could not be started.
Do you want to view Information about this issue?”
The possible reason behind the issue can be the invalid or corrupted registry key of servermanager.exe program, malware or viruses infections in computer, servermanager.exe file was accidently deleted or misplaced and other reasons. This issue can also be occurred due to the interference of other third-party applications or conflicting software installed in your computer.
You can uninstall the problematic applications or conflicting software in computer in order to fix the issue. Another possible reason behind the issue can be corrupted or damaged hard disk drives or system images. It is possible to resolve the issue with our instructions. Let’s go for the solution.
How to fix servermanager.exe could not be started error in Windows 10?
Method 1: Fix ‘servermanager.exe could not be started’ error with ‘PC Repair Tool’
‘PC Repair Tool’ is easy & quick way to find and fix BSOD errors, EXE errors, DLL errors, problems with programs/applications, malware or viruses infections, system files or registry issues and other system issues with just few clicks. You can get this tool through button/link below.
Method 2: Run DISM scan
You can run DISM scan in your computer to repair hard disk system image corruption in order to fix this error.
Step 1: Type ‘cmd’ in Windows Search Box and press ‘SHIFT + ENTER’ keys on keyboard to open ‘Command Prompt as Administrator’
Step 2: Type the following commands one-by-one and hit ‘Enter’ key after each to execute. This command will fix and reinstall .NET Framework versions 3 & 4.
DISM.exe /online /enable-feature /all /featurename:NetFx3
DISM.exe /online /enable-feature /all /featurename:NetFx4
Step 3: Once executed, restart your computer and check if the error is resolved.
Method 3: Delete User.config file
Step 1: Open ‘File Explorer’ in Windows 10 and navigate to following path
C:\Users\<YourUserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft_Corporation\ServerManager.exe_StrongName_m3xk0k0ucj0oj3ai2hibnhnv4xobnimj10.0.0.0user.config
Step 2: Once you are inside correct folder, find and delete user.config file. Once done, restart Server Manager and check if he error is resolved.
Method 4: Edit ServerList.xml
If you have multiple server OS installations running, you may find that one of the servers is responsible for the server manager error. To do so, open ‘Server Manager’ on other servers and try adding servers. All goes well until you try doing the same on specific server, that’s when server manager would crash and stop working again. In such case, you can open ‘serverlist.xml’ to edit and remove the problematic server and save the changes and check if the error is resolved.
Method 5: Perform System Restore
If the issue is still persist, you can try to fix the issue by performing System Restore in computer. Let’s try.
Step 1: Press ‘Windows + R’ keys on keyboard, type ‘rstrui’ in ‘Run’ window and click ‘OK’ button to open ‘System Restore’
Step 2: In the opened window, click ‘Next’, select a restore point according to date & time when there was no issue at all, and hit ‘Next > Finish’ button to start restoring process and once done, restart your computer and check if the error is resolved.
Method 6: Update Windows 10 OS
Updating Windows 10 OS to latest version can resolve the issue. Let’s try.
Step 1: Open ‘Settings’ App in Windows 10 via Windows Search Box and go to ‘Update & Security > Windows Update’ and click ‘Check for updates’ button
Step 2: Download and install all pending updates in computer and once updated, restart your computer and check if the error is resolved.
Method 7: Perform Windows 10 Repair or reinstall
If the error is still persist, you can perform Windows 10 OS installation repair using Windows 10 Installation Media DVD/USB in order to repair the corruption in your computer and fix this error. Or you can also perform clean install of Windows 10 in order to fix the issue.
Conclusion
I am sure this post helped you on How to fix servermanager.exe could not be started in Windows 10 with several easy steps/methods. You can read & follow our instructions to do so. That’s all. For any suggestions or queries, please write on comment box below.
