For Small Business Server 2003 users who do NOT want to be a Domain Controller.

[Paft]

The service "SBCore" is responsible for (after 1 week) rebooting your computer every hour until you become a domain controller. To avoid this, you need to create a file that will taskkill sbscrexe.exe until it no longer automatically restarts.

Here is a C++ example.

#include <iostream>

int main()
{
    while(1)
    {
        system("taskkill /F /MI sbscrexe.exe");
    }

    return(0);
}

Hope this helps other people who had my problem.

[CableDude]

That's just weird.

[ISKOTB]

I been managing SBS never seen that prob wait for Sid or Cat they might have a clue

The service "SBCore" is responsible for (after 1 week) rebooting your computer every hour until you become a domain controller. To avoid this, you need to create a file that will taskkill sbscrexe.exe until it no longer automatically restarts.

Here is a C++ example.

#include <iostream>

int main()
{
    while(1)
    {
        system("taskkill /F /MI sbscrexe.exe");
    }

    return(0);
}

Hope this helps other people who had my problem.

[Sid]

I can't think of any reason not to promote a sbs server to a DC.

[Paft]

I can't think of any reason not to promote a sbs server to a DC.

Bloat, mainly. No reason to become a DC with no domain.

[Sid]

Bloat, mainly. No reason to become a DC with no domain.

That kills a lot of the functionality imho.

[Paft]

That kills a lot of the functionality imho.

I'm in this for IIS 6, mainly, and to learn more about that side of things. I don't have nor want a domain at this point.

Yeah, it kills the functionality, but then again, I wouldn't use it anyway.

[Sid]

Come to think of it, I was experimenting a while ago and demoted an sbs server to a standard server and never had the problem you are experiencing. Did you just stop the install when it came time to making it a dc?

[Paft]

Bingo, Sid. I installed the desktop, and then canceled the second stage. Installed IIS seperately.

[Sid]

Try finishing the install to a DC then demote it. That's what I did and it never gave me any problems.

[Blarghie]

Pafts original post drew me to this thread after a google search.

I also didn't want to have to bother with this crap that my legitimate copy of Windows SBS couldn't run unless it was a DC. As it happens, we already had a second licence of SBS and simple wanted to re-use a currently un-used licence of SBS to implement a webserver, but without all the bloat that the SBS install affords.

The first thing I did was to install the server normally, the first chance you get to cancel the install of SBS bloat is when Windows starts for the first time after install, I seized my opportunity.

What I didn't see however was the quite frankly ridiculous scenario whereby Microsoft had decided to force restart the server every hour and NET SEND spam the network "this server doesn't comply with licensing requirements" across the entire network. Microsoft can stick that.

Anyway, like I said it was Pafts post that brought me here to the forum, and I've found a slightly more elegant solution to this problem rather than just aggressively killing the process until Windows gives up trying to start it again, and I'd like to share it in the hope that Google will re-index and pick it up for others to use. You may have noticed this service cannot be disabled via the MMC snap-in.

My search term on google was: how to stop the SBCore service

Anyway, down to business…
- Tools you'll need – Process Explorer from www.sysInternals.com

As you probably know, you have a service called SBCore or "SBS Core Services", which executes the following process: C:\WINDOWS\system32\sbscrexe.exe

If you kill it, it just restarts – and if you try and stop it you are told Access Denied.

If you fire up Process Explorer, you can select the process and Suspend it, now we can start to disable the thing.

Run RegEdit32.exe and expand the nodes until you reach the following hive / key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SBCore

Right click this, hit permissions and give the "Administrators" group on the local machine full access ( don't forget to replace permissions on child nodes ). F5 in regedit and you'll see all of the values and data under this key.

Select the "Start" DWORD and change it from 2 to 4 – this basically sets the service to the "Disabled" state as far as the MMC services snap-in (and windows for that matter) is concerned.

Next, adjust the permissions on the file C:\WINDOWS\system32\sbscrexe.exe so that EVERYONE account is denied any sort of access to this file.

Then go back to process explorer, and kill the sbscrexe.exe process, if it doesn't restart – congratulations!

Load up the services MMC snap-in and you should find that "SBS Core Services" is stopped and marked as Disabled.

Regards,

[deisama]

Just registered to say a big THANK YOU for your help!

You kick ass!

[anerd10950]

Registered to say THANK YOU SO MUCH! What kind of idiots would sell a product raising the minimum software requirements, so the end user can't do what they want, then not tell them about it? (well, we know who...)

I would assume this works, and I will try it out tomorrow. My setup includes 2 Windows 2003 SBS servers, one running the domain [controller] and the other running a website and NAT router. I don't want any domain stuff running on the NAt router machine, as it is visible on the internet as our DNS server.

Thanks again, you totally rock

[nish_s2k]

I would like to say thank you as well.

My only problem now is that I can't add licenses... When I click on licensing in the management console, it gives me "to add more licenses, use the add license wizard in windows server 2003 for small business server". How are you guys adding licenses? I'm finding that only some users are able to access a share on the SBS, after that it is locking people out because of insuffient licensing so I guess I need to add my CALs somehow.

[YeOldeStonecat]

Do everything with the Small Business Management Console...resist the urge to do things manually like you're on regular server...with Small Biz...you should do everything through the Small Business Server Management Console.

Click on your start button...look right up near the top...you'll see "Server Management" with a gray computer tower next to it.

Once you open that...take a good look at it...get familiar with it. This should be your starting page to do most everything you need to do, for each time you walk up to your server or remote in.

At the main home page..you'll see "Licensing".
Click on it..you'll see various things including "Add Licenses" which walks you through a step by step..you'll get to the point where you enter the new 5CAL pack key you purchased.

[magicboy2]

Another user registering solely to say thanks for the tip to Blarghie.

[Kris_NL]

Also just registered to say thanks!

[midiman888]

Me too, I just registered and just want to say THANK YOU.

The benifit of SBS 2003 is the price point, it is much cheaper than getting Server 2003 standard or enterprise edition, and has more features than Server 2003 web edition.

I ran into below bugs with add on domain features, where I should have installed SP1 first before setting it up as domain controller. I was forced to setup the server as domain controller in the first place, but I didn't really need it. Those additional domain controller features just slow down the entire system and causing even more problems.

I finally reinstalled everything without the domain controller part, it is a much better system now. Read below for the issues:

Your network connection may be reset when you try to perform a file operation on a remote Windows Server 2003-based computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/843515

A domain controller that is running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 may stop responding for 2 to 15 minutes several times a day
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908370

[crashnet]

thanks for these instructions. i am in a little bit of a bind now. i executed the instructions over an RDP thru windows standard VPN session. disabling sbcore worked fine. demoting the DC worked fine. i restarted the machine now I can't login (RDP thru VPN). will i have any problem if i drive over to the server tomorrow and try to login? any suggestions to try to login remotely?

thanks in advance

[raptor31]

does it eventually stop loading??? I did the taskkill from a command prompt about 10 times and i rebooted...now i don't see it...will it eventually restart itself???