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DeepSpace101
Asked: 2016-07-15 09:49:21 +0800 CST

Windows Server 2012 R2 Storage Spaces control panel icons disappeared?

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The Storage Spaces control panel widget is missing in the control panel on a Windows Server 2012 R2 system.

enter image description here

I know storage spaces itself is operational because the volumes and files are up and accessible. Plus they check out fine via Server Manager as well as powershell (see below)

Question: How do I get the Storage Spaces control panel icon back into the control panel? The icon itself isn't mission critical (nor is this server, it's just important) but since it's something basic that's broken I'd like to resolve this.

Server Manager enter image description here

Powershell

PS C:\windows\system32> get-storagepool -FriendlyName "Storage pool"

FriendlyName            OperationalStatus       HealthStatus            IsPrimordial            IsReadOnly
------------            -----------------       ------------            ------------            ----------
Storage pool            OK                      Healthy                 False                   False


PS C:\windows\system32>

Did the basics like deleting windows search cache (the missing/corrupt control panel widget broke start -> "storage" -> click "storage spaces") as well as sfc /scannow (which shows all ok)

Beginning verification phase of system scan.
Verification 100% complete.

Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
windows-server-2012-r2 storage-spaces

2 Answers

  1. On Server 2012 R2, Storage Spaces is not administered via a Control Panel applet, but instead via Server Manager as you've pictured above. The Control Panel applet is visible on Win8/8.1/10 clients only.

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  2. Best Answer

    Our system was Server 2012 R2 Datacenter edition. The system did have the Essentials role enabled sometime back when it was the only DC. The storage spaces control panel is installed when the essentials role is enabled (even on Datacenter edition). We took out the essentials role sometime back and seems the control panel widget is uninstalled when the essentials role is disabled. Basically it seems like nothing is broken so we've got nothing to fix.

    PS: Technically it's all Server 2012 R2. Essentials is just another role you enable or disable.

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